Art is Messy: Challenge Behind the Scenes

The theme for our May Challenge is "Artist Inspired" and on May 1 we will have 17 EXCEPTIONAL entries to share with you.  In the meantime you can visit the blogs of a few of our members to read about how they took on this special challenge.

Pollack Inspired

Susan of 11BOLDstreet shares some insights into her technique for her challenge piece. http://www.11boldstreet.com/2012/04/my-pollock-tribute.html

 

Waiting for Alice

Marie of YoungCreative shares the early stages of her Alice in Wonderland inspired sculpture.

http://creativesprinkle.blogspot.com/2012/04/in-studio-waiting-for-alice.html

Something Girly for Mom

Something Girly for Mom

Here are some great Mother's Day gift ideas brought to you by the shops of PCAGOE team. Check them out in this Etsy treasury: Something Girly for Mom. Thanks to Lisa of HiGirls for putting this collection together.

Look what May Challenge voters could win

Public voting opens for our May Challenge on May 1. Here is a sneak peek at the prizes up for grabs for three lucky voters! If you win the drawing YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR PRIZE(see below).

Winners will be notified by email and given instructions on how to select and claim a prize.  Before or after you vote, we invite you to visit the shops and start thinking about what you will choose if you win the drawing.  Have fun browsing!

AshPaints
$20 on anything in my shop, must be used within 60 days, no cash remuneration.
http://ashpaints.etsy.com/


PolymerClayCreations
$20 gift certificate to be used within 60 days
http://www.polymerclaycreations.etsy.com/

CreateMyWorld
any item(s) worth up to $20 in my shop (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days
http://www.createmyworld.etsy.com/

Young Creative
any item worth up to $20 in my shop (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days http://www.youngcreative.etsy.com/

marcymPC
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance
http://www.marcympc.etsy.com

JKollmann
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance; good any time
http://www.jkollmann.etsy.com/

ClayImages
In stock items under $20, no made to order items
http://www.clayimages.etsy.com/

Peggers
$20 gift certificate (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days
http://www.peggers.etsy.com/

NKdesigns
$20 Gift Certificate
http://www.nkdesigns.etsy.com/

HiGirls
Gift certificate up to $20 to be used within 60 days of date of announced winner
http://www.etsy.com/shop/higirls

ArrowdaleArtStudio
$20 gift certificate, up to 60 days unless by private arrangement with me
http://www.arrowdaleartstudio.etsy.com/

AdornmentsByEstelle
$20 dollar gift certificate to be used within 60 days
http://www.adornmentsbyestelle.etsy.com/

MarciaPalmer
$20 gift certificate towards any item good for 60 days
http://www.marciapalmer.etsy.com/

BeckySueCreations
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/beckysuecreations

11BOLDstreet
$25 gift certificate towards total purchase amount, good for 60 days
http://11boldstreet.etsy.com/

Small Ideas
Free map pins: cookies and crackers
http://www.etsy.com/listing/85883111/map-pins-cookies-and-crackers

Elemental Dragons
Custom made dragon (value of 24.99)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElementalDragons

PlaySculptLive

Gift certificate of $20 to be used within 60 days of date of announced winner

http://playsculptlive.etsy.com/   

April Challenge Winners

And the winners of the April Challenge are:

Winners Voted on by PCAGOE Members

1st Place

Lost Goddess Wall Art by Line of PlaySculptLive

2nd Place

Ring Bowl by Berit of ClayImages

3rd Place

Layered Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace N12-01 by Jan of JanGeisen

Winners Voted on by Non-members

1st Place

Filigree Pendant by Angeli of BeadLadyManila

2nd Place

Ring Bowl by Berit of ClayImages

3rd Place

Layered Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace N12-01 by Jan of JanGeisen

Drawing Winners

Congrats to Ronda Wounderly, Melody KirkWagner, and Aline Bard!
They get to pick a prize from one of our lovely participating shop owners.
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/03/look-what-april-challenge-voters-could.html

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who voted and supports our challenges each month.
173 votes were cast this month.


Comments left by the voters:
Wonderful content this month - SO difficult to choose!

They are all unique designs..Love them all

I am an Interior designer and love the idea of polymer clay as a material to create interest in a space, which is why I chose the switchplate as my pick! I heard about the contest from one of your members on facebook, The Beadlady :)

This was such a fun challenge because so many of our polymer clay techniques are layered and it was great to see so many different interpretations. I love these challenges.

Wow you know Spring is here with all these lovely colors and techniques. Amazing art work.

Lovely entries! All of the creations are absolutely beautiful!

So hard to choose, but Arrowdaleartstudios tiny house is so awesome!! It looks like a lot of work, but so cute!

So many entries to choose from this month- and they are all great!

I really enjoyed looking at all the artists work. They were all beautiful.

Beautiful work from all of the artists!

Awesome participation from the guild this month on entries... as always tough choice deciding favorites. Great work everyone!

everything is so lovely it was so hard to pick. great job everyone. cant wait to join in on the next challenge. hugs, Kimberly Idalski

All beautiful entries! Can I choose them all?


Who knew you could do so many things in layers?? And we've barely scratched the surface of the possibilities with polymer clay - fantastic medium and wonderful creativity!

Once again, you all have put on a spectacular show. What a difficult decision!!!

Gorgeous designs!

abulous artistic creations from everyone!

Wow, ladies, this was hard to do. All the entries are winners! Great work!

It is always such a treat to your wonderful creations.

I love all the entries and it was very hard to choose my favorite. I got this link on facebook but I don't remember who posted it. Great job everyone. One day I would like to make a polymer clay item.

very interesting work.

such a wonderful diversity of entries, it made it very hard to choose just three. The artists entered are all very talented and have created some amazing pieces.

I love the monthly challenge... please keep it going.

interesting pieces..loved the website

Excellent artwork -- as usual!

This is always such a hard decision for me!! I think everyone did such an amazing job. Love everyone's individual style.

It was hard to choose just one, but the brightly colored necklace by Arlene of Ashpaints kept calling my name. I love all the bright colors and the way she used layers in her mosaics, both in the pendant and the beads. Lovely job.

As the challenge was "layers", that was the feature I looked for. My three choices show this best I think. The choice was more difficult this month though!

i belong to the north texas pcg and heard about you there. all of the work above is unique, exceptional and elegant, in my opinion anyway. thanx for sharing your art....

Fantastic pieces, Love them all and very hard to choose.

The new picture format is wonderful---I can really see the entries! Thank you! Chris

Beautiful pieces!! Good luck to all the entrants!

#2 and # 13 have an energy reminiscent (to me, at least) of Van Gogh. Love em! I love #12, too, being born and bred a New Englander. Maine and NH are my favorite states! There are so many beautiful pieces here, it was hard to know whether to go with beauty, sophistication, workmanship, imagination, or the amount of effort it must have taken to make the piece. In the end, I decided to rely simply on "How much do I want it?" lol

I heard about it from Polymer Arts magazine. Looked neat!

These get prettier in every challenge. The best ideas yet!!

Absolutely wonderful entries. Love the accompanying music!

Everyone's work is absolutely beautiful!!everyone deserves to be #1!!

There was such a variety to choose from this month. Very unique designs. Great job everyone.

Very interesting pieces. OOOHHH...to be so talented. Good Luck everyone!

I'm not sure that #13, the salt and pepper shakers, was included in the slide show. I watched the show twice to get a closer look at this one but did not see a slide. Thanks!

Keep up the extra-ordinary work. You all give me inspiration. Thank you!

I love this one!! Layers can be in some many different forms and they are displayed here :)

Very difficult to choose again!!! lots of different combinations to make only with layers. And a lot of inspiration, too. Thank you all, artists

Variety is the spice of life and you surely have it here.

They are all lovely pieces - very close competition.

Who knew layering could take so many forms! : ) Creative techniques and use of varied materials.

I love the use of mixed media .

always enjoy seeing everyone's creations.

How does one choose favorites from a selection like this? All are beautiful and skillfully crafted---my three choices came down to the pieces that grabbed my heart, that very personal "wow' factor that is different for every person.

Oh so hard to choose! I'm inspired!

I particularly like The Lost Goddess. It represents well the layers we need to confront in order to be found.

April Challenge: Layers

Scroll to the bottom of the post to vote for your favorites!

Layers take many forms in polymer work and for our April PCAGOE challenge, we explored lots of layering techniques from mokume gane in which a design is created by manipulated and slicing into the layers, to 3-D designs where the layers are built up from the background, and the sutton slice technique where thin layers of clay are stamped and sliced to reveal the design.

Vote at the bottom of the page and you might win!
Vote April 1-7 and you could win. Three lucky winners will be selected in a drawing of all non-member voters and will be able to choose a prize offered by our member shops sponsoring this month's challenge. See the list of participating sponsors and prizes.  

And the entries are:

View slide show below to see larger photos. 

Entries appear in reverse order. Use mosaic at top for entry numbers.

To vote: scroll to bottom of post.

1. Layered Switch Plate by Marcia of marcympc
This pattern was made from scraps of a mokume gane cane created for PCAGOE's February challenge. Those scraps were then layered with thin sheets of black clay to create a Stroppel cane which was sliced and laid out on white clay to create the design you see here.

2. Pear in Layers by Marie of YoungCreative
This plaque is made from 4 layers of clay: green, purple/black, yellow, and white translucent. I stamped the pear onto the translucent layer and colored it with mica powders. I stamped the image again onto green clay and cut out the leaves which I layered over the original stamped image.

3. Playing with Layers by Lisa of HiGirls
Simple layers of clay stacked and cut into large cubes. Pendant was created with a slice of the stacked clay that has been further altered into a fun pattern and stacked on more layers of clay.

4. Ring Bowl by Berit of ClayImages
This little decorative bowl for your rings was created from polymer clay. I used the mokume gane technique and worked with several layers of different colors of clay to achieve this effect. Notice that the outside has a different pattern than the inside.

5. Silver Spot Cuff Bracelet No. 139 By Susan of 11BOLDstreet
This piece illustrates the theme as physical layers, built up for the main support of the bracelet. The revealed layers from slices of mokume gane serve as the decorative sides. The entire piece is hand sanded and highly polished.

6. Layered Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace N12-01 by Jan of JanGeisen
This pendant is an assemblage of layers of polymer clay scraps. Some of the scraps are gold foil covered with translucent clay, which I think look like dichroic glass. The pendant is strung with multiple strands (layers?) of glass beads that pick up the colors in the pendant.

7. Brown Petroglyphs Serving Set by Norma of NormasClay

This set was made with the Mokume Gane technique in polymer clay. Thin layers of three colors were stacked, stamped and then shaved to reveal the layers underneath. After baking, the pieces have been sanded and polished which enhances the effect of showing the layers.

8. Lost Goddess Wall Art by Line of PlaySculptLive

In life, women are called upon to wear many personeas, many layers. Sometimes unaware of these demands, we sleep through most it. We become another being than the one we were meant to be unless we "find" ourselves. I created this piece using the layers of the sleeping goddess, the monster-dragon she is called upon to become and the "newspapers" announcing that she has been found, to illustrate the struggles we face while trying to be just who we are, ourselves!

9. Native Bracelet Set by Becky of BeckySueCreations

This is made with a layering technique called Mokume Gane. The bracelet is strung on elastic for an easy fit and is hand polished to a shine. The colors remind me of the Native America art that I saw in Alaska.

10. Layered Hair Pin by Jill of jkollmann

This is another variation on my pin design shown in The Polymer Arts magazine, Winter 2011.  It features layers of clay and silver leaf for the base, and layers of hand sculpted applique elements and cane slices for the embellishments.

11. The House on Layers Rock by Cindy of ArrowdaleArtStudio

The title is an obvious (at least to me!) take on Australia's famous Ayers Rock, but the house is truly one of many, many layers. Each of my wee buildings would qualify as I begin with a cardboard form I construct from scrap stuff - often cereal boxes, then I cover that with junk clay and bake. When that cools so that I can handle it, I begin adding doors and windows, then bake again. The next layer is the "siding," in this case, "stone." And finally, comes the "landscaping," or any other finishing touches. Layers - I love 'em!

12. Coastal Maine Scene by Phoebe of happycreations4u
I tried to make a little Maine coast scene. The rocks are made with layers of clay. The entire piece is layered from the blue sky and sparkly blue water to the rocks, trees, sun and seagull. First attempt at
something like this. Hope to try more and get better at it! This piece is just a small 3"square hanging by some fishing line.

13. Magic Swirls Mini Salt & Pepper by Deb of RenGalSA
Another fun experiment! Made from two canes that are variations on Donna Kato's Starry Night Cane, I chopped lots of multi-hued colored leftovers into bits and stacked them together next to each other with bits of black for accent. The resulting block of clay I then used to make various other canes - two of which are used in these fun salt and pepper shakers. The block of clay was put through the pasta machine in different orientations for each of these cane and the results layered into the patterns shown. The swirled rainbow cane was then layered on top of the rainbow zig-zag cane for the final result. 

14. Filigree Pendant by Angeli of BeadLadyManila
This is made of layered cane slices and two layers of filigree. The back is muted purple clay.

15. Layers of Black White and Silver by Beth of CreateMyWorld
This piece has a solid black bottom layer with circle shape cut out negative space, then a layer of window screen with some liquid polymer clay drizzled in some areas of the screen, then a layer of black polymer clay with crackled silver leaf and finally a layer of white polymer clay that has been dyed with fabric.

16.  Spring Fling Shawl Pin  by Linda of NKdesigns
My entry features layers of pearl, blue, teal, white and translucent. Spring is in the air and blues and green abound. Added just a touch of purple for the violets all over the garden. This shawl pin will also be great as an accessory for your hair.

17. Colorful Millefiori Floral Scarf Pin by Angela of polymerclaycreations

This shawl or scarf pin was made first by hand shaping some scrap clay for the base. I then added a layer of more colorful scrap clay for the background. Lastly I added a layer floral cane slices.

18. Spring Fling Necklace by Elizabeth of clarityofpurplesage
This is the focal to a necklace I am working on...Aluminum sheet base, sanded and covered with glittered black polymer clay.then a layer of mokume gane sheets were added. I then stamped a pattern on top and brushed some pearlescent pink ink over the stamping, adding a dimensional shimmer. The focal is finished off with a melange of springlike flower funk. ~thanks for looking!! :)

19. Pink Posy Layered Necklace by Arlene of Ashpaints
The challenge theme is expressed both in the multicolored pattern on the left side of the pendant and by the leaf and flower canes layered on top. The layered technique on the left and on the beads is a "Stroppel cane" developed by Alice Stroppel as a way to use cane end pieces and other bits and pieces. I used ends from both the leaf and flower canes used in this design in the layered stack so it coordinates beautifully.

Vote Here

Choose your top 3 favorites. The same entry may not be counted more than once. Voting is open to the public the 1-7. Read the expanded rules here.

Full Name (required for voter prize notification):
Email Address (Required for voter prize notification):
For current Dues-Paying PCAGOE Members: What is Your Etsy Shop Name?
Please select your 1st choice:	1. Layered Switch Plate by Marcia of marcympc 2. Pear in Layers by Marie of YoungCreative 3. Playing with Layers by Lisa of HiGirls 4. Ring Bowl by Berit of ClayImages 5. Silver Spot Cuff Bracelet No. 139 By Susan of 11BOLDstreet 6. Layered Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace N12-01 by Jan of JanGeisen 7. Brown Petroglyphs Serving Set by Norma of NormasClay 8. Lost Goddess Wall Art by Line of PlaySculptLive 9. Native Bracelet Set by Becky of BeckySueCreations 10. Layered Hair Pin by Jill of jkollmann 11. The House on Layers Rock by Cindy of ArrowdaleArtStudio 12. Coastal Maine Scene by Phoebe of happycreations4u 13. Magic Swirls Mini Salt & Pepper by Deb of RenGalSA 14. Filigree Pendant by Angeli of BeadLadyManila 15. Layers of Black,White and Silver by Beth of CreateMyWorld 16. Spring Fling Shawl Pin by Linda of NKdesigns 17. Colorful Millefiori Floral Scarf Pin by Angela by polymerclaycreations 18. Spring Fling Necklace by Elizabeth of clarityofpurplesage 19. Pink Posy Layered Necklace by Arlene of Ashpaints
Please select your 2nd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)	1. Layered Switch Plate by Marcia of marcympc 2. Pear in Layers by Marie of YoungCreative 3. Playing with Layers by Lisa of HiGirls 4. Ring Bowl by Berit of ClayImages 5. Silver Spot Cuff Bracelet No. 139 By Susan of 11BOLDstreet 6. Layered Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace N12-01 by Jan of JanGeisen 7. Brown Petroglyphs Serving Set by Norma of NormasClay 8. Lost Goddess Wall Art by Line of PlaySculptLive 9. Native Bracelet Set by Becky of BeckySueCreations 10. Layered Hair Pin by Jill of jkollmann 11. The House on Layers Rock by Cindy of ArrowdaleArtStudio 12. Coastal Maine Scene by Phoebe of happycreations4u 13. Magic Swirls Mini Salt & Pepper by Deb of RenGalSA 14. Filigree Pendant by Angeli of BeadLadyManila 15. Layers of Black,White and Silver by Beth of CreateMyWorld 16. Spring Fling Shawl Pin by Linda of NKdesigns 17. Colorful Millefiori Floral Scarf Pin by Angela by polymerclaycreations 18. Spring Fling Necklace by Elizabeth of clarityofpurplesage 19. Pink Posy Layered Necklace by Arlene of Ashpaints
Please select your 3rd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)	1. Layered Switch Plate by Marcia of marcympc 2. Pear in Layers by Marie of YoungCreative 3. Playing with Layers by Lisa of HiGirls 4. Ring Bowl by Berit of ClayImages 5. Silver Spot Cuff Bracelet No. 139 By Susan of 11BOLDstreet 6. Layered Faux Dichroic Pendant Necklace N12-01 by Jan of JanGeisen 7. Brown Petroglyphs Serving Set by Norma of NormasClay 8. Lost Goddess Wall Art by Line of PlaySculptLive 9. Native Bracelet Set by Becky of BeckySueCreations 10. Layered Hair Pin by Jill of jkollmann 11. The House on Layers Rock by Cindy of ArrowdaleArtStudio 12. Coastal Maine Scene by Phoebe of happycreations4u 13. Magic Swirls Mini Salt & Pepper by Deb of RenGalSA 14. Filigree Pendant by Angeli of BeadLadyManila 15. Layers of Black,White and Silver by Beth of CreateMyWorld 16. Spring Fling Shawl Pin by Linda of NKdesigns 17. Colorful Millefiori Floral Scarf Pin by Angela by polymerclaycreations 18. Spring Fling Necklace by Elizabeth of clarityofpurplesage 19. Pink Posy Layered Necklace by Arlene of Ashpaints
How did you hear about the PCAGOE challenge?	Please choose one - thanks! I am a PCAGOE member Word of mouth from a PCAGOE member PCAGOE newsletter Etsy A Blog (Please tell us whose blog in the comments) PCAGOE.com website Polymer Clay Central CraftGossip Facebook (Please tell us whose in the comments) Flickr Other (Please tell us where in the comments)
Would you like to receive the monthly PCAGOE e-newsletter?	yes no I already receive it
Our members love comments! Please comment here on the entries and/or the challenge in general.

This HTML form was created by Freedback.

Look what April Challenge voters could win

Public voting opens for our April Challenge on Sunday. Here is a sneak peek at the prizes up for grabs for three lucky voters! If you win the drawing YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR PRIZE.
(see below)

Winners will be posted on this site following the challenge as well as notified by email and given instructions on how to select and claim a prize.  We invite you to visit the shops and start thinking about what you will choose if you win the drawing.  Have fun browsing!

Gift certificates: 

ClayImages
In stock items under $20, no made to order items
http://www.clayimages.etsy.com/

Peggers
$20 gift certificate (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days
http://www.peggers.etsy.com/

NKdesigns
$20 Gift Certificate
http://www.nkdesigns.etsy.com/

HiGirls
Gift certificate up to $20 to be used within 60 days of date of announced winner
http://www.etsy.com/shop/higirls

ArrowdaleArtStudio
$20 gift certificate, up to 60 days unless by private arrangement with me
http://www.arrowdaleartstudio.etsy.com/

AdornmentsByEstelle
$20 dollar gift certificate to be used within 60 days
http://www.adornmentsbyestelle.etsy.com/

MarciaPalmer
$20 gift certificate towards any item good for 60 days
http://www.marciapalmer.etsy.com/

BeckySueCreations
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/beckysuecreations

11BOLDstreet
$25 gift certificate towards total purchase amount, good for 60 days
http://11boldstreet.etsy.com/

AshPaints

$20 on anything in my shop, must be used within 60 days, no cash remuneration.
http://ashpaints.etsy.com/   

PolymerClayCreations

$20 gift certificate to be used within 60 days

http://www.polymerclaycreations.etsy.com/   

 

CreateMyWorld

any item(s) worth up to $20 in my shop (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days

http://www.createmyworld.etsy.com/

Young Creative

any item worth up to $20 in my shop (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days

http://www.youngcreative.etsy.com/

marcymPC
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance

http://www.marcympc.etsy.com

JKollmann
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance; good any time
http://www.jkollmann.etsy.com/

Specific prizes:
 

The Pleasant Pheasant

http://www.etsy.com/listing/33614993/polymer-clay-pen

Polymer Clay Pen plus 5% off a new purchase within the next 3 months.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/33614993/polymer-clay-pen  

Elemental Dragons

Custom made dragon (value of 24.99)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElementalDragons

http://www.etsy.com/listing/36339018/custom-made-elemental-dragons-of-you

Small Ideas
Map pins: cookies and crackers

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85883111/map-pins-cookies-and-crackers

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85883111/map-pins-cookies-and-crackers

 

March Challenge Winners

And the winners of the March challenge are:

Winners voted on by PCAGOE members:

1st Place 

 White Graphic Pendant No. 115b by Sue of 11BOLDstreet

2nd Place

 It's not a Black & White World by Deb of RenGalSA

 3rd Place

Rainbow Crazy Quilt Handmade Keepsake Box by Angela of PolymerClayCreations

Winners voted on by Non-PCAGOE members:

1st Place 

Rainbow Crazy Quilt Handmade Keepsake Box by Angela of PolymerClayCreations

 

2nd Place

 It's not a Black & White World by Deb of RenGalSA

 3rd Place

White Graphic Pendant No. 115b by Sue of 11BOLDstreet

Drawing Winners

Congrats to Karen Murray, Janice Zimbler and Karen Smith!
They get to pick a prize from one of our lovely participating shop owners.
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/02/look-what-march-challenge-voters-could.html

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who voted and supports our challenges each month.

205 votes were cast this month.

Comments left by the voters:
I love looking at peoples work and seeing all the imagination that flows. I will definitely be checking it out as new challenges emerge, and hopefully join and enter a contest my self!

Wow, ladies, everyone's entry is wonderful. You make it difficult to choose only 3.

Very creative and wonderful. All are winners. Very hard to choose.

Amazing entries this month!

It's all cute and very nice!

Great work by everyone! (As usual)

Your group has some of the most talented and creative people on Etsy - hope a lot of others get to see their work!

Wow, Great entries! Hard to choose as they are all wonderful.

All of the entries are
phenomenal!

They are all great, so hard to choose

Such creativity! Impressive.

I think the keepsake box is the embodiment of bold. I love the colors and canework. It just reached out and grabbed me! This is the first PCAGOE event I've participated in having just joined a pc team on Etsy. I look forward to future challenges.

What beautiful and unusual entries this month! The PCAGOE artists really outdid themselves with creative approaches to the theme! I wish I could have voted for each one of them, because they are all so beautiful and different!

Was very hard to choose. They are all really Great.

I voted, but it was very hard to choose--what a lovely collection of great pieces.

The white graphic pendant was already a favourite at Flickr. Love the colors, design and simplicity but this is not a simple design.

Excellent array of interpretation of the theme! Hard, as always to choose.

Loved the zebra, cork top vase and Bold Streets white pendant too. This month so many beautiful pieces to pick from. All great works! Thanks. 

All of the artists did a wonderful job. It was hard to choose.

I LOVE black and white so the graphic pendant just really grabbed me. Very nice job!

i think this challenge is great and it's so cool to see the different entries, how people work in a completely different way with just the same medium thanks

Everyone did a marvelous job!!! Good luck to everyone!! There are so many talented individuals here!!xoxo

all the work is stunning and beautiful...

I loved these because I thought they were very cute and had style and the most talent

The design techniques used in this challenge absolutely amaze me. I look forward to receiving the PCAGOE e-newsletter every month so that I can see the wonderfully creative pieces.

Glad to see this. Great job!

I love the challenge. I simply cannot see the images well because they are too small, even with the "click on mosaic to enlarge."

Every artist was terrific I selected what stood out as bold and graphic to me.

This was a harder than usual decision to make as the entries certainly met the challenge. Also, I would like all of your members to join my Clay-Polymer Yahoo Group so more people will know about your group.

That #13 is absolutely stunning. If I could I would have voted it 3 times. Amazing artist work!

These were all bold as far as I'm concerned.

Every one is beautiful. Blows me away every time I vote.

This was really hard to pick. I think all of them are awesome. Great job everyone.

Soo much talent...and so few votes that I can cast! beautiful!

Hard to make a decision as they were all top notch.

The little zebra stole my heart so that one was easy. The other choices were very hard since they were all very nice. As a beginner in PClay, I find these are all very inspiring and encouraging to experiment.

hard choice as usual, so nice to see so may differnt interpretations

Difficult to make a choice. I judged on the BOLD GRAPHIC rather than the PRETTY. Interesting to see the different artistic approach to the subject.

I absolutely adore the rainbow box! It truly is beautiful.

Beautiful entries...and inspiring...and smile-bringing

Nice and bold - I liked them all but alas, could only pick 3.

There are many interesting entries this month...I had a hard time choosing just
3 favorites~

I really love the detail and creativity of the images. For the 13 entry

Once again it is very hard to choose. So much talent and grace. Keep up the great work.

Lovely work from your very talented team!

it is so difficult to choose only 3 winners! every one of your art work is so beautiful and different and also exciting!

Absolutely love the white graphic pendant - bold in its simplicity. Beautiful,

I enjoy working with Polymer Clay. I am still learning. These are all very creative and amazing entries -- hard to choose.

Each time I vote in this challenge I'm more and more impressed with the talent! This one (Bold Graphics) was fun and each entry is fantastic.
Love the BargelloIdea, and the colors are beautiful.
Love the idea of the ribbon too

I *love* BoldStreet's pendant - marvelous!

1 and 12 were the clear (to me) graphic winners, but 8 was so clever I just had to vote for it.

Great work by everyone! Love the boldness...well done!

As always I am blown away by the talent in this group. Loved all entries but ultimately decided on the ones that just really looked BOLDEST to me.

Fab entries! I'd love to join the guild but don't currently have the time/energy to give but I'd like to keep in touch with what you are doing

I love the patterns that artist have used: animal print, bargello, stripes, mosaics... all the pieces are wonderful!!

They are all very talented.... I love the copper screened cork vase the most because it has so many different elements and textures to it.

rainbow crazy quilt is very well made and I love the colors, good job!

I love the entries this month! Beautiful, quality worksmanship. Kudos to all.

Beautiful work your all winners in my book!

Great pieces, had a hard time choosing

There's a lot of creative talent, hard work and fantastic results on display here.

I especially love the #12 pendant. It crosses the line from being craftsy to being a real work of art.
 

March Challenge: Bold Graphics

Scroll to the bottom of the post to vote for your favorites!

Click on mosaic to enlarge.

For our March PCAGOE challenge, we decided to show off the "bold graphic" side of working with polymer. Anything that used squiggles, dots, stripes, letters, icons to create a "bold graphic" was fair game. The graphic could be part of a larger whole, but the graphic itself had to be created from polymer clay. Accenting with paint or pearl powders was okay.

Vote and Win!
Three lucky winners will be selected in a drawing of all non-member voters and will be able to choose a prize offered by our member shops sponsoring this month's challenge. See the list of participating sponsors and prizes.  

And the entries are:

Click on the titles below to see a larger images of each entry. 

Hit your back arrow (top left) to return to the challenge.

1 - Bold Graphic Challenge Bracelet by Jill of JKollmann
"This was made for the PCAGOE challenge theme
for doing work with bold graphic elements. Challenging, yes, because it's not the way I'm accustomed to thinking, so it was a great exercise." 

2 - Mod Zippered Brooch by Lisa of HiGirls
"Bold graphic patterns" reminds me of the mod 70's, and so I created this brooch using the "crush helix" technique (which seems more than a bit mod to me), and added the zipper for fun!" 

3 - Rainbow Crazy Quilt Handmade Keepsake Box by Angela of PolymerClayCreations
"My entry into this month's PCAGOE monthly challenge was pretty fun to make. The theme for the month was Bold Graphics. It had to have an "in your face" bold theme including stripes, swirls and patterns. Everything I make pretty much is as colorful as I can make it, this being no exception. I love bright, bold colors and patterns. I started with a 100% polymer box that I had made and covered it with several styles of canes I made especially for this project." 

4 - Jungle Fever Bracelet by Berit of ClayImages
"This bracelet is made with a collection of my animal print canes. My entry into the March PCAGOE challenge "Bold Graphics" 

5 - Bold Graphics Necklace by Jan of JanGeisen
"Overstuffed CABezels using patterns made from my Jacob's Ladder tutorial"


6 - Zebra Bracelet by Becky of BeckySueCreations
"This was done for the monthly challenge bold patterns. The usage of just two colors black and white and lines created the overall pattern."

7 - Bold Bee Garden Stake by Line of PlaySculptLive
"The wind and the bees will love this one and so do I."


8 - Vampire Rabbit Fantasy Sculpture by Marie of YoungCreative
"This is Belladonna, a bunny with bite, caressing a real chicken egg veneered with polymer clay. The devil is in the details with this sculpture. Each dot on the egg was individually stamped to create the overall effect. Her dress features swirls on the skirt and polymer clay stripes on her bodice. She is seated on a black and gold checkerboard floor. "


9 - Copper Screened Cork Vase by Peg of Peggers
"I recycled a bottle screens and jewelry findings to create this bottle/vase. Tons of dots and squiggles. Faux copper with touches of bronze and silver."

10 - Little Zebra by Phoebe of happycreations4U
"This little zebra is hand sculpted out of white Premo polymer clay. I hand painted his bold stripes with acrylic paints."


11 - Bargello stripes bowtie necklace by Janice of blessedbeadjewelry
"Pearlized Premo in black, red, and white using the Hidden Magic technique and then cut into strips and recombined fo a bargello effect before using as a veneer on a "bow" sculpture that incorporated a real organza ribbon coated with Premo. This was a two part baking process."


12 - White Graphic Pendant No. 115b by Sue of 11BOLDstreet
"My interpretation of this theme was accomplished by first creating a plain white disc. I then carved graphic images and backfilled with contrasting polymer, then sanded and buffed everything to a smooth finish. The top cap is a contrasting matte surface, finished with a wire wrapped bail. 2 1/2" dia. x 1/2" thick."

13 - It's not a Black & White World by Deb of RenGalSA
"This is my entry for the March PCAGOE challenge. =) I got this idea in my head about mimes and clowns and color and thought how fun the 'invisible' mime would be on a wonderful colored background. I created a mime cane with a translucent background and 6 mosaic rainbow colored checkerboard canes in a pattern to fade in and out from the next color when tiled. I finished the piece with a bold black & white stripe as an echo of the color the mime lost. Hope you like it."

Vote Here

Choose your top 3 favorites. The same entry may not be counted more than once. Voting is open to the public March 1-7. Read the expanded rules here.

Full Name (required for voter prize notification):
Email Address (Required for voter prize notification):
For current Dues-Paying PCAGOE Members: What is Your Etsy Shop Name?
Please select your 1st choice:	1 - Bold Graphic Challenge Bracelet by Jill of JKollmann 2 - Mod Zippered Brooch by Lisa of HiGirls 3 - Rainbow Crazy Quilt Handmade Keepsake Box by Angela of PolymerClayCreations 4 - Jungle Fever Bracelet by Berit of ClayImages 5 - Bold Graphics Necklace by Jan of JanGeisen 6 - Zebra Bracelet by Becky of BeckySueCreations 7 - Bold Bee Garden Stake by Line of PlaySculptLive 8 - Vampire Rabbit Fantasy Sculpture by Marie of YoungCreative 9 - Copper Screened Cork Vase by Peg of Peggers 10 - Little Zebra by Phoebe of happycreations4U 11 - Bargello stripes bowtie necklace by Janice of blessedbeadjewelry 12 - White Graphic Pendant No. 115b by Sue of 11BOLDstreet 13 - It's not a Black & White World by Deb of RenGalSA
Please select your 2nd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)	1 - Bold Graphic Challenge Bracelet by Jill of JKollmann 2 - Mod Zippered Brooch by Lisa of HiGirls 3 - Rainbow Crazy Quilt Handmade Keepsake Box by Angela of PolymerClayCreations 4 - Jungle Fever Bracelet by Berit of ClayImages 5 - Bold Graphics Necklace by Jan of JanGeisen 6 - Zebra Bracelet by Becky of BeckySueCreations 7 - Bold Bee Garden Stake by Line of PlaySculptLive 8 - Vampire Rabbit Fantasy Sculpture by Marie of YoungCreative 9 - Copper Screened Cork Vase by Peg of Peggers 10 - Little Zebra by Phoebe of happycreations4U 11 - Bargello stripes bowtie necklace by Janice of blessedbeadjewelry 12 - White Graphic Pendant No. 115b by Sue of 11BOLDstreet 13 - It's not a Black & White World by Deb of RenGalSA
Please select your 3rd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)	1 - Bold Graphic Challenge Bracelet by Jill of JKollmann 2 - Mod Zippered Brooch by Lisa of HiGirls 3 - Rainbow Crazy Quilt Handmade Keepsake Box by Angela of PolymerClayCreations 4 - Jungle Fever Bracelet by Berit of ClayImages 5 - Bold Graphics Necklace by Jan of JanGeisen 6 - Zebra Bracelet by Becky of BeckySueCreations 7 - Bold Bee Garden Stake by Line of PlaySculptLive 8 - Vampire Rabbit Fantasy Sculpture by Marie of YoungCreative 9 - Copper Screened Cork Vase by Peg of Peggers 10 - Little Zebra by Phoebe of happycreations4U 11 - Bargello stripes bowtie necklace by Janice of blessedbeadjewelry 12 - White Graphic Pendant No. 115b by Sue of 11BOLDstreet 13 - It's not a Black & White World by Deb of RenGalSA
How did you hear about the PCAGOE challenge?	Please choose one - thanks! I am a PCAGOE member Word of mouth from a PCAGOE member PCAGOE newsletter Etsy A Blog (Please tell us whose blog in the comments) PCAGOE.com website Polymer Clay Central CraftGossip Facebook (Please tell us whose in the comments) Flickr Other (Please tell us where in the comments)
Would you like to receive the monthly PCAGOE e-newsletter?	yes no I already receive it
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