Learning is an uphill battle

I am trying to teach myself how to use this polymer clay medium with only the internet and books to show me the way. I don't recommend this way of picking up a hobby. More than anything I want a mentor, or classes or SOMETHING to let me know I am on the right track. The only real input I have is from Craftster, a craft forum I have been visiting for a few years (Eric calls it Craft Porn as I sit there drooling while getting excited for hours on end).

I found a polymer clay guild in the South Bay that I am considering joining, just for the free classes. I guess beggars can't be choosers...

In any case, here is the product of a couple of weekends worth of tinkering around.

First is a dragon that I made following the steps in one of Christi Friesen's books:

I think he is awesome and I loooove the way the colors turned out, and his facial features. Pretty much everything. However, he is a face in the crowd. While my hands did it and the coloring and some decorations came from my brain, it almost feels like this is a CF piece and not somethign original that I did. Kinda like I cheated.

This next item is all from my brain, but I don't like it. There are some elements that I think are cool (the top-down koi, and the pebbles came out amazing - they look real), but I managed to make an item that wasn't my own taste. Can someone please explain how that is possible?


I posted the pictures of this vase on Craftster, and I got so much nice feedback it brought tears to my eyes (can you imagine - 1 person said they aspire to be able to make things like this, and another person said I have inspired them to try polymer clay! That is so amazing to me)
















I had a leftover flower - well, it was my crappy prototype really so I turned it into a barrette:


I had some good ideas come out of -what I consider - this failure of a project. I did some experimenting last night to see if I could accomplish what I had envisioned for part of it and I don't have the skills :( But I am going to see if I can do the project without all the elements Ii had in mind. I am waiting on a Donna Kato book right now, so maybe I will be able to figure out where I went wrong in my experimenting and I will be able to include all the parts of my idea .