I'm extending my Polymer Clay session for another day, today. Read back yesterday for more on the Trees project.
I had mixed success yesterday, a few issues presented themselves which have changed how I will make the next batch of beads. My main challenge was the texture of the mixed clay. I used a particular transparent clay (I have used this before and like the post cured appearance), it's a Primo Sculpey brand. The clay is quite soft and I really needed a more solid shape for my chosen design. The soft texture didn't hold the straight lines of my design in the way I had hoped. I'm going to blend up a new clay mix with another brand of clay today - to see if I can alter the final material. I need a firmer consistency to hold my straight cut lines.
I also struggled to decide on the final size of the oblong shaped bead. I'm quite keen to get a much thinner bead which is inspired by the 'trees' (see the image from yesterday). My plan was to make the bead in two halves, fused around the threading hole. My initial bead was too wide and combined with the soft consistency, the bead did not quite live up to my design. I did manage to produce a second smaller, square bead which I think is more successful for the Everyday Collection. I like the square shapes and will repeat the size with a round shape, using the same construction idea.
The current beads are a rather bright red, my next batch will be a darker shade. I do want to produce a mixture of shades with lots of transparent random patches throughout.
I'm hoping for a better production rate today. In my defence, I did have lots of other things going on yesterday ! I'm keen to complete my Trees project this week, so will keep going with it - until I complete. Hopefully, I can have something significant to share tomorrow.
Thanks for calling in today.
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