Fossilised Pebbles - July COM Design Challenge and Giveaway.

So it's my turn to host AJE's July component of the month design challenge and since we're heading into holiday season I've decided to launch it early to give everyone plenty of time.

I live in the south of England very close to the World Heritage Site Jurassic coast - famous for the incredible fossils that can be found there...

http://www.dorsets.co.uk/photos/fossil-forest-jurassic-coast-103.htm

http://jurassiccoast.org/fossilfinder/

I decided to use this as the inspiration for my components and used some of my own deathbed ammonites to create these fossilised pebble pendants. They're made from stoneware clay and I've stained the 'fossil' section with various oxides to give an aged earthy look. The rest of the 'pendant has been glazed to give the smooth appearance of a weathered pebble. The AJE team will be creating jewellery pieces with these components and I will also be giving away a pendant to two of our readers who can then join us in the challenge.

If you'd like the chance to play along with us here's the deal...

• I will give away two pendants of my choice to two winners selected randomly from those who leave a comment on this post. Please note: your comment must include your email and blog addresses so we can contact you should you win.

• Please only leave a comment if you can can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.

• The names of the two winners will be announce on Saturday18th June 2016.

• the giveaway is open to participants from all countries but please be aware, components will be mailed from the UK and international postage can take up to 3 weeks.

• The blog reveal will take place on Saturday 30th July.

Good luck - I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone is inspired!

Inspired by Art

I'm really getting in to the swing of things with my ceramics. Do you ever feel as though things are starting to fall in to place? I have many styles and techniques that I love to work in/with. And over the last couple of weeks I've been working on ways to incorporate them together in my work.

My first love in the art world is Art Nouveau. The gentle flowing lines, the movement and suggestion of form, and the rich earthy colours in the designs.

Art Nouveau Inspiration

My absolute favourite is Alphonse Mucha, the Czech painter and decorative artist.

Alphonse Mucha - Donna Orechini

Alphonse Mucha - Job Cigarettes

Alphonse Mucha - Zodiac

When you look closely at his work, it seems deceivingly simple,  a series of heavy lines, with washed pastel colours, but the sum of the parts is an incredible result.

Alphonse Mucha - Posing a model

Mucha regularly used photography as a tool for his work, building grand sets with his models, taking many photographs, and choosing elements from them to create his artworks. After school, I studied photography at college and have hundreds of pictures from which I regularly draw inspiration. 

If you'd like to read more about Mucha's life and work, you must visit the Mucha foundation website,  full of information and even colouring pages of his line drawings.

http://www.muchafoundation.org

Mucha Quote

I also love to draw, and have multiple sketchpads full of work I've produced in pursuit of my own style. 

Sketches

The simple suggestive style really appeals to me and I've been exploring that with some new tile designs.

Carved tile designs

I'm really enjoying working on a larger scale and these designs include my love of carving, nature, photography and Art Nouveau.

Underglazed tile

Inspired by Jenny's post showing how she uses underglazes for her work, I decided to try it out myself for my first test. The carved tile was decorated in multiple layers of underglaze to create solid colours, outlined in black and then fired with a coat of clear glaze. I've found with my underglazes, they work better if you fire them bare, then fire again with the clear. The colours turn out much brighter. 

For a second test, I tried single colours of transparent glaze. These turned out to be my favourites.

Single colour glazed tile

I've always had a thing for the way glaze breaks over texture, and in this version, the carving really stands out. 

Not wanting to abandon beads altogether, I tried out some miniature versions of the tiles as pendants.

Hand carved ceramic pendants

Next I'm going to try these out with multiple colours, although on previous attempts, this hasn't always gone to plan and they looked a bit messy, maybe having a bit more patience might be the key! 

And finally, as I really liked the smaller tile pendants, I tried out one of the design in bronze clay, using the same hand carving techniques I used for the clay versions.

Carved bronze pendant

I'd like to turn this in to some jewellery, I have bronze wire on order, just need to decide how to go about making up the chain! I'm thinking something with rich coloured Czech glass beads and wrapped wire. 

And finally, a quick update on the mugs from my last post. They're still very much a work in progress, I've decided the handle on this one is too big, but I quite like the multi coloured glazing (which took forever!) I think with a bit of tweaking, and maybe an extra coat of glaze for a more solid colour on the purple, they will be pretty cool! 

A WIP

It's still great fun to drink out of something you've created yourself, even if it isn't exactly as you'd like it.

I'm really enjoying the journey I'm taking with my work, it's extremely satisfying to search for what it is that you love and express it through your work. 

I'd love to hear what it is that inspires your work... don't forget to leave a comment!

Ice and Fire? Jewelry is coming...

It's no secret I am a "fan" of many things. From Star Trek to Tolkien... and including Game of Thrones. I have read all the books. They are dark, and layered, and ominous, and they ensnared me. I watch the TV show, I listen to podcasts - some with spoilers, some without. I eagerly await the next book from George R. R. Martin... sigh. I even subscribe to a few theories as to what may happen, to whom...

And I am captivated by the details. It started way back  (Season 1?) with this ring:

Lucy Jade Sylvester on Instagram

Sansa Stark ( played by Sophie Turner)  seen on HBO's Game of Thrones

Sansa Stark wore it at King's Landing, when she was young and naive and enthralled by the power and trappings of the royal city... The piece is the creation of Lucy Jade Sylvester, a UK jeweler. This took quite a trip down the internet rabbit hole to discover. Not that HBO is hiding their collaborations with artists - but this intrepid blogger found it out. I find her work inspired, exquisite and utterly enchanting. 

Lucy Jade Sylvester, Since completing an MA at Birminghams School of Jewelry  has been working from her Oxfordshire studio. In her own words:

"I walk in the countryside to collect delicate seedheads and insects, I'm interested in finding things that would decay into the ground, turning them into precious wearable objects. With climate change affecting our wildlife, my work may become a record for the future of the insect and plant life we have today."

A sampling of L. Sylvester's nature themed work. 

Game of Thrones has a history of highly detailed costumes and great attention to details. Michelle Carragher is an artist that does embroidery work for costumes. You can read all about her work and see the amazing narrative and symbolic pieces.

Now speaking of symbolic - this  is a statement piece only the "Mother of Dragons" could wear... Designed by Yunis and Eliza it appears to have removable elements. The designers website does not list eh piece, but it was featured in Bazaar magazine. (Link in caption)

Jewelry designer Yunus & Eliza partnered with GoT Costume Designer Michele Clapton to create a sterling silver neck sculpture for June/July BAZAAR cover girl Emilia Clarke. The London-based art jeweler hand-carved the customized piece for Clarke's character, Daenerys Targaryen, clearly paying homage to the Mother of Dragons.

Now since we are talking of ice and fire, silver and gold... Bill and Christina Steenson are Irish jewelers, working from their studio in Glenarm, Co. Antrim, Ireland. In their words:  "We have been delighted to work on numerous pieces for the HBO blockbuster production Game of Thrones, a series which any fan will know, is filmed extensively in Northern Ireland and in particular the Antrim coast has featured often as 'The North'. 

Far removed from our contemporary, clean lined designs, creating costume pieces for the drama is an exciting challenge for us. It is a rare opportunity to work on a larger scale and showcase modelling and metal-craft skills to an exceptional standard. As a craftsperson, artist and a keen reader of the books (eagerly awaiting Winds of Winter) it is exhilarating to see pieces you have meticulously crafted come to life in a theatrical and flamboyant way. Here are just some of our creations, do you recognise any…?

Stepsons designs: Cerise's locket, Joffrey and Margery's crowns, Sansa's necklace. 

Although rather different in style - Steenson's also designed the three headed dragon brooches for Daenerys and her brother Viceroys. If you watch the show - you can recognize the foreshadowing... as these wore worm in Season 1 before ( spoilers!)... before Daenerys' three dragons hatched! 

Steenson's design for the Targaryen dragon brooch

I wanted to share one other find with you - not jewelry WORN on the show, but pieces created in collaboration between HBO and the Canadian company Pyrrha. Known for their cast pendants utilizing antique wax seals, they have a new line showcasing the House seals from the Game of Thrones houses. I have always liked their work; the synthesis of the organic edges and the symbolism in their stamp motifs. I think these are a fun way to show your fandom and support a small business/jeweler! 

Whether you are a GoT fan or not - thanks for sharing my excitement. I love being introduced to new and fabulous jewelers, creating unique and inspired pieces.  Please check out the links below for more information on the artists featured here. Until next time: Valar Morghulis. 

Resources: 

Lucy Jade Sylvester: website

                                 blog

                                 instagram

Yunis and Eliza: website

                            instagram

Steenson's Jewelers: website

Pyrrha website

Special thanks to Fashionista articles here and here. 

All images are the copyright of the artist. Please credit appropriately. 

Playing with prongs

I tend to go through phase's of making things and my current favorite thing to make is prong set trinkets and treasures. You may have guessed by some of my recent work....

Prong set necklaces

Being self taught does however have it's draw backs. Occasionally (most of the time) I want to make something and I either have no idea how to make it or I have none of the tools needed as was the case with these prong settings!

This is when my love of problem solving kicks in and I thought I would show you how I made these  prong settings (now you have to remember I am making this up as I go and I am pretty sure it is not the "correct" way to make one)!....

Making Base Rings

I use 1mm thick sterling silver wire to make two rings per prong setting, (they are wrapped around any random round object that I can find that is slightly smaller then the object I am setting). The wire is cut with wire cutters and then the ends are filed smooth for a nice flush joint. They are then soldered together with medium solder paste. 

Adding Prongs

Next I make my prongs by soldering two pieces of wire into a cross (I tend to just guess at the length), again I use medium solder, once cool I give the pieces a gentle sand down so that they are all clean for soldering (the pieces could be pickled to get them clean but I use safety pickle and find it takes quiet a long time and sanding is just quicker). I then shape my cross using plyers so that each side is bent down and touches the edge of the ring and trim each leg to the same length so that I can stand it as shown on the soldering block. I solder each join with medium solder being careful not to direct the heat onto the new joins and not the one on the top of the cross. 

Each join must be touching the ring. I use the thick copper wire to balance it on for several reasons, first my solder block is not flat so things roll all over the place and second I like to file the bottom flat on sandpaper after I have soldered it so it looks all neat rather then worrying about things moving slightly as I am soldering and being uneven.

Adding the Second Ring

Once the piece is soldered I snip off the top of the wire cross with my wire cutters and manipulate the wire so that each of the prongs are in contact with the next ring (I use the thick wire again to make sure the gap is even and to help hold things in place) this time I solder it in place using easy solder paste.

Balancing Act

Using 1mm silver wire I make some small jump rings about 5mm in diameter (they need to be big enough to make contact with both of the larger rings) now of course I forgot to take a photo at this point so I shall have to try and explain rather then show you! I place the thick copper wire into the jump rings to hold them in place, this part is rather fiddly and probably the hardest part to do, you need to make sure that the jumpings are in contact with both of the larger rings and that the wire holding it in place is not too close to the solder that you accidentally solder it into place! Some times if I am finding it hard to balance the pieces I solder them one at a time being very careful not to over heat the piece and melt the wire. I use easy solder and very slowly heating the piece. Once the rings are on I check that all the joints are still intact and when happy with it I put it into the pickle pot.

Clean Up

Next I check that the item fits into the setting by placing it into the prongs (it should sit on top of the top most wire ring and not fall through) then using wire cutters trim the prongs to desired length, then I remove the item and start the clean up process! 

I make sure the back of the piece is all filed flat with a needle file and that each prong has a nice round top by using a  cup burr in a drill, then I either polish it with rouge and a polishing bit in the drill or I pop it into the tumbler depending on how patient I am feeling.

Not bad considering I am just making it up as I go! And there are so many ways you can change up the look, imagine how cool these would look using a thicker wire with stamped wording on the back, or square wire or even a mixed metal look with silver and copper wire twisted together or textured wire, so many possibilities!!!

All Set

I hope you enjoyed a peek into my creative process and I would love to know if any of our readers just make things up as they go?!