Clay Carnival Las Vegas 2012
Welcome to the blog about all things Clay Carnival Las Vegas. October 18 - 21, 2012!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Monday, February 20, 2012
We Have Our Dates!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Another great clay carnival!
Very special thanks to all of our students, too. Without your participation, well, there would be no Clay Carnival at all and we are very thankful that you came (and so many return every year!) This year was very international with our teachers from Spain, Germany and France and students who came from Australia, Japan, the Czech Republic and Karen (I'm sorry, I don't remember where you live but I know it's not the US!) You came from distant lands and we are so glad to have met you and we hope to see you next year, too. We even had a doggie - albeit stuffed - he was extremely well behaved.
We are always looking for ways to improve our event and so we're looking at moving the dates up into October (perhaps) and might even move off the Strip (it was soo crowded). We will investigate all our options and let you know as soon as we make any decisions.
Many, many thanks again for making this Clay Carnival memorable and absolutely fantastic. Have a great holiday everyone!
Cheers, Donna
Friday, October 28, 2011
Addition to the Sorbet Pendant Materials List
I'm in the middle of making some class samples for the Carnival and I just noticed, that I forgot something on the materials list.
- Pasta machine
- Acrylic rod
- Rigid and flexible blade
- Craft knife or scalpel
- Cookie cutters (about 1 inch wide - round, triangular, square)
- A very small round cutter (for example a 3-4 mm Kemper Kutter)
- Texture plates or stamps
- Wet sanding paper (400-2000 grit)
- Cylindrical baking mold (empty tin or soda can)
- 20 inches of black 3 mm buna cord
- Super glue
- Flush cutters
- Round nose pliers
- Flat nose pliers
- Hand drill with a 1 mm and 3mm drill bit
- Head pins (0.8 - 1 mm)
- Small chain (like a necklace extension chain, 2 inches)
- Light bulb
Bettina
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Let's go to the beach!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
BREAKING NEWS! Perhaps, not surprising, but it's news!
materials for the squash blossom pendant:
small ball, ball stylus
needle tool
fine grit sanding block (optional) - if you have a local Harbor Freight, buy it there - much cheaper!
400 grit wet dry sandpaper (optional)
short brass tube or another small diameter rolling tool
sheet of deli paper
Cheers!
Donna
Monday, June 13, 2011
update to Kim's class - Wood Gone Wild!
One of my favorite things is to combine nature with the fantastical. Kind of like what would happen if Mother Nature and Dr. Seuss had a love child. In this class, we'll focus on wood, sticks, and the random pod. You'll learn to make realistic sticks and found wood pieces from the forest floor without the use of molds (although it's fine to being a couple of those if you find an interesting twig you like). Color and interest will be added with seeds, shoots, plants, and assorted fungi that spring purely from your imagination. If you'd like to make jewelry, I'll show you how to turn these pieces into rings, bracelets, pendant, or necklace components. This class offers lots of possibilities for more sculptural work as well. What you make will be up to you.
Here's what you'll need. I'll be bringing lots of things to share too.
TOOLS
- pasta machine
- clay blade
- needle tool
- ball stylus (a couple of different sizes if you have them)
- craft or x-acto knife
- thin sewing needle (make a clay handle for it to make it easier to work with)
- knitting needles (one thick #5 and one very thin - sizes are not critical here)
- 5 or 6 paper towels (the stronger and thicker the better)
- 3 graduated Kemper cutters (shape doesn't matter, small is best)
- baby wipes
- cornstarch and a fluffy brush
- small amount of liquid clay and a brush to apply it
- extruder and 2mm circle or spaghetti disc (optional)
- latex gloves (if you prefer not to stain your hands)
- apron (or just wear old clothes as this can get messy)
- jewelry findings of your choice - thin metal bangle (think CHEAP, Walmart usually has these in a bundle), necklace cord, metal form to bake a ring (I use a piece from a socket set).
TEXTURES
Check out the last photo for things I like to use. A flexible or semi-flexible impression of interesting tree bark, a stick with lots of texture, an old wood chip, dried pods, and Sue Kelsey's magic texture sponge. This is just a short list to give you ideas. Anything with a wood grain or organic texture that would translate to wood will work. Take a walk in your local park or backyard and see what you can find.
CLAY
We'll provide the clay but if you're an overachiever, who likes to get a head start, bring about 3 0r 4 ounces of ecru clay. My recipe (I don't really measure, just guess) is a 2 oz. package of white clay, a 15mm ball of brown, and a 10 mm ball of yellow. I would like you to bring a few balls of colorful clay and a bit of mud (about the size of a quarter will be fine), and a small piece of a Skinner blend bull's eye cane in the colors of your choice. If you've never made one, just skip that for now.