Practicing Hollow Forms

Hadar's books are fun to flip thru and my hands are itching to try some of the techniques. The one I'm currently focused on is hollow forms- how addictive!

There is approx. 165 grams, dry weight, alltogether in the big pile. The bigger pieces weigh in at about 115 grams, dry weight. The reason I list dry weight is the clay is premixed, which means moisture that will dry out and leave the piece a littttle bit lighter. I probably used a whole 200 gr. package and sanded quite a bit away to get the shapes refined.

Now I just have to decide how I want to decorate them...

Retooling

I was about to throw out an empty Pringles can when I realized this may be a perfect tool for bangles! Since closed circles don't shrink (hardly at all) in Bronzclay, maybe this will save time and effort. It was covered in press'n'seal Glad saran wrap carefully so there weren't any wrinkles. The top had a slight lip that would impede release so that had to be cut- et voila!- a cheap-o bangle/bracelet shaper. Now I'm on the look out for things in other sizes that can be used as molds, etc..
Hopefully up later, more bronzclay beads. The kiln is running and I'm looking forward to what comes out.

Back to the Drawing Board..

My copper clay beads didn't sinter properly, so it's back to the drawing board to try again. Some problems may be that I didn't let my beads cool enough before doing Phase II, or maybe you have to let them cool in the charcoal before pulling them out? Once I work my courage up again, I'll probably try the rest of my copper clay- for now, I'll stick with my Bronzclay since I know my firing schedule works.

Copper Clay

I played with Hadar's Copper Clay and have found I like it. It is in powder form so you mix as much as you want for your session. It takes wonderful impressions from stamps/texture plates and releases easily- you use olive oil as a release agent, which is nice, because who doesn't have olive oil in their house?
Hadar has also set up a blog recently to help educate those interested in her products and how best to use them.
Here are some quick shots of the pieces that are in the kiln right now. These are not-quite-perfect ones that either ripped, cracked or warped from me learning about the clay. If there's time, the pics of the fired pieces will be up this evening.

Some Pretties for the Weekend

I've been neglecting the blog- I'm using the overcast weather as an excuse and the dread of seeing hubby leave two months for training. So I thought I'd make myself feel better and browse other people's pretties, lol. Here are some that made it into the mosaic:

1. Lola Earrings in Aqua Blue, 2. Neckpiece #2: Stamen Series, 2004, 3. last renaissance necklace, 4. Octopus Necklace, 5. winethreads1107up, 6. Shade Garden, 7. rgc, 8. E434- Winter Branches, 9. Flower Adorned Lotus Petal Hoops, 10. Pomegranate Necklace, 11. boat.cone.2 shell necklace, 12. Ovals Bracelet, 13. hibiscus, 14. retrorganic, 15. filligree heart 2 flip side, 16. Art Nouveau Initial pendant - letter A