Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

A week ago I posted in Face Book that I had finished several pair of earrings made from Hadar’s clay.  I was experimenting with techniques from her book, The Handbook of Metal Clay Textures and Form, and I promised to share my experience with you.  The larger oval pair of earrings (lower left in photo) combines Brilliant Bronze and Copper.  I carved curvy stripes in the copper oval and laid in snakes of bronze, sanded flat and fired.  I know I could polish and make them smoother and shinier but I like the more rustic look.  I used Baldwin’s Patina to bring out the color contrast. The upper right pair of earrings also combines the bronze and copper.  The back textured layer is bronze and the smaller rectangle is copper.  I was concerned that the copper might be too thick and not bond well but as you can see – no problem! The earring on the lower right also has a backing of bronze.  I carved horizontal strips and laid the copper snakes in.  Then a textured the snakes cut

Finished Piece Back of finished piece This is the last and 6 th piece of jewelry I created in Hadar Jacobson’s Architexture Jewelry Class.   As you can see that was a very busy intensive class that was worth every minute and dollar!   There was so much to learn and Hadar was so willing to share.   This project focused on layering different metal clays.   I rolled out and textured a layer of brilliant bronze, a layer of copper, a layer of steel and another layer of copper for the backing.   Each layer had a different texture.   I cut out the top layer of bronze and placed it over the copper layer making sure I had the amount of copper showing that I wanted.   Those two layers were placed over the steel and then onto the copper back layer.   This was an interesting way to build a piece as it provided support for each layer.   And as you can see it really produces nice depth.    Before Firing  I made a long cylinder on a straw for the bail before finishing and firing

  Yet another project from Hadar’s Architectural Jewelry Class!   This is a knuckle buster of a ring and believe it or not it is really comfortable to wear!   Great jewelry armor! This project was about building a hollow ring using a form.   Indentations for the fingers each side of the ring made it comfortable to wear.   I combined steel and copper to make a ring I love! I used a stainless steel oval soap for my ring’s form.   Several years ago someone gave me a rectangular piece of stainless steel to use after I cut onions or garlic.   I rubbed it in my hands like soap and sure enough…it took the smell away.   When I saw the oval bar in class, I had to use it!   http://www.focalprice.com/HJ135S/Hand_Odor_Smell_Remover_Stainless_Steel_Soap_Bar_Silver.html?utm_source=CS&utm_medium=GM_US&utm_campaign=CS_GM_US_HJ135S&gclid=CMeX9KCC67UCFY8WMgodZzwA_Q Someone else used a flat stone.   We put the 4 card thick clay halfway on the form making sure there was a way to

Sharing my work from Hadar’s class with you is making me remember and document what I learned.   It’s a really good thing!   Details can be so easily forgotten.   In between assigned projects, I made a pair of earrings from a slab of copper and a slab of brilliant bronze.   When you really look the top layer of one earring is plain copper and the back layer of the other is textured bronze.   The pieces on the top layer started out as a single shape and I cut them to look like cracked mud.   (At least that is what dried cracked mud looks like here in the Southwest).   Since the two materials have a slightly different shrinkage rate the cracks became a little wider.   After I sanded and fired them, I polished them and made them into earrings.   These were fun and I’ll make other earrings in a similar style.   I also tried my square pliers and love what I can do with them. This pair of earrings sold before I could get them in my etsy shop!

My finished Pueblo Ring The second project we made in Hadar’s class on ‘Architectural Jewelry’ was a ring with 3 layers.   It has dimension in the front, an integral band in the back and the bottom is enclosed.   I made a mini pueblo with a tower, middle building and a wall.   The clay is Hadar’s Brilliant Bronze.   Each layer has a different texture which enhances the 3-D effect.   Using the paper ring to dry the separate pieces.  These are parts from different class member's rings. The band starts with a strip of paper taped in a circle that is 2.5 times larger than the actual ring size.   That adjusts for the shrinkage during firing.   I should have made mine a half size larger.   Now I have a pinkie ring that is a little heavy.   Someday when I make another, this may end up in my etsy store.   Right now, I’m just excited to have made it!   Each layer is made separately and dried before attaching to the main band.   The bottom is then attached and dried.   This

  Just needs a chain! Taking Hadar’s ‘Pictorial and Architectural Jewelry’ class was a 3 day adventure into using Hadar’s clay and her techniques.   The first piece we made was with Low Shrinkage Steel XT clay with a small amount of copper added.   She just discovered that the Steel XT low shrinkage clay does not need 2 phases of firing.   Her manual is updated. www.artinsilver    I’ll be using a lot more of that in the future.   It was easy to mix and work with and has a longer working time. Our first project was to be the interior of a room.   We were to start drawing a rectangle on tracing paper.   Then we were to draw a second rectangle that would be a window. We drew lines to the corners of pieces.   Now we had a ceiling, a floor, and two walls.   We transferred that to layers of clay.   Hadar’s direction for the perspective drawing was very simple and very effective.   She wanted us to use her perspective technique, use several textures and add some copper to the ste

Pre-Workshop Necklace Hadar's Clay - my pre-workshop necklace February means Tucson!   It’s the Gem Show and The Bead Show with warmer weather than Prescott!   This year I started with a 3 day intensive class with Hadar Jacobson.   Twelve artists met at Lyle Rayfield’s studio in the beautiful Tucson Mountains to learn how to make architectural style jewelry using Hadar’s clay.   Our Class! As a member of a Face Book group, I’ve been reading for quite a while of artist’s challenges occurring in the process of sintering (when clay becomes metal), firing, etc.   I was totally intimidated.   Intimidation is not a state I’m comfortable with but I continued to delay using the clay myself.   One day I received an email and phone call from my good friend, Lyle, who also certified me in Art Clay.   Lyle wanted to invite Hadar to teach ‘Pictorial and Architectural Jewelry’ and needed attendees.   I whined a little and said, “OK.   I guess it is time to tackle this.”   I sent