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Polymer clay artist: Cindy Lietz


You all know Cindy Lietz as the Polymer Clay Tutor.   Well, Cindy has shared about her journey to artistry and mastery over this fabulous jewelry-making material!



Way back about 15 yrs ago, I found myself very frustrated with the process of learning how to work with polymer clay. There were few books or classes available, and nothing on the Internet to learn from. So I did what most everyone else did at the time, and used trial and error to guide me.

Having been a Mixed Media Art Instructor for many years, I knew that if I was finding it tricky to make professional looking polymer clay beads, then there were probably many others who were having trouble as well. Having seen some beatuiful beads done by one of the pioneers of polymer clay, Donna Kato, I knew it could be done. It was just a matter of figuring things out.



After making my fair share of mistakes, I discovered that it really is not that difficult to work with polymer clay. There are just a few secrets you need to know to get it right. Things they do not have room on the back of the package to tell you about... and that most books fail to mention.

For example, it is very important to condition your clay so that air does not get trapped inside little pockets that may leave bubbles on the surface of your clay after baking. And it is also important to know that most ovens are not calibrated properly, so using an oven thermometer is an absolutely must. Plus... not all polymer clays are created equal. Each brand has it's own properties that you should be aware of.



After learning from the many mistakes I had made, my husband Doug and I put together and filmed a video-based Polymer Clay Bead Making Course. It allows beginners to avoid the pain and frustration that I had to go through, so they can experience success with this very fun medium right out of the gate.

The course led to a Membership Video Library, a weekly newsletter with free color mixing recipes, as well as a very active community on our Polymer Clay Tutor Blog. Currently there are hundreds of helpful posts and thousands of supportive comments from readers and members around the globe.

It is really amazing how a simple block of oven hardened clay can ignite such a passion for creativity, inspiration and friendship! If you would have suggested back when I was burning my beads, that within a few years I would have made over 200 videos, trained thousands of people to make wonderful polymer clay beads, and attracted many new friends... I would not have believed it! But that is the power polymer clay!


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Comments

Oooo how fun to see this in print! Thanks for the feature Cyndi. It really is an honor to be featured on your blog. You are such an innovative and creative artist. It has been a pleasure to get to know you over the years!
Cyndi L said…
Well, my thanks are to you for all the helpful advice over the years when it comes to all things polymer!
Unknown said…
Thanks, Cindy Lietz, for pointing the way to another Cyndi L and her passion for beads! My Polymer Clay Tutor, you've taught me so much over the last year about clay techniques--and much more. So I trust your judgement when your post today mentioned checking out Cyndi's blog! I'm off to do some reading here now... :D

Happy to meet you, Cyndi Lavin!
Cyndi L said…
Gianna, it's lovely to meet you too! I hope you'll find lots of info here to help get the wheels turning :-)