Table Cloth Texture and more!

It's been awhile since I've done a texture post and I have some fun new textures to share!

My recent surprise find was discovered when I went looking for a vinyl table cloth to put over our dining room table that I've recently oozed out on to.
 (You all know what I'm talking about right? When you just bring a few things to work on out of the studio, just temporarily and they never make it back in to the studio! I refer to that as oozing!)
 I'm using good sized teflon work surfaces but I felt better covering the whole table as well so there was no way I could ruin it. I found what I was looking for and I also found this awesome Lace looking vinyl cloth that I snatched up in a flash.

As you can see it's quite pretty with lots of leaves and swirly shapes and when I opened it up I was in heaven!! I couldn't wait to start rolling clay on to it.

I started to cut pieces out and found for a vinyl tablecloth it was very fragile.

It started ripping all over so I tried backing it with clear self adhesive backing.

I found that wasn't sticky enough so I tried packing tape which so far is much better.

I may end up changing to duct tape.

Here are some of my favorites!

Goddess

I think this one might be my absolute favorite, It reminds me of a Goddess!

Love the shape and the texture is so fine and intricate.

Wagon Wheels

These I call Wagon Wheels, can never have too many Discs!

Leaves

You also can't have too many Leaves!!

Since the table cloth itself is pretty fragile I've started to make 2 part molds of them as well.

It gives them a slightly different look that I really like and they will last forever so I can put away the table cloth pieces to protect them.

There are lots more textures from the Table cloth but I've played with
 scratch foam. <--- link to original scratch foam post!

Here are a couple of the newest textures I've made.

Hearts

Adore these little hearts. I poked a needle tool all the way through and it gives a very distinct look.

A much clearer dot than if you just use a stylus on the surface.

I'm going to use this technique more in the future.

Fish

Here are some little fishies, simple but cute!

This last one is a very random texture I created with 2 part mold and some sticks.

Striped Oak Leaves

I like the little stripes that resulted in this.

I know I'm going to be asked what kind of 2 part mold I use, I've been using the Amazing Mold Putty for years and I love it. I always love the results.

The Scratch Foam comes from DickBlick.com

I'm sure there are other sources as well but that's where I got mine.

Some of these components are already listed in my Etsy shop and I hope to have more of them listed soon.

I hope you've enjoyed my texture tour, I'd love to know what you think!

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

KristiBowmanDesign on Artfire

February 2014 Component of the Month...Fluttering Hearts!

Hi dear readers!  I jumped in and signed up to host the February Component of the Month challenge, here at AJE!  I decided to go with hearts!  Yes, I know hearts are a bit cliche for February, but I promise, my hearts are anything but cliche!

Here are a few I created for this challenge!  All hand-fabricated copper, with enamel and glass frit....

All  hearts are just over an inch in diameter and are organically formed of copper, enameled and embellished with glass frit.  Connector holes are varied...3 for a y-shaped connector, 2 vertical holes, 2 horizontal holes, 1 hole for straight top hanging, and 1 hole for a skewed hanging.

Would you like a chance to create a design with one of my hearts?  I will be giving away 3 hearts to random designers.  Please leave a comment below if you would like a chance...I will choose a heart for you, similar to the pictured ones above. You must have a blog, commit to creating a jewelry design with the offered component, and blog about your design during the designated blog hop date which will be on the last day of the month, or thereabouts (subject to change via the AJE blog).  I will choose the winners and announce them on Wed, 1/29/14!! Good luck!

Melissa Meman
Melismatic Art Jewelry
Art. Life. Love.

Freeform Friday - guilty pleasures

Polar vortex. Polar plunge. Snowmageddon. Whatever. It's a snow storm. Its a snow day. When I was teaching full time, I looked forward to a snow day as much as any student. If a teacher tells you they don't enjoy a snow day... well, they may need coffee, or wine. Because really? An unlooked for day of freedom, at home, warm and cozy? Bonus.

With the latest forecast for the Mid-Atlantic this week, I made sure to stock up on the essentials. (Altho I did make an Arctic expedition to the convenience store for cream.) I am a freelance teacher now, but the ingrained response to a snow day still takes hold of me. I don't do work, even though I usually work from home. There are tiles to sculpt, blogs to write... Nope. If its snowing - I can play... 

Bead embroidery feels like play. Not because its easy - quite the opposite. But its not my normal, chosen medium. Its something I am experimenting with, and I feel no pressure to produce work for a show. I like trying out pieces I have created in polymer, earthenware or stoneware clay - and seeing how they blossom enmeshed in wee tiny seed beads. The pieces are small, so I don't feel an acute loss if it has to be scrapped/torn apart/unstitched. The seed beads seem plentiful in my stash, and can be reclaimed from a piece gone wrong... So I drink coffee, watch Netflix, listen to dogs dream... and I bead the snow day away. 

Here are a few of my trial pieces from this winter... and we have had a few snow days here in Delaware! I would appreciate feedback as I continue to experiment with a very new (to me) medium! 

1. polymer cab. The Magician/Tarot image, peyote bezel

2. Steampunk angel - polymer wings, antique doll, gears

3. Triple butterfly - stoneware cab, "glaze tear" assorted beads

4. The newest one - earthenware goddess pendant. I was playing with gems here, lapis, moonstone, pearls. I strive for balanced asymmetry, yet ended up a little crooked. 

5. Triskele goddess - started it all! Great tutorial from NoEasyBeads on Etsy. 

6. Stoneware goddess cab, green garnet, peridot... 

What is your (bead/art/jewelry) guilty pleasure? 

I look forward to hearing from you... now I have to get back to work! 

Jenny 

www.jdaviesreazor.com

The life of a bead

When I first started making ceramic beads, I didn't have a clue where to start. I searched around on the internet looking for information on how you baked the clay and created all the wonderful textures, colours and effects... I wanted to do everything, (I still do), but all I really knew was that you had to get it very hot for it to work, so you needed a kiln.

From those naïve beginnings, a few years down the line, I do take for granted the process of turning a lump of mud into a ceramic bead or pendant. For even the simplest design, it's a long process. You have to understand your materials, possess skill to create your imaginings, have patience, and a dose of luck to finish up with something worthy of passing on to others.

So today, I'd like to share the process and show you from start to finish the process of making a bead.

It all begins with a bag of mud. I like to use all types of clay, low fire, mid fire, high fire and Raku. Each has it's own properties and produces different results, but today, I'm using low fire earthenware.

Here's a piece of clay ready from the bag.

First, it's rolled in to a shape. I'm just keeping it simple and making a round. This only takes a few seconds, more complicated designs can take as long as you wish to spend on them, minutes to an hour or more.

Then it's poked with a skewer to create the hole.

For a simple bead, that's the end of the creation process, but for something a bit fancier, you have various stages of decoration, adding clay to create more dimension, stamping for texture, carving, shaping and smoothing to create a miniature work of art. The bead is then set aside to dry. Depending on the size of the work and the humidity, which in the rainy UK is usually pretty high, it can take from a day to a week to dry completely.

Once bone dry the clay can go through the first firing. The clay is gradually heated up to it's bisque temperature over a period of around 9 hours, then allowed to cool. If I start my kiln off in the morning, it's usually ready to open by the following morning.

The result is a bisque bead. The clay has transformed and become solid, but is still porous so that you can glaze it.

Next is the glazing. Glaze is made up from chemicals and stains and can be painted, dipped and sprayed. I use commercial glazes which come ready to paint on to your design. Each bead needs up to three coats, carefully applied to ensure a nice finish. When fired to the correct temperature, the glaze turns into a vitreous coating making the bead strong and waterproof. 

After cleaning up the holes to ensure they don't stick to the rods and don't have sharp glaze edges, in they go for another firing. This time, you can go a bit faster as the clay has gone through all the delicate stages of transformation during the bisque firing. My normal earthenware glaze firing takes about 6 hours to reach top temperature and is again left to cool.

Then comes the real fun... opening the lid!

I'm sure any one who creates with clay does the same as me and holds their breath while they take a first peek inside. There are lots of things that can go wrong during a firing, many of which I've experienced, but that just makes it all the more worthwhile when you see a great result from your days of work.

Caroline.

http://www.blueberribeads.co.uk