Paris - city of inspiration, memories and friends.
papier-mâché jewellery . gardens . inspiration
Monday, 27 August 2012
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Walking with Bella
Every day - morning and evening Bella takes us for a walk. Sometimes it's through the woods and down to the river but at other times we're off on an adventure.
The Cottage Garden - The Sheltered Garden
Making the lawn level.
I have managed to find the perfect window for the back of my shed. I have had a very makeshift affair in there for the past year and then as I was walking through town the other day I glanced through an open garden gate. It was pretty enormous - the gate I mean - big pale blue double wooden doors - and there at the far end of the garden was my window frame. At last! I knocked on the door and we settled on a price. Win win I think. It is over 5' tall and nearly as wide, wooden, lots of panes all of a perfect proportion and it has a central post so that both windows will open. Yes! And even its catches are just right. So I only have to wait for the rain to stop and I can collect it and put it in. It will look fantastic and really 'make' the shed. I have started making little tutorials on my laptop - yes, I have only just discovered the record button!!! It will really make the studio look more like a room and less like an old shed. So this is what the shed looks like from the back - It can only get better.
I have managed to find the perfect window for the back of my shed. I have had a very makeshift affair in there for the past year and then as I was walking through town the other day I glanced through an open garden gate. It was pretty enormous - the gate I mean - big pale blue double wooden doors - and there at the far end of the garden was my window frame. At last! I knocked on the door and we settled on a price. Win win I think. It is over 5' tall and nearly as wide, wooden, lots of panes all of a perfect proportion and it has a central post so that both windows will open. Yes! And even its catches are just right. So I only have to wait for the rain to stop and I can collect it and put it in. It will look fantastic and really 'make' the shed. I have started making little tutorials on my laptop - yes, I have only just discovered the record button!!! It will really make the studio look more like a room and less like an old shed. So this is what the shed looks like from the back - It can only get better.
Cottage Garden series - 1 - the wall etc
This is a lovely way for me to show you what I have been doing over the last few months in between the rain!
Coming into the garden through the back gate after digging out the ground elder and planting wild flowers and cottage garden plants - hollyhocks and sunflowers.
Tutorial - necklace, pendant, bracelet, brooch with papier mache, polymer clay, epoxy resin etc. My work in the 90's video showing papier mache pulp and bowl making.
Introduction
Using air dried papier mache and silicon moulding paste to make imprints of natural objects that are then gilded, painted and strengthened with epoxy resin, gauze and plaster of paris to make brooches, pins, pendants, bracelets, necklaces and components for mixed media etc. I will be sharing as many ideas as possible over the next few months.
Other products used in this series are FW Artists’ Ink
FW Pearlescent Inks Roberson Acrylic Gold Size Gold Leaf
A short film made by the BBC in the 1990's - showing a general overview of my work. It briefly covers making papier mache pulp and making a bowl amongst other things. And amazingly has had over 125,500 views on youtube!
Series 1 - Part 1
A series of short videos sharing my ways of working and experiments. Each one is often related and linked to the following and/or preceding one. In this one I am starting to make pressed papier mache pendants, necklaces, bracelets and earring components using the end of a fir cone. Using epoxy moulding resin moulds to make forms with seed heads. Adding acrylic gold size. Using 'modroc' to make pendant base/shape.
Series 1 - Part 2
Continuing to make moulded papier mache paste shapes and painting with sepia ink and various metal leaf, schlag and metal foils with Acrylic Gold Size. Talking about distressing silver leaf with hard boiled eggs. Using air dried papier mache and silicon moulding paste to make imprints of natural objects that are then gilded, painted and strengthened with epoxy resin, gauze and plaster of paris to make brooches, pins, pendants, bracelets, necklaces and components for mixed media etc. I will be sharing as many ideas as possible over the next few months.
Other products used in this series are FW Artists’ Ink
FW Pearlescent Inks Roberson Acrylic Gold Size Gold Leaf
A short film made by the BBC in the 1990's - showing a general overview of my work. It briefly covers making papier mache pulp and making a bowl amongst other things. And amazingly has had over 125,500 views on youtube!
Series 1 - Part 1
A series of short videos sharing my ways of working and experiments. Each one is often related and linked to the following and/or preceding one. In this one I am starting to make pressed papier mache pendants, necklaces, bracelets and earring components using the end of a fir cone. Using epoxy moulding resin moulds to make forms with seed heads. Adding acrylic gold size. Using 'modroc' to make pendant base/shape.
Series 1 - Part 2
Series 1 - Part 3
Next stage - building up layers on the seed pod impressions. Strengthening with Modrock. Adding gold leaf.
Series 1 - Part 4
Strengthening 'seed head' components and working on the large curved pendant in stages, scratching away and adding gold leaf again. Making delicate 'flowers' by smearing papier mache paste on tissue paper.
Series 1 - Part 5
Poppy seed head mould and earring components. Tissue paper and P.V.A glue backing pads to use later.
A senior moment! Making little rolls from modrock to use as bails on the backs of pendants and as little beads. Making finger formed cylinders on a kebab stick for necklaces and bangles etc.
Series 1 - Part 6
Making simple Tyvek and iridescent tissue beads by wrapping around a wooden kebab stick and shrinking with a heat gun.
Series 1 - Part 7
Mixing epoxy resin with good ventilation - a through draft with open windows and doors. I use a clear hard epoxy that has a working time of about 5 minutes and a curing time of about 12 hours in my drying cabinet. I use a 175 watt heat lamp and/or the base of a propagation unit.
Series 1 - Part 8
Wrapping iridescent tissue around papier mache beads and heating to shrink. Changing colour using sepia ink and white acrylic paint. Painting dried beads with Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink - shimmering blue. Adding iridescent tissue, thick white acrylic paint and P.V.A glue to flat disc of layered Modroc.
Series 1 - Part 9 - Treasures from beach-combing.
Series 1 - part 10 (on youtube this is part 9)
Jewellery from plastic milk carton, tissue paper + P.V.A glue, glass bugle and seed beads. Taking the 'flowers' a stage further. Using 3D glue. Building up the components for necklaces, brooches and earrings.
Series 1 - part 11
Showing a papier mache bowl - working with a plastic milk carton + tissue paper with P.V.A glue, glass beads and iridescent tissue beads - bracelet and necklace suggestion. Scorching air dried papier mache and tissue with pyrography tool.
A little diversion - Emmy the hen.
In these tutorials you will see that I am using a product called Porzella. It is an air drying, very fine white papier mache porcelain clay that is made by a company called Rayher. It comes in a 400 gram pack. I am also using a modelling fabric made by them - a Plaster of Paris impregnated gauze. This company's products are widely available in Europe and from retail stores - maybe near you so do check their website and try their 'store locator'. They do not sell in U.S.A.
Of course there are lots of other brands available in the U.S.A - Creative Paperclay, Delight, Makin's Clay, LaDoll, Hearty Clay, Deco ClayCraft, Apoxie Sculpt, Artista, Angel, FormoFit, Darwi, Flumo, Lumina, Celluclay, Cold Porcelain, Crayola Model Magic, Sculpt It, Paverpol and many more.
And it is perfectly practical to make these products or something similar at home. I have tried making it myself and added finely pulped white watercolour paper in with the mix - it worked quite well but needs some tweaking - mainly due to the fact that I added a heavy baby bath oil in gel form - not a good substitute! I will try to refine my method and then I will make a video tutorial showing how I finally achieved perfection. In the meantime there are lots and lots of variations and recipes for making air dried porcelain online. This is one of them -
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
August in the Flower Garden
This summer - so far at least has been the rainiest one I can recall. I have left the weeds to grow so that insects and bees have as much pollen as possible. That's my excuse anyway. It's been too wet to do very much at all. I have managed to start to make a few more flower beds, the idea being that there will be meandering little paths and steps here and there. Bella has decided that there is something very interesting under the shed and has been digging holes trying to make an entry. Yesterday she finally succeeded and had to be dug out!
The lillies have been incredible this year, especially in the evenings. Even in the rain their fragrance has drifted across the garden and welcomed visitors as they come in through the garden gate. Next year will bring more twists and turns and even more flowers to delight as I manage to widen existing beds and make new ones. A greenhouse is still on the agenda!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
