Today started out researching how to do a skinner blend. And in my mind's vague plans, possibly a simple cane after. Skinner blends and simple canes are probably two of the first things polymer clayers (or clayers as enthusiasts of this medium often refer to themselves... urm, ourselves), learn early. I didn't. I zoomed in on sculpting rather than canes so it took all these time for me to start looking into how to do a proper skinner blend. And of course, got promptly sidetracked.
See, I've been noticing this brand Lucy Clay Tools but have not really been paying much attention to it because they look like serious and expensive equipment. The first tool I may have noticed was a cane slicer. So not really paying any heed to the image, I clicked the link and watched the videos on skinner blends. The demo was done by a very young looking, blond, blue-eye girl. I can't understand what she's saying but it's easy enough to understand what she's doing and how she's achieving the effects she's showing viewers. The more I watched, the more I got curious. Her name as it turns out is Lucy Struncova and she's from the Czech Republic.
Nope, no connection clicked at that that time so I read on. She was born in 1998 so I was right to think she is very young! In her bio, she wrote that it was around 2011 (she was only 13 if my usually faulty math is correct) when she became very serious with polymer clay. 13! Imagine that.
In contrast, I was already 36 when I discovered polymer clay. And for the longest time, I could not identify what got me into it or which shop I bought my first pack of polymer clay from. I went through my blog to find my earliest post and found that it was back in the middle of 2012 which also clearly showed that my interest has always been in sculpting dolls. Extrapolating from my own writings, I probably discovered polymer clay when I researched how to make a custom wall clock. I ended up using air dry clay for my wall clock but I could easily see myself buying a pack of Sculpey original (terracotta) with the air dry clay then just leaving it lying around the flat to be tried later. Make sense to me, because in my logic air dry would be way easier to try out than something that needs baking!
And despite my love for the art, my subsequent practice has been really spotty due to a number of reasons. It's only in these last few months that I've been able to regularly create again.
Anyway... what's my point? My point is, I am super amazed and impressed with Lucy. A year after she became serious with polymer clay, she's already conducting classes to teach other people, and attending workshops for her to learn too. By 2013, she and her dad are making their own tools and marketing them under the name Lucy Clay Tools (LC Tools). By 2014 she has published and successfully sold her own book. She's in art school now and probably life has taken her in different directions but boy, such accomplishments at such a very young age. She's only slightly older than my eldest nephew!
I am by no means endorsing her tools -- I have never seen them in person or had the opportunity to try them but I am amazed and in awe of people like her and I believe it should be celebrated. Not to sound too cheesy, but you go girl!
Oh and I do endorse her videos! They are very informative and very easy to follow despite the language barrier. Here's the one I watched on skinner blends.
Where's my skinner blends? Ummm... did I tell you about the time...
See, I've been noticing this brand Lucy Clay Tools but have not really been paying much attention to it because they look like serious and expensive equipment. The first tool I may have noticed was a cane slicer. So not really paying any heed to the image, I clicked the link and watched the videos on skinner blends. The demo was done by a very young looking, blond, blue-eye girl. I can't understand what she's saying but it's easy enough to understand what she's doing and how she's achieving the effects she's showing viewers. The more I watched, the more I got curious. Her name as it turns out is Lucy Struncova and she's from the Czech Republic.
Nope, no connection clicked at that that time so I read on. She was born in 1998 so I was right to think she is very young! In her bio, she wrote that it was around 2011 (she was only 13 if my usually faulty math is correct) when she became very serious with polymer clay. 13! Imagine that.
In contrast, I was already 36 when I discovered polymer clay. And for the longest time, I could not identify what got me into it or which shop I bought my first pack of polymer clay from. I went through my blog to find my earliest post and found that it was back in the middle of 2012 which also clearly showed that my interest has always been in sculpting dolls. Extrapolating from my own writings, I probably discovered polymer clay when I researched how to make a custom wall clock. I ended up using air dry clay for my wall clock but I could easily see myself buying a pack of Sculpey original (terracotta) with the air dry clay then just leaving it lying around the flat to be tried later. Make sense to me, because in my logic air dry would be way easier to try out than something that needs baking!
And despite my love for the art, my subsequent practice has been really spotty due to a number of reasons. It's only in these last few months that I've been able to regularly create again.
Anyway... what's my point? My point is, I am super amazed and impressed with Lucy. A year after she became serious with polymer clay, she's already conducting classes to teach other people, and attending workshops for her to learn too. By 2013, she and her dad are making their own tools and marketing them under the name Lucy Clay Tools (LC Tools). By 2014 she has published and successfully sold her own book. She's in art school now and probably life has taken her in different directions but boy, such accomplishments at such a very young age. She's only slightly older than my eldest nephew!
I am by no means endorsing her tools -- I have never seen them in person or had the opportunity to try them but I am amazed and in awe of people like her and I believe it should be celebrated. Not to sound too cheesy, but you go girl!
Oh and I do endorse her videos! They are very informative and very easy to follow despite the language barrier. Here's the one I watched on skinner blends.
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| This is the Pinterest post that led me to Lucy's website. If you want to add it too: it's Skinner blends |
Where's my skinner blends? Ummm... did I tell you about the time...
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