Color Palettes

So I'm working on revamping my packaging and so on (an ever evolving process!) and I've been doing some color palettes I thought I'd share!

I need to go through and make a few more, but the idea is that I should be able to print these out, and then take them to look at fabrics, boxes, paint, and so on to get an idea of what coordinates with and complements the pieces.

April Project

So, for April's project(s), I don't really have finished pieces, but I have a ton of samples.  This month I learned how to make kumihimo braids, with and without beads.  I can't bring myself to make something just as a sample unless it turns out poorly, so these cords are all going to end up in bracelets or necklaces.  Also, learning kumihimo was a great excuse to treat myself to some Hand Maiden Sea Silk yarn, which I'd fondled (repeatedly) years ago in Philadelphia at Rosie's Yarn Cellar.  It's a bit pricy, but it's got an incredible feel to it.  Next time, I'll probably size up to Hand Maiden's Sea Three and see how that works out.  (I expect some lush thick cords will result, and I'm eagerly anticipating getting to find out!)  Both of these yarns are made up of silk and sea cell, which means that I'm bringing a touch of actual seaweed to these pieces.

These are some close ups of the bracelet cords.  From the top, these are (and this is mostly for my notes, but if anyone out there learning kumihimo stumbles across it, it might be helpful!):
8 strands, triple thickness
8 strands, double thickness
16 strands, single thickness
8 strands, single thickness

And here are some necklace length cords.  I think I'm going to need to make two or three more before I can assemble the necklace.

Also, you can braid with beads on the kumihimo disk!  It's a little bit fiddly to learn, but I'm pleased with my preliminary braid!  This was done with 8/0 Toho beads, but I'm working on sizing down to 11/0, and my first short test (which I unbraided) looks promising.  Unfortunately, my entire stash of beads is 95% 11/0 Miyuki.  (Again, this is mostly for anyone else out there experimenting with kumihimo:)  The Miyuki beads are very tube shaped, and fairly blunt edged, while the Toho beads are much more round.  The rounded look works much better for kumihimo, and the beaded cord is much more comfortable.  Which means I'll be rebuying all of my beads in a new brand!  Unfortunately, I loathe seed beads with a shine, and the range of Toho beads currently available in a matte/frosted finish is fairly limited.  (Definitely an area that the Miyuki beads come out ahead in.  Great range of colors in the matte finishes.)

Now, what really spurred me on to learning kumihimo was the fact that hand knitting cords with double point needs is a really long process.  What I can do on a kumihimo disk in two hours, it would take approximately ten to fourteen hours to do on double point needles. 

These are all knitted with silk ribbon.  I haven't tried silk ribbon on the kumihimo disk yet, but I should be experimenting with it soon!  The main advantage (and this might be due to the fact that I have a lot more experience knitting than with kumihimo) is that I can vary the thickness of the cords.  You'll notice that some of the knitted cords vary from thick to thin, and I haven't figured out if this is possible on a kumihimo disk.  (Honestly, I haven't tried yet, so it might be!)

March Project

I had an incredibly productive March!  Lots of new resin pieces, and a ton of supplies made, because if you mix a batch of resin, you might as well use it all instead of wasting it.  Here's a sample of some of the new finished pieces.

 Lots of sand pieces!  The last pair may (or may not) end up with a barnacle attached to one of the earrings.  Haven't decided yet!

These are the outcome of a really cool experiment.  I was trying out some new methods of coloring the resin, and one of the things I added created a pattern all by itself that, according to my boyfriend, looked like static.  And then he suggested I try for static like the first line of William Gibson's Neuromancer: "The sky over the port was the color of television tuned to a dead channel."

Plus, two additional pairs of earrings from February, which I photographed and put up on Etsy!

White Sand And Sterling Silver Barnacle Button Earrings

Black Sand and Sterling Silver Barnacle Earrings

February Monthly Project

So, I spent February getting ready for a photo shoot on March 2nd. And by "getting ready for," I mostly mean "finishing jewelry for."

At the beginning of the month, I visited family down in Oceanside, CA, and they were kind enough to make a trip to the beach in order to bring me a container full of sand.  Since then, I've been experimenting with it, along with some other sand I ordered off the internet, and I think the results are pretty stunning.

This and a few other pairs of earrings will be available in my Etsy shop very soon!  Keep an eye out for the photos from the shoot as well, because I'm terribly excited about them.

Something Amazing...

Okay, before you get too excited, the amazing thing isn't mine.  But I'm so excited about it, even if it isn't new, but stumbling across it has really made my week.

It's Tristan Lowe's Mocha Dick.

Giant whale.   Inflatable, and made of felt.  See those little dots?  BARNACLES.  Also, it's huge.  Life size, whale size.  All I want to do is live with it, lean against it and read my books.  (I, incidentally, just started reading Moby Dick.)  Because this thing is astounding.  And there are a ton more photos on his website: http://www.tristinlowe.org/

Review of Week Fifty-One's Project!

So, if you think back a few weeks, you might recall a particular project I posted with no details at all.  Well, I've rectified that, but the project was spectacular enough that I thought I'd give you a new post entirely, with a lot of in progress photos so that you can see how the whole thing progressed!

January Project

So, I've spent most of January working on a secret project, but since it's a secret, I can't post it.  Instead, you get to see the millions (dozens?) of samples I've been making to figure out the secret alchemy of tinting resin.  I've just about got the technique down, so it's all up to mixing the right colors and pouring the right shapes for some pieces I have in mind!  I've also been working on all my unfinished projects, but they haven't quite wrapped up yet.

But really, I know you're here for the pictures, so here's a pile of samples!  Some of these will get made into finished pieces, and some will have more changes tested on them, and then made into mini sample finished pieces.  (Those will be for sale in my shop!)

2012 Wrap Up and 2013 Goals

So, it's been a fantastic year.  A lot of good shows (RAW Artists, as well as the shows in Santa Ana and Pomona), some amazing press (back page of Jewelry Artist!), and a lot of work made.

I barely scraped by getting my Thing a Week projects all done, but I did it.  I'm glad I wasn't doing it alone (I had Lois Sprague to push me along and nag me if I fell too far behind).  You can view all of my posts throughout the year by clicking here: The Thing A Week Project.

Now, rumor has it that Lois will be undertaking the ordeal again in 2013.  I am terribly excited to nag her about it every week, because I won't be doing it.

On the other hand, I'm going to be doing a major project each month.  Haven't come up with a catchy name for it yet (Thing A Month just doesn't sound as good, but I will come up with something!) 

Hopefully 2013 will be as awesome!

Week Fifty-Two!

Last week!  This isn't actually a just finished piece, but it was made this year, so I'm declaring that it counts.

What's been extra involved about it is that I will be teaching a class on it over at CraftArtEdu.  Keep an eye out, I'll be posting it on the blog when it goes live.  (If you must know the moment it appears, leave a comment and I will personally give you an email.)

Week Fifty!

Nearing the finish line on the Thing a Week project, here are some additional earrings!  I like that my wire wrapping is progressing, although I don't know if I'll get around to using that skill in my art jewelry work.  (Probably at some point, after I've gotten sufficiently rusty at it.)

It's hard to see the color of the stones on these, but they're very light.  I really like the effect- very different from the pair I made for my mom, but equally interesting!