The theme for this month’s Art Elements design challenge is “stars” and today is the reveal of our creations. The challenge was to interpret the theme in any media using any technique. Of course I used polymer clay, and of course, I made jewelry. I had plans to make some ornaments too, but you know what happens when you’re busy making plans.
I had some starry ideas right out of the gate and that lullaby in my head for weeks. You know the one:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
There. Now it’s in your head too. You’re welcome.
What are stars? According to science, stars are luminous balls of gas with enough mass to sustain nuclear fusion at their core. Aside from the “luminous” bit, that doesn’t necessarily sound like the stuff that inspires art. And yet, long before we had the technology to know what they were, humans were fascinated by the stars that sparkle in our night skies. The stars have continued to inspire artists across the ages, from painters to poets and musicians.
Can you spot the pink bead in this batch of nautical star charms and beads? It isn’t horribly pink, especially next to the blue, but neither is it the red I wanted.
At one time, we imagined constellations of stars were deities or immortal creatures and developed myths about their origins. In more modern times, the stars inspired scientists to develop technologies to explore space, both virtually and in person. It seems only fitting that humans would have a long standing preoccupation with the stars considering we ourselves are made of star stuff.
We are a way for the universe to know itself. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We’re made of star stuff. — Carl Sagan
It isn’t just artists and scientists who’ve looked to the stars. Mariners have used the stars to reliably navigate the world’s oceans long before GPS. The North Star in particular has been used by sailors to calculate latitude and determine the correct course to reach their destination. The North Star is a common symbol of luck among sailors, often depicted as a five-pointed star in the counterchanged dark and light shades of the compass rose on traditional nautical charts. A tattoo of the North Star, or nautical star, is a good luck symbol thought to bring sailors home safely from each voyage.
These earrings are what became of some of the nautical star charms. Each color of charms is paired with a different shape of antiqued brass loop. Why didn’t I just make all three pair using the same kind of loops? Where would be the fun in that?
The nautical star is where I started for this design challenge. I made silicone molds from some metal buttons and pressed polymer clay into the molds to make charms and beads. I wanted to glaze them in red and blue with my favorite faux ceramic sauce recipe, which is a mix of liquid polymer clay and ink. The blue ink made a perfectly seaworthy blue glaze. The red ink made a pink glaze no matter how much I added to the liquid polymer clay. That’s the problem with red: if it’s not saturated, it’s pink. Not to be undone by a little pink, I added some black to the mix and got a lovely burgundy. It’s not the red I was aiming for, but it works. I also made an aquamarine glaze with some teal ink.
The crescent moon below the pentacle on this necklace was an afterthought. As in after I finished painting the pentacle I thought “this needs a crescent moon to go beneath it” so I made one. I auditioned about a dozen different bead combinations for the finishing dangle before finding this little shard of crystal. The pendant is on a strand of black faux suede cording that feels like velvet.
While I was on the subject of five-pointed stars (aka, pentagrams) as symbols, I turned to pentacles. Pentacles are encircled pentagrams associated with protection. The pentacles I created for this challenge are paired with crescent moons. I realize moons are not stars, but I’m taking some artistic license in interpreting the theme. I was quite pleased with myself for getting the alternating over-under pattern on the sides of the pentagrams correct. It was a bit like making a Celtic knot. But with itty bitty pieces of clay that wanted to stick to my fingers more than to the pendants.
The charms on these bold statement earrings were initially intended as pendants for simple necklaces. After painting them, I decided they needed to stay together. Despite their size, they are very light because polymer clay is such a perfect medium for large earring focals.
After painting the first batch of pentacles, I thought the design might look good in faux terracotta. I also thought it would be a good idea to create molds of the originals to save time recreating the pattern. It worked reasonably well except I lost the under-over layering details in the sides of the stars. This could be a result of the type of two-part silicone mold putty I used and I wonder if it might be time to try some of the pourable molding compounds. Some people report they get better fine detail molds from it.
For these beads, I mixed Sculpey Souffle and Premo! clays to get a terracotta color that would have a matte finish after curing. To get the distressed effect of aged terracotta clay, I coated the cured pieces with off-white acrylic paint and then sanded off some of the paint after it was dry. The distressed finish is sealed under a layer of liquid polymer clay.
In thinking about how “we’re made of star stuff,” I decided to try making a goddess pendant with the terracotta colored clay blend. She has a crescent moon and a star stamped onto her head, to fit the theme for this challenge. I didn’t manage to turn my goddess figure or the other distressed terracotta beads into jewelry in time for the reveal. I’m thinking they’d look good with some turquoise, amber, agate, and amethyst.
This is the first goddess pendant I’ve attempted.Her boobs are a little uneven, which, I guess, makes it more realistic? LOL. Acrylic paint was used to distress the cured piece and give it an ancient artifact look. I have a fondness for crusty rusty old stuff.
The last piece I completed for this challenge was a sun face cabochon. Our sun is a star, after all. The cabochon happened when I was playing with the faces push mold and some loosely formed ideas about a sun and moon face design. The moon part didn’t work out and needs more experimenting. After painting the cab, I made a silicone mold of it because I was thinking this design would look good in the distressed terracotta effect. I haven’t had time to test that theory but the mold is there when I’m ready.
I don’t generally make cabs because I don’t tend to use them. I am not a bead embroidery kinda gal nor do I have the tools for creating prong or bezel settings. I could drill a hole and turn it into a pendant, but I’m putting it in my etsy shop instead because I think it could find a good home as a cabochon.
I had plans for more star designs, including turning the terracotta beads into jewelry and making some compass rose and primitive star ornaments. I even had five straight days off work during the Thanksgiving holiday to get them done and photographed in plenty of time for the reveal. Sadly, I had a salad for lunch the day before my staycation began and was hit by the Romaine lettuce scourge that swept across the US. Four days of ginger ale and saltines later, I finally recovered enough strength to assemble the jewelry I’ve shown before it was back to work. Isn’t that the way it goes though? Grand plans versus the realities of life. I’m thankful my immune system was on the job and I am also never ever ever eating salad again. Ever. It’s strictly cooked veg for me from here on.
Anyhoo, this design challenge is also a blog hop so please visit the other participating artists to see how they interpreted the stars in their chosen media. I promise you will not be disappointed. Also, all of the finished jewelry shown here, and the sun face cab, are available in my shop on etsy.
Guest Artists
Jill
Divya
Alysen
Kathy
Tammy ← You are here!
Cat
Samantha
Anita
Karin
Sarajo
Rozantia
Kimberly
Art Elements Team
Jen
Jenny
Niky
Laney
Claire
Cathy
Marsha
Caroline
Susan
Lesley
Wow you have been busy, I love those earrings. I don’t know much about polymer clay and was fascinated to read you can get a look like glazed ceramics.
Thanks so much, Jill. Polymer clay is a great imposter and can be made to mimic many other media from ceramic to gemstones. It’s one reason I love it. 🙂
Everything is just beautiful! I do love the pentacles and the sun cabochon best. You got so much done and had so many ideas, kudos to you!
Thanks so much, Cat. So many ideas, too little time. The story of all our lives, I imagine. 🙂
wow you are so productive!! I like the idea that we are made of star material as humans too 😉 You have brightened up my day with that sunshine, no brighter star doth shine 😉 thanks for taking part in the challenge 😀
Thank you, Laney. I’m not known among my friends for being a ray of sunshine so I am happy I could brighten your day. 🙂
The beads are beautiful and I admit I hadn’t even thought about the sun – what a gorgeous cab! The terracotta star goddess has the perfect authentic aged look 🙂
Thanks so much, Rozantia. The sun was the first thing I thought of but then the last thing I worked on. Weird the way my muse works.
Love your start charms as well as your sun face cabochon but my faves are the pentacle necklace with the crescent moon (we had the same idea there!) and the terracotta pentacle/moon beads & pendants. My absolute hands down favorite is the goddess though!! LOVE her.
Thanks so much, Cathy. I think I want to explore the goddess beads more, but then I get distracted by so many other ideas.
Your terracotta components are mind blowing. They are even better than real (freshly made) terracotta items for they look authentically antique. I could imagine them being excavated or Sirkap or some other ancient city.
Thank you so much, Divya. I always think aged and distressed things look better than “new” because I feel they have a story to tell.
I am always amazed at the amount of pieces you can get made. Even with getting sick you still made a good amount. I love the first set of earrings. Your beads look very cute in the earrings. The fact that they are all slightly different is a plus too.
I am glad you are recovered now. It is too bad you week was ruined.
Thanks so much, Kathy. Luckily, I didn’t get sick until the end of the month and had already started projects for the theme before hand.
Your glazes are always so amazing looking. Also, I’m in love with that goddess. It’s perfection, especially with the “we’re made of starstuff.” Love it. All your pieces are so crazy good and you are also incredibly prolific. I wish I had even 1/4 of your energy!
Thanks so much, Jen. It isn’t that I have lots of energy, it’s just that I ignore all my chores in favor of making things. 😉
Amazing components. I love the effects you achieve with polymer, they really make the designs special!
Thanks so much, Caroline. I am always searching for ways to make polymer clay look like other things, because I really wish I had space for a kiln and torch other equipment to make glass and ceramic pieces. 🙂
Your nautical star beads are so cute… and I love the earrings you made with them too. Of the pentacle/pentagram beads my faves are the terra cotta looking ones!
Thanks so much, Sarajo. I’m rather fond of those terra cotta pieces too. I’m thinking of making myself some jewelry with them.
Oh NO I’m sorry you got sick but oh oh oh I love everything you made! I love reading your posts, too, as I’ve mentioned before, I enjoy your humor, and I love the faux terra cotta! I think the sun would look great in that finish! Love the goddess too!
Thanks so much, Susan. I am so glad to know you enjoy my odd sense of humor – and that it is the aspect of my personality that comes through in my writing. 😉
Wow! You floor me with all of your goodies! Being a July Moonchild I’m partial to that, however the Goddess and pentacle are stunnng also. I love the lilac/blue combo.
Thanks so much, Alysen. I know the lilac/blue combo may be unusual for a pentacle, but it seemed right for them.
Ohmygoodness, you were absolutely inspired by stars! So many versions on the theme. I’m absolutely amazed by your techniques to make the clay look ceramic and terracotta. If you hadn’t mentioned that it was polymer, I would have never known. Amazing!!
Thanks so much, Hope. I am always amazed when my ideas for imitating ceramic or other media turn out as good as they do.
NO! Not the romaine! I am so sorry.
I love your faux terra cotta – all of it. The wee goddess is wonderful – and I see that we WERE on the same wavelength for sure!
I think the silicone is still the best bet – to really get the impression of the over/under the mold would have to pick up some undercuts. And then it wouldn’t work very well, because… undercuts. IMO
Glad you could join us this month!
Thanks so much, Jenny. I know you’re right about the undercuts. I still want to try the pourable mold compound. Just because I am curious.
Wow – The stuff you are made of is definitely magical! I love these pieces (and sorry you got sick from the Romaine!). I can see wearing so many of these and the energy from them would just make the wearer very happy… Magical!
Thanks so much, Marsha. That kind of compliment from an artist I admire means so much.
Sorry that you got sick, but glad you feel better now, and it’s amazing that you still made so many components! I love the pentacles – the terracotta ones look like the real deal too, though I’d like to see if the pourable mold makes any difference to the finer details. The glazed components look lovely, I agree red is always tricky no matter the craft 🙂 but I do like the burgundy. And adding the sun to the mix was very thoughtful of you! 🙂
Thanks so much, Anita. I haven’t tried the pourable mold yet, but I do still want to give it a try. Maybe that’s a project for next year.
The things you made are just beautiful! I really love your faux ceramic look, its perfect as is your distressed terracotta effect!
Thanks so much, Niky. The faux ceramic is one of my favorite techniques, but the terra cotta is nearer my preference for more rustic things.