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Join us as we discuss our experience at the CHA show (Craft & Hobbies Association) in Chicago last weekend. It was great fun. We met a few polymer clay artists as well as representatives of the three polymer clay suppliers- Amaco, Polyform, and Makins. We did video interviews with Lynne, Tommie, and Cat which will air next Friday, and filmed Amaco’s Bottle of Hope awards. You can watch part 1 today, and part 2, as well as the interviews, will air next week. We saw Polyform’s new product, Studio by Sculpey, and got a few samples to share with you. We also talked to Donna Dewberry about the upcoming release of Studio clay in December, as well as the Home Décor projects she has planned. Some of the things displayed in the booth included wall mirrors, vases, candlesticks, votive holders, and garden tables. The clay was used sculpturally to make floral and leaf designs, as well as made to look like faux tiles. It was interesting and we will share more about this new clay as Polyform gives us the info.

It was so much fun to visit the show as Press. We were treated really well by CHA, the Press has a quiet room away from the hustle where we could have a hot drink or get cold water, sit for a minute, and conduct our interviews. This is also where we picked up catalogs and samples left by companies that wanted to get the word out about their new products. Definitely visit a CHA show if you get the chance!

We also picked up some great product samples to review and try, and some to give away. Coming soon to our shop- a prize gallery, where if you win a monthly giveaway, you can pick your prize!

Here are some links to things we talked about today-

www.studiobysculpey.com (nothing there yet but stay tuned)

www.makinsclay.com (air dry polymer clay…and wonderful tools)

www.amaco.com (check out the Bottles of Hope auction!)

www.riverpoetdesign.com (Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg- check out her classes)

www.catherienarts.com (Cat- check out her free video demos on Monday nights)

www.pcagoe.com – vote on your favorite representation of “Summer memories‿ to win a prize!

Don’t forget to leave us comments on our site in order to be entered to win one of our Studio by Sculpey clay samples. Also please consider writing us a review wherever you download your podcast- itunes, meefedia, yahoo, google, odeo….reviews help our rankings, so we thank you for taking the time!

Surprise! Your video is one day early. We hope you enjoy it, and we can't wait to report back to you from CHA! It's been an exciting week as we get ready and hope that we don't forget to bring anything with us!

Last week, we talked about pigment inks and now you get to see them in action, being stamped, rubbed, painted, and mushed onto and into polymer clay. We used Tsukineko Brilliance Dewdrops, which are small but thick and juicy stamp pads. They have a pointy edge so you can really get them where you want them to go, and a broad end for bigger areas.

We would like to take a moment to gently remind you to give us a review wherever you pick up your video and podcasts- itunes, meefedia, youtube, google videos- they all have a review system in place and it would really help if our audience members started telling others how they feel about the show. Thank you and we'll talk next week!

There are two general types of inks that you can use, referred to as Pigment inks, which we talk about today, and Alcohal or Dye inks, which we saved for our next podcast in two weeks.

The main difference between the two is that pigment inks stay where you put them, and dye inks "bleed" and tend to dye whatever clay is around them a new color.

Pigment inks are created with ground pigments, much like the pigment powder we discussed last week, and a wetting agent or "binder." The simplest binder is water, but the company creating the ink decides what else to put in the ink to create it's many properties- such as how long it stays wet, how flexible it is, how opaque it is, and whether or not you need to heat set it. Most pigment inks need to be heat set on polymer clay so they won't smear. That makes using them with clay very convenient, since you have to bake it anyway!

You can use pigment inks on top of uncured clay, you can mix it in to change the color of the clay, you can partially mix it in- which creates a marbled effect, you can use a stamp to make an image, you can use the stamp pad, your finger, or a brush to put ink exactly where you want it. You can put it on the raised areas of a design, or you can paint it into the cracks of a textured design. You can even use it as a mold release instead of water or cornstarch. You can stamp onto a baked piece of clay if you want to see the stamped image clearly. You can brush or smear it onto baked clay to create antiqued effects or to highlight a portion of a design. Pigment ink is so versatile with polymer clay you will never run out of ways to use it. Be sure to come back and watch Polymer Clay TV next week, when we will demonstrate everything we discussed in our podcast.

Special thanks to Tsukineko- they sent us a box of goodies to try out and we selected DewDrop inks in metallic and pearlescent colors to feature in this episode, and also in Polymer Clay Classroom- our downloadable full length project tutorial where you can watch, learn, and create along with us as we make two different light switch covers using polymer clay and DewDrop inkpads.

I'm publishing early tonight- Harry Potter 5 is calling and I must answer the call! I will never grow up...

In this third edition of Polymer Clay TV, Ilysa and Kira demonstrate how to add some flair and flash to your polymer clay artwork using powdered pigments. We show you how to put it on top of a raised area of clay to highlight it; how to use it as a mold release to keep your clay from sticking to a stamp, texture sheet or mold; how to make your own pigments from chalk, pastel, or makeup; and other types of powdered pigments available at the store. We demonstrate the Pink-Gold powdered pigment available in our shop, beautiful on black clay or colored clay. And finally, we show you how to use pigments as an inclusion- this means putting it inside the clay to change the actual color of the clay from the inside out.

After watching and playing with your clay and powdered pigments, why not stop in at our forum or flickr group to show us what you made, or discuss your learning process, or ask questions if we weren't clear to you? We look forward to hearing from our viewers! Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter. You could be a winner, like Cynthia T. who won our monthly prize for June and got a free kit!