Polymer clay has been around since the middle of the last century, and there’s lots of basic information out there about how to use it.
But for anyone looking for more comprehensive yet accessible training that emphasizes strong foundational techniques, innovative processes, solid craftsmanship, and excellent finishing, courses can be hard to find.
Until now…
ARE YOU READY FOR A MASTERCLASS?
I have been teaching my original techniques in polymer clay for more than 25 years.
In 2018, I established a web-based academy offering ‘real time, real learning’ online MasterClass course events in a spectrum of patterned veneer and construction techniques that can be applied to jewelry and small object fabrication.
Single Slice Mokume :: Building Better Beads :: A Perfect Fit
Blurred Lines :: MilleKume :: Bioforming
Matrix Canes :: A Day at the Beach :: Five Star Colour
A MasterClass can mean mastering the mechanics of a new technique and then going deep into iterations, where the journey is more important than the destination.
It can also mean starting with the end in mind, using new skills to create a new piece, mindful of how to get there, and finishing right from the start.
Here’s a summary of our online courses, some that explore process, and some that feature a finished project…
VENTURE OUT
EXPLORE THE PROCESS
Are you ready to expand your perspective with new ways of working that will take you away from the hit-and-miss reveal of pattern-by-chance mokume gane, past the limits of traditional cross-sectional millefiori canework, and beyond the single realm of full-sheet Skinner blending?
For mindful mokume (without the mud), precision canework (without the distortion), and complex blends that combine colour and pattern in a whole new way, these deep dive pattern-making MasterClasses reveal new ways to explore and expand polymer clay’s decorative veneer potential, guaranteed to change the way you think about our medium’s most popular techniques…
SINGLE SLICE MOKUME
DYNAMIC STRATA PATTERNS IN POLYMER CLAY
Peel, reveal, and widen the realm of traditional mokume. One of a kind patterns, one single slice at a time.
MATRIX CANEs
ONE CANE, INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
Explore endless patterns with a ‘cutting edge’ take on traditional canework. No reduction, no distortion… no kidding.
BLURRED LINES
BLENDED PATTERNS IN POLYMER CLAY
Turn clean colourful ‘hard edged’ lines into beautifully blurry blended veneers and canes with soft feathered edges. You know you want it…
MILLEKUME
INSERT PATTERNS IN POLYMER CLAY
A hybrid mix of millefiori canework construction and the ever-evolving strata patterns of mokume gane, two classic techniques combine to yield infinite one-of-a-kind veneers.
FIVE STAR COLOUR
SEE-THROUGH PATTERNS IN POLYMER CLAY
With intentional mixing and well-placed pieces, explore the Illusion of transparency and colour interaction with personal palettes and multi-mode patterns.
A DAY AT THE BEACH
IMITATIVE PEBBLES IN POLYMER CLAY
Best known and well-loved for its full-colour palette possibilities, polymer clay can also be a great pretender. Explore the subtle elegance of value, texture, translucency, granularity, and other natural wonders that make beach pebbles so collectable, and make jewelry with polymer pebbles that look unbelievably real and are unbelievably wearable.
FOCUS IN
COMPLETE A PROJECT
When you have an assortment of hand-made patterned veneers on hand (or even just a simple sheet of clay) and you’re ready to give your creative journey a destination, here are three MasterClasses that turn process into project, guiding you from flat to form, from idea to object…
BUILDING BETTER BEADS
FORM & FINISH IN POLYMER CLAY
Whether you’re new to this medium or looking to refine your studio skills, this ‘finish right from the start’ workshop will show you how to master the basics… and beyond. You bring the veneers, we’ll show you how to build them into something Better.
BIOFORMING
DIEFORMING… WITH A TWIST
Polymer clay can be decorative, and it can be structural. With Bioforming, it’s both. Push plain flat sheets into organically inspired 3D forms, then finish them with finesse.
A PERFECT FIT
wearable vessels in polymer clay
A centuries-old tradition re-imagined in this modern medium, this project-based course is a perfect way to contain your best design and construction skills in a one-of-a-kind wearable vessel.
Registration for our online MasterClasses is only open a few times a year.
With a mix of pre-recorded videos, written instructions, images, graphics, and downloadables, registered students can access the curriculum content at any time during the event, in any time zone, no matter where you are in the world. This course format also appeals to non-English-speaking students, who find it easy to participate in our fun and generous international student community.
We welcome all students, from confident beginners to experienced artists. Our online MasterClasses are a great opportunity to up your polymer game, connect with like-minded friends, and have a blast doing it!
Venture out and discover new possibilities with open-ended exploration. Focus in and follow a guided path to completing a special project. Or indulge in a mix of both.
Each MasterClass is a self-contained learning experience, but they also complement one another as part of a complete collection. Start anywhere, and then choose your own path.
LEVEL UP
MASTER THE MEDIUM
If you’re ready to invest in fresh ideas, explore new possibilities, and take your work to the next level, you’re in the right place!
Register for one of my online MasterClasses and I guarantee, you’ll be on your way to mastery, learning innovative techniques from their original source, with all the insight and inspiration you’ll need to keep going on your own after the course has ended… or lay the foundation for continued study with a complementary curriculum.
Join students from around the world on a journey to unexplored destinations, push the boundaries of craftsmanship and design, and challenge your passion for polymer clay… without ever leaving the comfort and convenience of your own studio.
Take our online classroom experience for a test drive with one of our MasterClass ‘free + preview’ FreeViews.
Our MasterClasses are designed to be experienced as real-time, beginning-to-end workshop events. During the event, you have access to the virtual classroom 24/7, with both teacher mentorship and peer-to-peer support as part of an engaged community of like-minded creatives.
MasterClass content is not accessible after the classroom closes, and our online MasterClass events only happen a few times each year.
Get your name on the Wait List, so we can let you know when our next Student Cohort is starting.
Not only will you have first access to register for the MasterClass of your choice, you’ll also be notified about new courses, alumni opportunities, Cutting Edge tools, and special events. When we have something new to debut, our Subscribers are always the first to know…
REACH OUT
GET IN TOUCH
No matter where you are right now, there’s always somewhere new to explore as you work and play in polymer clay. I’ve been working in this medium full time for three decades, and I’m still discovering.
Where will you go next?
As always, we welcome your input and inquiries. If any of the above courses here are something you want to learn, we strongly recommend you sign up for the Wait List, so that you’ll know when they are next offered… they may not come around again for a while.
And if there’s something else you would like to learn, please let us know. We’re always thinking about what might be the best “What Next?” But maybe there’s an even better “What If…?” If you have something on your online learning Wish List, send us an email. We’d love to do our best to make it happen…