Comments on: Art Teachers Resources: 10 Tips for Polymer Clay Kids Craft Projects

By: Bronwen Scott-Branagan

Bronwen Scott-Branagan — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:11:06 +0000

Thank you for the great information and the methodical way you set it all out so clearly.

By: Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Tutor Back Issues

Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Tutor Back Issues — Sat, 21 May 2011 00:37:03 +0000

@Nettonya R: It is so fun to have you here now Nettonya! It’s nice to have someone responding at this blog that I have met personally.

Thanks for your comments. No, I wasn’t a teacher in a former life, not a trained one anyway. I did teach craft classes with Continuing Education for 10 years, but I am self taught. My mom is a elementary school teacher however, so I have had the opportunity to show her kids (and my own) a few of my tricks. With that and the Con’t Ed classes, I have been in enough classrooms to know what the issues can be.

My favorite torch is just a propane one from Canadian Tire, which is generally used for soldering pipes. You know the kind where you screw a torch nozzle onto a small camping propane bottle. A basic kit will cost about $17 and the refill tanks are only about $4. It gets nice and hot, so you can ball up copper wire easily which can be trickier than balling up silver wire. It is not as dainty as the little butane torches, but they will give you the best bang for your buck!

As far as finding more wire tutorials, try typing the words ‘wire tutorial’ or ‘metal tutorial’ into the search box at the top of the page to find them. Another thing to do is to visually ‘flip’ through the back issues, in the Polymer Clay Library, to see what the rest of the mixed media tutorials are. I’ve linked to the back issue page by my name.

Hope that helps!

By: Nettonya R

Nettonya R — Fri, 20 May 2011 23:30:50 +0000

Hey Cindy!

Another great tutorial today [Wire Leaf Charms].

BTW: I noticed in your description of the 1st tutorial in the Polymer Clay Bead Making For Beginners that Premo is spelled Primo, if you are interested. (Retired Elementary school teacher – can’t help myself! )

Your Art Teachers Resources: 10 Tips for Polymer Clay Crafts Projects is OUTSTANDING! Crisp, succinct and to the point.

Were you a teacher in another life?!!! You do these tutorials so well! In THIS life, you teach well.

What torch for beading up the ends of one’s wires would you recommend? I would like to purchase one that would give me the “best bang for the buck”, yet not be so cheap that I wouldn’t be able to use it for other wire projects or to get the fuel at a reasonable price.

What are the other tutes that I could purchase, which have wirework in them? I’ve attempted to SEARCH for them, but the only ones that come up are the ones with the copper tape edging.

Thanks, again.
Nettonya

By: Cindy Lietz@Kids Backpack Charms

Cindy Lietz@Kids Backpack Charms — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:23:04 +0000

That is an awesome story! I wish I had you as a teacher when I was in Grade 1 :-)

By: Jill

Jill — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:50:36 +0000

Hi Cindy. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your teaching. I’m a teacher, too, first grade, and I use beads as incentives for good behavior. I show the kids what bead they are “playing for,” and they LOVE all the different techniques. I even taught two fifth grade girls how to make some beads that they then turned into jewelry and sold at our school’s Market Day. Thanks for all you do! Jill.

By: Cindy Lietz@Kato Polyclay Recipes

Cindy Lietz@Kato Polyclay Recipes — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:37:48 +0000

That makes me feel so happy Phaedrakat to hear you are introducing polymer clay to your nieces’ and nephews and that they are teaching you a few tricks! I’ll let Willow know about the compliment. She will be pleased!

By: Phaedrakat

Phaedrakat — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:08:14 +0000

@Willow: Great Club Penguin sculpture!

By: Phaedrakat

Phaedrakat — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:06:06 +0000

Thanks, Cindy, for some very good information about working with kids and polymer clay. I have 7 neices & nephews, and they are pretty fascinated with my work (now that I have got it all out of the storage boxes again.) We’ve only had a couple of “play” sessions so far, but you are right about so many things in this article. It’s amazing how creative they are — my 7-year old neice “invented” a fantastic surface technique just by playing around. I plan to use it for my own creations, as well. I should soon have a good permanent work area set up. Then I will use your advice above and let the kids teach me some new techniques! ;-) Thanks again!

By: Cindy Lietz@Graffiti Art Beads

Cindy Lietz@Graffiti Art Beads — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:42:15 +0000

I’m sorry Rita, I have no experience with this sort of polymer clay project. Maybe someone else here does. It’s certainly a unique question. Anyone able to help Rita out? I’ll put this out on Twitter as well, to see if I can get you someone to come over here and offer you some advice.

By: Rita Bogley

Rita Bogley — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:50:24 +0000

I have made a face mask out of surgical gauze. (Gauze material with plaster) I would like to line it with a polymer clay in order to make a sculpture of the face. Have you any experience with this? Thanks, Rita
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