For the past four years, polymer clay has led me on a fantastic adventure of joy and discovery. When I first started, I pretty much stuck to making cane-slice beads. My scrap pile seemed to grow amazingly fast. What to do with all this good scrap clay? I cut off a chunk to ponder. As I pulled the slice open, I was stunned by the beauty of the mirror image produced by the cut surfaces! I knew then that I had to think of a way to incorporate this enchanting symmetry into my work. As a lifelong heart lover, it wasn't long before I put two and two together!

Over time, my hearts have evolved. I use many different techniques for making hearts, but my symmetrical Elissaheart method will always have a place in my own heart (in addition to being a most interesting and profitable way to use scrap clay!).

The original flat Elissahearts assembled with random chunks of clay have given way to a more planned, predictable method, employing some of the basic rules for artistic composition. The important ones are listed here:

• Contrast: When assembling pieces, place light clay adjacent to dark clay, busy areas next to open areas.
• Focal Point: As in any artistic composition, a focal point or center of interest is important to entertain the eye. A splash of unexpected color or texture will do that. An area of translucent patterned clay can give the illusion of depth.
• Composition: Components need to relate to each other in a pleasing way. Twisting the ball of clay, or cutting into smaller pieces and recombining can accomplish this. You will need to experiment.
• Molding: Molding the hearts gives them a rounded, voluptuous beauty. My mold is made of scrap clay from a master I sculpted myself. You can make your own, or you can buy one ready-made from a craft store.

Directions: Following the step-by-step directions in the pictorial section will take you through the heart making process. These few extra pointers will assure an awesome result!

If you would like to submit a project to a future