Polymer Paula

the Fib-Sniffer 4000

2010-09-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've been digging through my closets today in search of artwork I can sell..... and I found this guy! This is my very first official clay illustration. It was for an advanced Illustration class at Kent State in Spring of '01, so nearly 10 years! It looks so.... primitive. :~)

Those hands make me laugh! ...and how my businessman is flat, with his mouth completely punched out. Those lights around the border are glow-in-the-dark.

I'll keep practicing & see how things look in another 10 years!

Polymer Clay Cactus Gardens!

2010-09-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

Hello! Look what I did yesterday :~)

I'm preparing for my first outdoor art show next week, and I decided I needed something fun to sell that doesn't go on the wall. These little polymer clay cactus gardens are fun to arrange & re-arrange..... I'm thinking of setting a fixed price & letting people pick out their favorite 5 or 6 cactus components?

Close up of the rounds.

Plenty to choose from!

I've made the bottoms all pointy nubs; easy to stick in a little pot full of sand. (or grits, or lentils....)

I'd love any feedback on these! Should I sell the pieces individually? ...or pre-arrange the pots?
My first show should be quite the learning experience ;~)

T-shirt printing!

2010-08-25T19:48:00.001-07:00

...err, spray painting!

This weekend I was asked to make T-shirts for a friend's annual Ice Cream Social! This was quite the learning experience ;~)
Here's one of the finished designs.

...a spray paint test on cardboard.

I like this combo!

Shirts drying on the line. We printed about 35 all in all, about 2 days' work!

I had no idea that the spray paint would clog my hand-cut stencils soooo quickly! We only got about 10 good images from each stencil. I had to re-cut many times :~/

Thanks, Leigh Ann & Nick! Your parties are always a blast! (wish I had taken a photo of all of the shirts neatly folded & stacked up!) Next time?

Spot Illustrations

2010-08-09T20:36:00.001-07:00

Well hello! Here are 4 of 6 spot illustrations I've just completed for Cleveland Magazine. It's for an article discussing private schools, and places where learning actually takes place.
This one is "The Great Outdoors."

"At School." I tried to keep these pretty simple, as they'll be printed somewhat small...

"Beyond Borders."

"In the Workplace."

.....here's how the sketch phase looks!

Clay/Art News!

2010-08-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hey!
I got to meet one of my all-time favorite illustrators, Chris Sickels of Red Nose Studio.

It's so inspiring meeting other clay artists!!!
Red Nose Blog
Red Nose Studio.com

Me being cheesy. (...Is that an autographed Look Book you're holding?)

My handsome date for the evening! (with his favorite sculpt.)

ALSO:

I've signed up for Art in the Park! (I'll get the official word in about a week....cross your fingers!) It's a huge outdoor art/craft show in northern Kentucky, and I've been preparing & framing my polymer sculptures to *hopefully* sell.

....and finally, here's the next step in my illustration. Still tweaking things a bit. Final + spots due Monday!

Have a good weekend ;~)

Clay in Progress!

2010-08-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm currently working on! Part of a full-page illustration for a magazine article about schools, and where learning actually takes place. This is a fancy, fancy private high school in Hudson, Ohio.

I'll post the finals soon!

Sketching away....

2010-08-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

Working on a Tshirt design! This is cut out from a sheet of freezer paper..... I wonder if this design has waay too many tiny little details for spray paint! ???

A page in the life of my sketchbook. A full-page spread + 6 spots all due this Thursday! I'm looking forward to showing you those finals. ;~) OK--back to work!

Colonel Windpipe!

2010-07-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hello, all!

A friend sent me a link to this fun Flickr illustration group:
Colonel Windpipe Needs You!

This is my entry! (It's going to be part of a large printed poster with proceeds going to charity.)
It struck me in a creatively-inspired groove ;~)

And now for something completely strange...

2010-06-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Taking a quick break from deadlines, and the Poe sculpt.... and I was inspired to sculpt a few Waterbears. Yes, I know how odd that may be :~)

I might grey them down a bit. ??? These guys are Sculpey Ultra Light clay colored with chalk pastels. The damask background was chalk and colored pencil.

PS: If you've never heard of a waterbear, go look it up! Very interesting little critters....

Edgar Allan Poe Progress!

2010-06-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

We're getting somewhere! This is about 7 hours of sculpting. (...and a terrible snapshot!)

Edgar Allan Poe.

2010-06-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

A personal piece in the making! (inspired by my most recent trip to SC.)

...two pages of brainstorming in my sketchbook. I want to show Poe writing 'the Gold-Bug' on Sullivan's Island.

Here's a more finalized sketch. Still a few things to tweak here & there, but I think I'm ready to begin with clay....

Polymer Space.

2010-05-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what my desk looks like tonight:

I'd like to blog my polymer life more often than I have been, so it looks like you'll be getting more 'in progress' views!
This is the start of an outer space scene. Nothing like a deadline to get me moving! ;~)

Right-hand corner: my trusty-rusty pasta machine.

Dinosaur Study!

2010-05-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

A dinosaur study for a proposed project. This took me about 2 hours.
Love, love, love dinosaurs!

I've been adding some chalk pastel to my clay creations lately after they're come out of the oven. I'm digging the new look!

Begin Within

2010-05-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

A recent commissioned piece. Polymer clay and chalk pastel on a (homemade!) wooden frame.

Well, well, well! *Representation!

2010-04-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Check it out-- I now have representation!
www.tommaloneyreps.com

I hope this to be the start of something grand!
I've been wanting to have a rep for quite some time now... someone to *PROMOTE* for me & handle all the nitty-gritty details, while I can focus on the clay or paper.

Shout out to SuperCoolSpyClub for the fun cut-paper background on my 'puter!

Figure Drawing in Chalk.

2010-04-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

Yup, I'm on a serious CHALK fix right now! This is from my figure drawing group tonight. I'm pleased with the figure, annoyed by the overworked/fussy chair + cloth! I need to learn 'less is more' in my drawings, but that will come with practice. That's the whole point, right? Flexing the brain ever so slowly :~)

Here's where the group meets: MANIFEST
I feel creative just walking in that room!

Cluck.

2010-04-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Looking through my sketchbook..... found a little Trader Joe's humor ;~)

Garlic Study

2010-04-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

A personal piece. This is chalk pastel on wood panel.

Cherry Blossoms in Cut Paper

2010-04-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Not feeling very well today--but not bad enough to be in bed-- so I broke out the DVD's and Xacto blade! I had found a plastic + wire faux tree branch at Hobby Lobby recently.... time to transform it!

Amazing what a few cuts and folds can do to paper...

...now I have a cherry blossom branch for my bathroom :~)

**You know, paper crafts definitely help an upset stomach....

Spaceman Progress....

2010-03-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

About an hour.5 of progress...............

the Start of a Spaceman...

2010-03-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the start of a book cover illo!

Welcome, Little Peanuts!

2010-03-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Just finished this piece for a friend of mine. She had twin boys, and their nursery is all decked out in elephants (...only with their trunks UP--that's good luck, she says.)
PS: I hope you're not checking my blog, Vanessa! You don't get this until Thursday.

If you know me, you know I love making EPIC blog posts showing my creative process! Enjoy.....

Here's the basic sketch I settled on. I got really frustrated just sketching new layouts, so I cut out each of the elements I wanted to work with & taped them into new positions on the page until I was happy with it all.

My collection of wool roving. I wish they'd sell more colors. (This is 100% wool, basically right off the sheep...cleaned & dyed.)

This is where it all starts! Poking the wool with that barbed needle forms it into sturdy shapes. ( Similar idea to dreadlocks?) I poked my fingertips way too many times doing this >:~o

Connecting shapes together....

...creates a basic elephant.

Next day! Here's my Mama elephant.

Seeing how they will look inside their frame. I've added more colors of wool & beads for eyes.

Sculpting little peanuts from polymer clay! I originally wanted to use real peanuts, but couldn't find any for sale with shells. ???

Placing all the elements together.

Starting to cut my banner.

Gluing down letters. (Not fun!)

The finished banner.

Cut baby names. Should I leave them in the negative or back them with another color?

Gluing foam-core and cardboard to the backs of those hearts so they'll have a tiny bit of dimension.

The finished piece! (Sadly, I made the sculpt too thick to fit behind the frame's glass. Oh well, skip the glass. Just the frame.)

A close up.

Close up of the Airedale!

.....and now I get to clean up my messy desk.

Hope you enjoyed the process!
~Paula P.

Cut Paper Peacock

2010-02-19T11:13:00.001-08:00

Mmmm, fun with cut paper!

Ukranian Easter Eggs (Psanky) -- Tutorial!

2010-02-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Yes....it is WAY early to begin decorating Easter eggs! We plan to make several for gifts, and maybe some for sale if we get really good at it?
This is one of my absolute favorite family traditions: Psanky, or Ukranian Easter eggs. It's a process of building up colors on an egg with the use of lines drawn in bees wax. The wax resists the dye--keeping the color underneath safe from the next round of dye! Might sound tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it's quite relaxing. :~)
These are my pencil lines to guide me through my design.

...drawing my first lines of wax with the kistka. The kistka holds just a tiny little bit of beeswax like a funnel, which is melted over a candle flame.

So many combinations to choose from!

Here's my egg soaking up some yellow. These designs need a well-planned dye-strategy!

Wine and Belgian chocolates help the creative process, right? :~)

Here's how my egg looks about half-way finished.... covered in layers of dye + wax lines.

Fresh out of the black dye!

You'll end up with quite a thick layer of wax on your egg once you're through..... time to melt it off slowly over a flame.

Clean!

We have a fancy little plunger for removing the egg innards...

All finished! A coat of varnish will gloss things up & help remove those last pencil lines. I definitely recommend trying this out for yourself if you've ever wondered about it! :~)

Braaaaaaainnnns! (AKA: Turn Yourself into a Zombie.)

2010-02-05T19:02:00.001-08:00

Hello, all!
Not my usual type of post (or style) but I decided to have some fun with Photoshop tonight & thought I'd share. Over on the Cincinnati Illustrators' blog, we're posting self-portrait-zombies....

Here's how I created mine:

Started with a photo of myself, making sure to cut out the ex-boyfriend :~P

....found an image of hands on a burger...

...and decent brain reference.

I combined all these images in Illustrator, then drew some basic shapes which became these blocks of colors as guides.

Brought it into Photoshop & go to town! I went a little crazy with the spraypaint & woodgrain textures. Ahhh.

PS: I haven't had a burger in about 4 years, so the second I become a zombie---I'm sure I'll go all-out brain-crazy!
Have a good weekend!
P.

Casio SK-1

2010-01-31T11:09:00.001-08:00

I get some pretty funny clay requests!
This little Casio isn't 100% accurate..... but I did my best :~)

RAAAAAAAWR!

2010-01-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

A good day for sculpting!

Have a creative day! ~P.

CREATE - final.

2010-01-21T23:22:00.001-08:00

I'm so pleased with how this turned out!
For sale in my shop: polymerpaws.etsy.com

Sneak preview...

2010-01-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

Ever have a project you've kept on the back burner for tooooo long? I have lots of those, and am tackling one right now!
Will be added to my Etsy shop tonight!
Have a good night all ;~)

ETSY

2010-01-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Just a little note to let you all know that as of RIGHT NOW, I'll be re-stocking my Etsy shop!
www.polymerpaws.etsy.com

I'm changing things up though... I'll be listing some framed original illustrations & framed prints, too.
I'll keep you posted!

Create.

2009-10-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Simple as that :~)

Wedding Cake Toppers!

2009-09-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

Congrats Heather & Bill in Denver :~)

Here's a recent custom request from Etsy....
I was asked to sculpt wedding cake toppers based off of these US Postal Service 'Love' stamps:

Fun! Here's the king & queen I came up with:

.......details, details.

.....and a photo from the wedding! ©ericbakken.com

Figure Drawing at the Essex

2009-09-15T21:31:00.001-07:00

Another figure drawing session tonight. Same gal as last time.
I feel like I'm getting the hang of it!

Figure Drawing Night!

2009-09-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

My first time bringing a darker paper & white pencil! I enjoyed that combo.
Her head looks really small now that I am stepping back from this....

I'm Still Here!/Figure Drawing

2009-08-25T18:57:00.001-07:00

Hey, people!
I'm sorry it's been quiet on here for soooooo long! I've been swamped with all kinds of NON-creative things, moved back up to Ohio (temporarily, to be with family) and working a *ton* of hours in addition to my freelance. I've been getting so many comments about my blog--as in, when are you going to start posting again??! We're sick of looking at cupcakes! :~o

So, here we go :~)

Tonight I went to a new figure drawing group for the first time! It was so good!
It was at Manifest in Cincinnati. Manifest Gallery
This model had a very interesting, weathered face.

More posts to come soon..... I have Etsy orders I'm finishing up, and new illustrations that I can share very soon!

Garden Cupcakes!

2009-05-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't really illustration related...but it was so artsy & creative I had to share with you. My sisters and I put on a Cupcake Decoration Day for the kids...it was a blast!
Here's a million pics....

Freshly baked Devil's Food cupcakes...

Mixing the frosting.

Paper cones of frosting all ready to go!

Starting a piped-frosting flower. Step 1: Put a dot of frosting on your decorating nail.

Step 2: Put a square of parchment on your nail. (secured with that frosting.)

Step 3: Pipe a petal.

Step 4: Pipe more petals.

Step 5: Embellish.

Step 6: Embellish more if you like :~)

Here's a view of some of my roses.

I've got a whole bunch of flowers finished...and some heads of cabbage & carrots, too. Off to the freezer to harden up nicely.

Everyone working away on their cupcakes... Those cupcakes peel right off their paper backing when frozen, and only take a minute or two to thaw out.

They're looking good! (Oreo crumbles for dirt...chocolate-covered sunflower seeds for extra detail.)

Little Max gets help from Daddy. What are you two designing???

A few of our finished gardens... they didn't last too long :~)

We got this idea from this book: Hello, Cupcake! It's full of really unique ideas.... check it out!

Winged Creatures

2009-04-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a close-up look on a new piece I made for Kulture Klash this weekend. I'll post more of my work from the show soon...lots of photos to go through!

My butterflies all framed & ready to go!

Here is the first step: bug bodies on a baking sheet. (Gross thought, eh?)

Waiting for the glue to dry...

I used some handmade copper headpins I purchased on Etsy as antennae. I've been saving them for jewelry, but they fit in so perfectly with my bugs! Those wings were cut out from a vellum print.

Still here!

2009-04-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! I'm a bad blogger, though.
I've been busy working on clay pieces for Kulture Klash 4.... I'll show them to you when they're all ready! This little insect will be included :~)

the Little Blue Penguin.

2009-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

My very first mixed-media shadowbox!

Shop Talk

2009-03-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I've updated my Etsy shop... but I've been restocking tonight.
This creature is listed ;~)

polymerpaws.etsy.com

Addison

2009-03-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Somebody I work with was obviously not acting like himself the past few days... and I found out what was going on. He said his yellow lab mix, Addison, was hit by a car last weekend, and didn't make it. He was soooo upset by this, and told me all about what a good dog she was, and what she meant to him! He showed me pics of her on his phone.... and I sculpted this little angel as soon as I got home. I hope it helps a little :~/
That story touched me so much, I hugged my Terra extra long when I got home from work that night.

What the Folk??!

2009-03-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

Whoo hoo! I'm very proud to have had my Conchords piece featured on WhatTheFolk.net! (That's the official fan/info site for the band. Wow, they have a serious cult following!!)

Finished!

2009-03-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the final Flight of the Conchords illustration.

...almost done!

2009-03-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

We're getting there! This photo shows an additional 5 hours of work. I packed up all my clay & tools and sat at City Lights Cafe the whole day! I suppose I had coffee for lunch :~)
I'm going to add a few more details I think? Maybe some brighter greens to Bret's merman tail. I'll break out the tripod & photo box for a quality photo of the finished sculpt tomorrow.

Flight of the Conchords

2009-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

...in progress!

Flight of the Conchords

2009-03-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a personal piece now... a portrait of my favorite nerdy folk-singing comedy duo from New Zealand: HBO's Flight of the Conchords! I'd really love to work on more celebrity/editorial illustration like this, so why not give art directors a little sample? This is my beginning sketch. I've combined the guys with two of my favorite songs from Season 1-- 'Mermaids,' and 'Robots.'

So far I have Bret & Jemaine's heads finished!

...so, you've never seen the show? Well, here's a snippet:

...more clay soon!

Crazy Creatures

2009-02-25T10:41:00.001-08:00

I'm thinking about making a whole mess of these polymer clay guys for the Kulture Klash show in about a month... time to get sculpting!

Fat Tuesday!

2009-02-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

Nothing too serious today! ...just a clay doodle of my favorite subject.
Looks like I'll have a spot at the next Kulture Klash in April!! I'm getting excited thinking about the artsy possibilities....
Check out last November's event: Kulture Klash 3

Aw, man! More sketches??

2009-02-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

...that's right, more sketches. I think I have enough ideas down now, that I can start with the clay :~)
More to post soon!

the Sketching Sketcher.

2009-02-17T20:30:00.001-08:00

No clay today, but I certainly got my sketch on! I think I had more fun with my random doodling than what I set out to brainstorm on. ...but that's okay with me.
I know caviar and bananas is a very odd combination, but check out THIS place!:
Caviar & Bananas
...amazing!! It was my first time there, but not the last.

Later on in the day I went to City Lights Cafe on Market St.... and would rather sketch all the colorful ceramics I was given instead of my future sculpture.

...finally got to what I set out to do, but it's only a tiny thumbnail. Trying to figure out a fun way to convey "forbidden fruit" and I was thinking it would be great to make the fruit cacao. (although, I know this is not how cacao grows on trees.... the pods are larger, and they grow up the trunks. I'll work on that!)

Also:

I left my favorite ring in the restroom!!! Took it off to wash my hands & left it on the sink :~(
Cross your fingers I get it back tomorrow!!
It's a sea urchin from fellow Etsyian StaroftheEast

More of me at Target!

2009-02-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

Me again! I was in Target tonight, and noticed the American Greetings Easter/St.Patty's Day paraphernalia :~)

I found these stickers of mine....but didn't see what I was hoping for: frog stickers. Maybe they're in your Target, maybe not this year. I'm told the distribution varies between stores. ???

There ARE clay leprechaun cards out now, but they were done by another sculptor. (I think it was Teresa Vargas at AG? --she's amazingly talented!!)

...Classy mini-blinds photo, huh? hehe.

Here are my beginning brainstorming/sketches on these stickers. Sometimes I write things down that I overhear or want to remember as I sketch....and then have no idea what they were about later!

So, this is COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone... but on request, here is my in-progress sculpt right now. Blocking in the main colors (under-painting?) is no fun for me; I really like adding all the finishing details. This is the basic sculpt before adding the fun stuff!

If you're wondering why all those chunks of colors are out, but NOT in my sculpt--- I try to figure out where I want my color scheme to go by picking out certain colors & seeing how they look next to each other. Here, I'm looking for a good combination for the birds/flowers. Greens-vs-purples? Greens-vs-reds & oranges? Still deciding.

Is It Spring Yet? II

2009-02-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to work on some personal pieces out of clay again...here is where I'm starting!
I drew this sketch a few months as a hopeful Skirt! Magazine cover, but it never got off the ground. Looking through my sketchbook for ideas today I remembered how much I liked it.

My work is at Target!!

2009-02-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
I was just so tickled to see my American Greetings Valentines cards for sale at Target this weekend! My very own endcap :~)
Glad I had my camera in the car!

I did the clay sculptures for these 18 cards last summer (usually when I say that I'm busy with work but not allowed to blog about it...this is what I'm doing!) This took about a month and a half to complete... whew!
Go out & support AG, and I'll keep my eyes open for St. Patty's Day stickers and cards...

Behind the Scenes!!

2009-02-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

...under the scenes?

A little behind-the-scenes view per request! This sculpt isn't too thick. I've been trying to keep thickness in mind in case I'd like to frame the piece later on! I've made a few polymer clay pieces meant for framing that were actually...too thick to fit in the box frames available for ordering in the frame shop. :~/

Looks messy from up here! Here you can see where I've had to peel my 'Presstime' logo letters off the background (I had them glued down) to allow for a version with no letters. Thank you, Photoshop!

Here you'll see lots of white artists tape and foam core. I'm in love with artists tape!... it holds it's stick very well, but isn't so tacky it can't be repositioned easily. When I make paper sculpts like this one, I like to be able to move my individual elements all around before I commit to a final photo.
...more to blog soon, have a great Saturday!

Sign of the Times

2009-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Check out what just came for me in the mail!
I really like the way this cover illustration turned out... and it's so great to see it in print form on the magazine! Yay.

This is how the sculpt looked before I added the Presstime title. The sculpt was made basically to scale, so it was around 7" by 9" and the paper stood out about 1.5" in thickness.

Jewelry mode!

2009-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Well, I would like to get back to this whole "blogging' thing, starting right now!
Today some of my fabulous friends and I met at a coffee shop in West Ashley for some beading. It's so great to bounce ideas off creative people and to see their different projects and approach to the craft.

Here we are enjoying beads & chai lattes!

This is my mise en place.

Miss Fern's set-up. She re-purposes vintage and antique jewelry with a modern twist all her own! (...and she needs a website to show it all off...)

Miss Shannon's current project! She creates images to fit inside glass tiles, which she solders around into charms and pendants. Awesome stuff :~)

Here's me showing off my latest bracelet!

I think I'll check this art show out! Looks neat.
Thinking about gathering up/creating new framed polymer clay art to start showing around town myself....

Christmas Cookies 2008!

2008-12-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
I hope you're enjoying the holidays! This weekend I hosted a First Annual Cookie Decorating Extravaganza with some of my girlfriends here in Charleston, and thought I'd share some pics.

Busy rolling out the dough!
I purchased 5 orders of raw sugar dough from a local bakery (The Cake Stand, and the dough was fabulous by the way!) so that way all we'd have to do was roll, bake and decorate.... leaving the tedious mixing to the pros. We only used 2/3 of the dough, so the rest is hiding out in my freezer until whoever's birthday is next.

This cactus cut-out is my favorite! Reminds me of New Mexico.

Shannon brought her cookie-spritzing machine and her amazing cream cheese & orange rind-flavored dough! Yum.

A messy messy table...

Some spritzed cookies all decked out.

So many cookies! ...some more anatomically-correct than others! (yikes, I'm sure all the wine was an influence on the sillyness...)
These were dipped in white and dark chocolate, which is the usual way I decorate. (My chocolate of choice is Merckens, but that was unavailable to me this time. I used a grocery store substitute, but the results weren't as good. If you're going the chocolate route, use Merckens only!)

Snowflake action.

These I decorated the day after my party. We had soo many cookies rolled and baked off, we were unable to get to them all! I wasn't happy with my chocolate, so I tried a different approach with these: icing. I think I agree with the reviewers here, this is the "Holy Grail" of icing recipes! Check it out: allrecipes.com
...although, I will admit, these are SO sugary, you feel that immediate JOLT of sugar in your bloodstream! Makes you only want to eat one, though :~)

Happy holidays.
~P.

Cut Paper Everywhere...

2008-12-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

Long time no blog! Here goes.

I've been up the past few nights working on a paper sculpture for a magazine cover... not sure if I'm allowed to blog the final yet, but here are some tasty scraps hanging around my work desk! Enjoy :~)

A business man negative.

Some paper cutting utensils... sharp!

I've constructed a tiny paper "glue boat" for the Elmer's.

Jagged mountain cut-outs.

Here's part of the finished product. A road sign to indicate it's time to reduce your carbon footprint.

Merge, please!

Caution: Networking Ahead.

...and here's where I keep all my paper scraps I've collected through the years. I know it may look disorderly, but it's really not so bad. It's full of papers I've cut out of for several different projects, and papers that I think are way too pretty to ever touch!

I was lucky to be shopping at a World Market when they were stocking cases of this Bonny Doon wine: Domaine des Blagueurs Syrah Sirrah. It's label is decorated with one of my favorite Ralph Steadman illustrations!
(Yummy wine, too.) This artsy box was saved from the cardboard baler and has been admired for some time now ;~)

Hope you enjoyed my art mess before I clean it all up!

Beach Glass Jewelry!

2008-10-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

I suppose I'm still enjoying 'Jewelry Mode!'
I've had a huge bag of beach glass that I collected on the rocky shore of Lake Erie that I haven't figured out what to do with... until a friend of mine recently taught me how to solder. (fun!) We sculpted some bails from wire, soldered them smooth, added a patina, and E-6000'd them to my beach glass to create some unique pendants.
Some photos:

These are all the bails before I glued them to the glass.

Waiting for the glue to dry!

I also found some beautiful pieces of old pottery on the beach that had been tumbled smooth the same way the beach glass had been.

My favorites are the pieces that have evidence of lettering.

One of my first necklaces! I don't think I'll be able to give it away ;~)

Jewelry Mode.

2008-10-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Here are a few pics of beaded jewelry I just sent off to a shop (the Artist Playhouse) in Sioux Falls, SD.

I'm quite proud of these bangle-y bracelets!

Those were so fun to make.

Lots-o-goodies.

Some jade lotus beads I used in a simple necklace.

Coinage.

I'm loving all the copper that's out right now!
I will have more clay to post very soon.
Cheers!

the Grand Re-launch!

2008-09-25T18:45:00.001-07:00

Well hello!
I've finally gotten my new website up & running!
Please go take a look, and tell me what you think.

www.paulapindroh.com

...Is it too large for your browser window? I just re-sized the whole site, hopefully this is a better fit.
I'd love your feedback!

More Sunday Night Drawing Class!

2008-09-21T19:21:00.001-07:00

Another figure drawing from the Redux group; this was a 40 minute pose. ...and the model somehow fell asleep like that!
I loved that chair.

Fused Glass Pendants

2008-08-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

I met some friends for a class on making fused-glass pendants at Blue Heron Glass... what cool results!

These are my finished six pendants:

(now they just need some silver bails...)

How they looked before they were fired:

Close-up of my favorite!:

I'll definitely try this again! (and now I understand how the glass moves around/reacts with other colors a little better.)
Just what I need... another hobby!

Dogue de Bordeaux, Updated

2008-08-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

I am asked to sculpt the most interesting dogs!
This is a Dogue de Bordeaux that lives in the UK. His owner was the winner of an online auction on bigdogsporch.com, to help raise money for a Malamute in need. I hope they like it!

(these photos look more red than the sculpt really is...)

Here's the dog in real life... what a face! :~)

Update!
I just got these photos today... this cracks me up!

Munny 2.0

2008-08-22T22:57:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to a Munny show at Redux (a contemporary art center in Charleston.)
I guess these Munny dolls have a huge following! They're plain vinyl dolls that you can buy to customize any way you'd like. Many local artists and craftspeople created their own versions of the Munny, and Redux had a big art opening/auction. Very interesting!!
www.kidrobot.com/2008/munny

Here's my little interpretation of my pooch... I wish I could've seen all these blank Munny's filled in. We left somewhat early... hungry hungry!

(I totally should've drawn a cyclops-zombie instead of my dog, but the little 8-yr old girl next to me beat me to it!)

The outside of Redux.

...a late dinner at the "Fast & French" on Broad street.... Yum! (It's not really called that, but their name is a tough one to pronounce for the non-French speakers! --->Gaulart & Maliclet.)

...and here's my Charleston Food + Wine Festival entry for the poster contest, all dolled up & mounted on some serious foam-core. 75% of the people who have seen it didn't really know what it was supposed to be, so I'm guessing it's a little too vague. I still love it, though!

Poster Contest!

2008-08-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Here's my entry for the 2009 Charleston Food + Wine Festival!

The wine glass stain was a requirement for the contest.
Wish me luck ;~)

Here's the official site:
charlestonfoodandwine.com

Here's the source of my inspiration:

They're called shutter dogs or holdbacks, and they're all over those gorgeous historic homes in downtown Charleston.

My sister thinks I should've incorporated some of my oyster sculpts into the poster... I didn't even think of that!

Looking forward to the festival next year!

New award, new lens!

2008-08-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hello again!
Two fun things came in the mail for me today.
First: A Press Club award! Thank you, Great Lakes Publishing! I'll add it to the wall.

Second: My new macro lens! Wow, it's really something!! It's MASSIVE.... it's almost as if it was made by NASA, not Canon. I took it outside for a spin, and was petrified that I might drop it! I promise to pamper it & guard it with my life.

It reminds me of the scene in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery where Austin is embarrassed that Elizabeth Hurley's spy binoculars are so much larger than his... that's how my other lens feels right now! ;~)

Polymer Pups.

2008-08-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm still here, working on clay! ...and a new website, and some logos, and some self-promotion.... ;~)
Here are two little clay pups that need to go in the oven. One with a really bad attitude.

Hooray for Sunday Night Drawing Class!

2008-08-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches from tonight's figure class.

Feet!

Hands! (I'm not crazy about the face on this drawing, but liked how the hands turned out.)

Hands & feet are so hard for me to draw... I've been trying to really focus on them whenever I can.

My Dog as a Manatee

2008-07-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Ha! This weekend my sister was giving a treat to my dog, and noticed all the little whiskers on Terra's muzzle. She made a comment that it felt 'just like a manatee's would!' This drawing just had to come out :~)

Awards Time!

2008-06-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've just been notified about 2 awards my work has recently won! ...I'm so pleased.
My paper illustration for the Oct 2007 Presstime Magazine cover, "World View," is a finalist for an award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. We won't find out what it wins until the July 24th banquet. That's one of 2 awards that issue has won... congrats to Presstime!

...and my series of clay illustrations has won 1st Place in the 30th Annual Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards (AKA the Press Club Awards)! This series in the Cleveland Magazine Summer Fun Guide was in the Multiple Illustrations/1 Story category. Thanks, Cleveland Magazine & congrats!

the Evolution of an Etsy Sculpture!

2008-06-18T23:15:00.001-07:00

It's not very often that I'm asked to sculpt a dog as unusual as this Chinese Crested, so I thought I might make a little documentary of my process! This little guy's name is Fang, and he was rescued from a bad situation...but lives happily now with his owners in Sydney, Australia.

Step 1: I print out all of the dogs I need to work on, so I can refer to their photos.

I roll out the body. I added all those darker spots individually, then rolled them down so they were nice & flat. A little bit of wire adds strength to the sculpt.

...making some feet.

...attach those feet to the body.

Sculpting the head.

Here I'm adding some eyes. I use Hematite beads for eyes, I like the shine. That's a little polymer clay bowl I've made to keep my beads in.

Adding a mouth.

There! I've got all of his parts put together now. I think he kind of looks like a piglet at this stage.

I'm starting to add that white fur here.

...some shoulder fur.

Ta-da! All finished. Now all I have to do is bake him in the oven.

Onto the next dog on the list!

Published again!

2008-06-14T15:13:00.001-07:00

Hey, everyone!
I realize that I haven't posted in a very long time.... I have been busy, though! Sadly, about 95% of what I've been working on for the past 2 weeks I'm not allowed to blog about yet. Some clients need their privacy :~)
I did receive a copy of the Charleston Alumni's magazine in the mail this week! I'll never get tired of seeing my work in print... always a great feeling.
Have a great weekend!

Figure Drawing

2008-05-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my sketches from my weekly figure drawing group. I'm pleased with them....but I can definitely tell that I'm very out of practice! Haven't done this since my Junior year at Kent. Yikes!
I've been going every Sunday with my cool artsy illustrator-friend Shannon, and she's inspired me to re-vamp my dusty old website! It's about time. I'll let you know when it's up & running...

The Illustrated Dog

2008-05-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I find time to squeeze in a fun piece that isn't aware of deadlines or created to please a client. Usually I find myself working away on a clay illustration at my desk...and I glance at the snoozing dog at my feet and can't help but break out the sketchbook! This sketch happened to make it into Illustrator + Photoshop for some fun with color.
I've recently joined a life drawing group here in Charleston at an awesome art center called Redux; it's been a while! Making my brain flex again... it's good practice.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

2008-05-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Once in a while my art table gets a bit out of hand, so some organization was called for today. Some projects that have been completed get recycled back into new ones. One of the great things about polymer clay is that it doesn't dry out!
These were letters for a headline I made recently... ready for reincarnation.

My Dog as a Landscape.

2008-04-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

While this isn't really illustration-related, I do love a good photo safari once in a while. I was shooting some sculptures in the light tent today, and Miss Terra conked out on her bed right next to me. (Extra-long walk today.) Some of her details caught my eye, and I already had one of my macro filters on....

A very textured snout.

Leg Landscapes.

...I always liked these spots on her chest/bib. I think it's called 'party mix?'

...and some talons for a finale.

She didn't even know I was taking her picture!

Needle Felting Test

2008-04-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

I've always seen artists on Etsy who do this amazing fiber craft: Needle felting. I wanted to try it out for myself---and it's not as hard as I thought it would be!!
All you do is take loose wool roving (which is basically the fluff that is shorn right of the sheep or alpaca) and roll into little balls or forms, and stick it with a barbed needle a million times until the fibers are all mixed together and everything stays put. Keep sticking on new forms....then add some color patterns...it was very fun! I definitely recommend this to any crafter who might have the urge.
I made these 3 guys over the course of maybe 4 hours. The brontosaurus was my first.

(the giraffe started off his life as a bumblebee...but I changed my mind. Now he's a mutant with all of his appendages, but I'm okay with that!)

...looks like everyone in my family is getting wool Christmas ornaments this year!

Check out this felting-artist:

ameliamakesart.etsy.com
...really amazing work!

Aw Shucks!

2008-04-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun little hobby of mine...I make a few of these guys whenever I need to get away from my not-so-fun deadlines for a few hours! These real Bluepoint oysters (that were quite tasty with horseradish and hot sauce last night!) have had their empty shells scrubbed clean and are now host to some polymer clay characters.
We went to our favorite Charleston restaurant/raw bar (PEARLZ) for some happy hour snacks yesterday, and the shells were just too perfect to pass up! I was a little embarrassed to ask for a to-go box for them ...until our server told me that people often request buckets & buckets of oyster shells! I felt better then.
(What on earth are people doing with all those shells?)

Entrepreneurs final

2008-04-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the final full-page illustration for the Entrepreneur story. I'm happy I got to sculpt some local wildlife. We have a marshy area with a dock right behind our apartment, and I take Terra out there a few times a week to look for gators. None yet, but we've found plenty of evidence! ...just slides and claw prints so far.
Happy Tax Day!
~P.

Sleeping Terra Sketch

2008-04-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

My dog can be such a distraction! I guess I miss my life drawing group...
This is how Terra spends about 85% of her day. Protecting my home from the UPS man must require plenty of rest!!!

Gator Done!

2008-04-11T07:36:00.001-07:00

One of the final spot illustrations for a series for the College of Charleston's Alumni Magazine. It's an article with tips for entrepreneurs on getting their businesses to flourish. I was so happy I found a way to incorporate gators... they were so much fun to sculpt :~)
Have a good weekend!

...working!

2008-04-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a ton of different projects lately. I should have some awesome finals to post here on Monday! So far here's a work in progress:

...a quick snapshot of part of a title for an article I'm illustrating.

This is a boxer sculpture I made for the Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue's Nub & Grub this weekend, a charity event to help raise some money for the rescue. This will be part of the auction...I hope it brings in some cash for BRBR!

...a little something fun I made with an oyster shell I found at the Isle of Palms this week. I was wondering about it's past occupant... this was sold on Etsy.com.

Another Etsy sculpture.

My Workspace

2008-04-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

This is my art desk, all montaged together. It's usually much messier than this!

Snoozing Boxer Sculpt

2008-03-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Why are the personal pieces so much easier to start than the real "work" pieces? :~)
This little sculpture of Terra snoring away on her pillow will be part of an auction In Durham, NC. The Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue is holding their first annual 'Nub & Grub' to help earn money for their cause. I won't be able to attend, but I'm sending as much art their way for the auctions as I can! I hope it helps out.
This piece is about 5" long and 1.5" thick, and will be mounted inside a nice box frame.

Sketchbook!

2008-03-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've been doing alot of sketching recently for a few projects in the works.
These were two of my favorites. Have a great weekend! :~)

PEZ

2008-03-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some illustrated elements I sculpted for PEZ. These will be part of packaging and displays for some Spring-themed PEZ dispensers. This was a fun project....and I love having candy sent to me for inspiration!

A Cookie and a Cupcake

2008-03-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!
Here's a fun logo design I've been working on. Some friends of mine are opening a small bakery in Tremont soon. They had some fun ideas in mind, great colors....
This is a sticker design for their dessert boxes.

...and these are some logo variations. (Click for a larger view.)

Still tweaking things, but off to a good start I think.

Terra & my new Etsy Shop

2008-02-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone!
I know it's been a little while since I've posted last... guess I've had my hands full!
Ricky & I have adopted a boxer from the Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue in NC. Her name is Terra and she's such a sweet girl. We're really lucky to have found her...what a big goofball :~)

I've also been making some small boxer sculpts for fun, and decided to put them on Etsy. Here's a link to my new shop:

www.polymerpaws.etsy.com

I've got a couple commissions in the works already and I'm donating part of each sale to the rescue. Wish me luck!
Also, my Valentine's Devil Stickers for American Greetings are on sale now at Target. Go check 'em out!

At the Beach Final Illustration

2007-12-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at that final illustration for Harcourt:

(click for a closer view.)
I think I'll be taking a jog on the beach today...I'm loving this mild SC winter so far!!!

Enjoying the Beach.

2007-12-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I think I'm going to make 'post more often on your blog!' my early New Year's Resolution.
Here's something I'm working on now: it'll be in a book of poems for kindergartners for Harcourt Publishers. I love how I've been asked to do more and more beach/summery scenes lately...I now have plenty of inspiration here in Charleston! Mmm, and amazing seafood, too ;~)
This final is due Monday, I'll post again soon!

In Jewelry Mode!

2007-11-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone!
I really need to post on here more often! Here's a little of what I've been up to...these will be for sale at Artefino in Cleveland. More illustration and jewelry to come.
Cheers :~)

US States!

2007-09-01T07:54:00.001-07:00

Hello!
These are part of my last final that was due this week....ahhhhh, all finished. I can switch into relax-mode now :~)
These states will be in Highlights Magazine!
I think Hawaii sounds great right about now....

Storming the Globe!

2007-08-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I've been busy illustrating, and this here is piece #3 out of 4 deadlines due this week! Whew! :~) It's a magazine cover dealing with different ways media/information is used globally. I'm so happy I was asked to work on a paper sculpture this time; 90% of my work is polymer clay (which I love) but it's refreshing to be able to mix it up once in a while!
I'll have more to share with you on Friday, and then I'm off to Charleston, SC for apartment hunting!!! Wish me luck!

Running with the Big Dogs!

2007-08-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

This absolutely cracks me up... I'm asked to design the strangest things!
This is a logo for a T-shirt :~)

More to post soon!
P.

the Starfish Story

2007-08-14T15:20:00.001-07:00

Here's a piece I just finished up....it's for the Elyria City School District. Every year they give out a thank-you gift to all of their teachers/faculty, and this year they asked me to make them a nice printed piece that could be framed. This was such a great project to work on!

I'll have another Highlights piece to post very soon... ;~)

PS: Only one more month left in Ohio! I'm heading down south October 1st....really looking forward to being near the ocean!

Oui oui!

2007-08-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been a little while since I've posted work....I've been so busy! I'll have lots of cool stuff to share very soon, so check back again soon. This was an order for 350 (!) Eiffel Tower cookies for a wedding this Saturday. They turned out pretty cool, and taste great. ;~)

Sweet Corn

2007-04-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Good morning!
Ahhhhh, the last final of the week. :~)

Grindstone

2007-04-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello! Here's more Cleveland Magazine work...this one is about our love of gardening, and how the plants we choose need to be tough enough to survive our crazy climate. Click on the image for a larger view.....

Midnight Oil

2007-04-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

It's very late at night and I'm sculpting away on some new illustrations. My deadlines are quickly approaching! It's a funny thing with freelance: When it rains it pours. (But the rain is very welcome!--pennies from heaven!) Things have been a little slow for me around here work-wise for the past 3-4 weeks; just some little things here and there...and then Bam! It all hits at once.
But I'm not comlaining ;~)

Here's one of my new sculpts; from a series about things we love about summer for Cleveland Magazine. PS: I know, I know!--- Fried Chicken?! Haha, it was in the story.

Polymer Paula

the Fib-Sniffer 4000

Polymer Clay Cactus Gardens!

T-shirt printing!

Spot Illustrations

Clay/Art News!

Clay in Progress!

Sketching away....

Colonel Windpipe!

And now for something completely strange...

Edgar Allan Poe Progress!

Edgar Allan Poe.

Polymer Space.

Dinosaur Study!

Begin Within

Well, well, well! *Representation!

Figure Drawing in Chalk.

Cluck.

Garlic Study

Cherry Blossoms in Cut Paper

Spaceman Progress....

the Start of a Spaceman...

Welcome, Little Peanuts!

Cut Paper Peacock

Ukranian Easter Eggs (Psanky) -- Tutorial!

Braaaaaaainnnns! (AKA: Turn Yourself into a Zombie.)

Casio SK-1

RAAAAAAAWR!

CREATE - final.

Sneak preview...

** ETSY **

Create.

Wedding Cake Toppers!

Figure Drawing at the Essex

Figure Drawing Night!

I'm Still Here!/Figure Drawing

Garden Cupcakes!

Winged Creatures

Still here!

the Little Blue Penguin.

Shop Talk

Addison

What the Folk??!

Finished!

...almost done!

Flight of the Conchords

Flight of the Conchords

Crazy Creatures

Fat Tuesday!

Aw, man! More sketches??

the Sketching Sketcher.

More of me at Target!

Is It Spring Yet? II

My work is at Target!!

Behind the Scenes!!

Sign of the Times

Jewelry mode!

Christmas Cookies 2008!

Cut Paper Everywhere...

Beach Glass Jewelry!

Jewelry Mode.

the Grand Re-launch!

More Sunday Night Drawing Class!

Fused Glass Pendants

Dogue de Bordeaux, Updated

Munny 2.0

Poster Contest!

New award, new lens!

Polymer Pups.

Hooray for Sunday Night Drawing Class!

My Dog as a Manatee

Awards Time!

the Evolution of an Etsy Sculpture!

Published again!

Figure Drawing

The Illustrated Dog

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

My Dog as a Landscape.

Needle Felting Test

Aw Shucks!

ETSY