a new clay?

Back from taking my first precious metal clay class!

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I can honestly admit that I have a new found appreciation for all artisans out there who use this medium!

Having worked with polymer clay for so many years, I have come to understand the feel of the medium...even when using different brands (such as Sculpy) from my usual FIMO. So I suppose that I may (may) have had a slight advantage over the other students in the class when it came to working with the precious metal clay (we used Art Clay Silver)...but it is very different from what I'm used to!

From the little tidbits that I remember of using pottery clay (in grade school perhaps?), I imagine that this is much more similar (though a LOT more expensive!). For example, it actually blends with water, creating pastes and various other consistancies for moistening and binding...not at all like polymer.

This is still very new to me, but I still have hopes that it may be a new source for design oportunities, and I'm eager to experiment a little further!

Interested in your thoughts, if you've tried it before, or are wanting to give it a try.

For information on classes, try these sites:

www.beadfx.com (where I took my class yesterday)
www.finesilvergirl.com (art clay instructor: Heather Bell Denison)