I'm Back with New Pieces of Art Jewelry



It’s been a while since my last post and while I missed writing them, I hope you also missed sharing my adventures!  Between a road trip to Berkeley and having painful (very painful) shoulder tendonitis my activities really slowed down.  Now I’M BACK!  Ready to explore new techniques and have fun.

When I see a good tutorial about something new that catches my fancy, I buy it and eventually the day comes when I just have to try it.  Staci Louise Smith wrote a tutorial “Gold Rush: The Rustic Crackle Technique” for Craft Art Edu.  I loved the pictures of her necklaces and wanted to see what I could do.  If you like the crackle effect  on my pieces or want to try something new, check out her tutorial on  www.CraftArtEdu.com   They have good classes on many subjects.

When I started following tutorials, I expected my pieces to look like the instructors.  That just did not happen and it is not the fault of the tutorial or the instructor.  It is that my mind and hands take their own trips and create something a little different with the same basic process that is used in the tutorial.   This adventure was no different - each step created a look that was unexpected and a surprise.  Perhaps that is why I continued to follow carefully watching the video and reading the instructions.  There's a lot of information here!   My finished pieces do not look like Staci’s but the finished crackle does.

A different twist on the crackle - same technique 

I started with white polymer clay and all the supplies listed in the supply list.  There are 3 sections with very good steps to follow.  I really had to search for a couple of the items and it was well worth the effort.  I had never used One Stop Crackle and love it.  I was delighted to be able to use some products that I had on hand like my alcohol inks and acrylic paints.


White Polymer

Gold Crackle Applied in early stage.  Note shape in the lower right corner 
If you decide to buy the tutorial, I cannot emphasize enough the need to watch and read about the entire process before you actually start the making.  And then experiment with the colors. 

Intermediate step in the layering of color.  Note the center shape!

I now want to do it all again since I understand more about what happens at each step.  Next time I’ll be able to plan the end products a little differently as well as leave more white on some pieces.  The layering of color is wonderful and the changes between steps are amazing! 

Final finishing with sealer.  See the change in the shape in right lower corner?


A finished piece in greens, blues and gold. 
Watch for pieces to show up in my etsy store. Some pieces are in the Art Market at the Prescott Gateway Mall.  (Prescott AZ)   I made buttons too!  https://www.etsy.com/listing/400997065/3-oval-rustic-buttons-in-sunset-colors?ref=shop_home_active_2
Labels:
Location: Prescott, AZ, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Learning As We Go!

Image
Viking knit is the oldest method of chain making and I've become fascinated by it.  Once I conquered the single knit, I decided to add beads.  I could have googled or asked how it was done but it seemed like something I could just figure out.  And I've learned a lot as I proceeded first with tumbled turquoise beads and then with pearls.  I thought I'd share a few of the things I've learned.   Iif you want a great tutorial on viking knit technique, Trina Ann at http://blog.trinaann.com/  has written a clear concise easy to understand tutorial.  I highly recommend it.    Tumbled tuquoise beads in viking knit  I used tumbled turquoise beads in the first viking knit chain and I did not really know what I was doing.  But I went right ahead and as it turned out, I liked the end result.  Since the beads were irregular in shape there was a random quality to the finished product. During that process, I beg...
Read more

Polymer Clay Conversation

Image
One of the polymer clay groups on FaceBook is 'Polymer Clay Collective'.  This is a group of artists working in polymer clay who share ideas and support each other.  I'm so glad to be a part.  A new feature of this group is the 'Polymer Clay Collective Conversations' where a different member answers a set  of questions.  I get to be first - the trailblazer! I hope you enjoy learning a little more about me and in two weeks I get to learn more about someone else. • Tell us a bit about where you live. I live in Prescott AZ right next to the national forest.   When I look out my studio windows, I often see large black ravens swooping between the pine trees.   Binoculars are always available for close viewing of our smaller forest birds.   You’ve probably read about the forest fires we have had in our area this summer.   The monsoon rains we are having are so welcome. • What do you do when you're not polymer claying? As of 2010, I...
Read more