Here are my practice pieces from the final Metal Forming class before Christmas. Anticlastic forming wasn’t super hard, but the spiculum was a real challenge. It was hard to imagine how the paper pattern would translate to metal. And really hard for me to get the metal to do what I wanted! Of everything I… Continue reading Metal Forming #4 – Part 2

Finding my pickle FROZEN is a first! ❄️🥶 Pickle is the solution used to clean silver and copper after soldering. It is more effective when it’s warm, so hopefully the little crockpot will thaw the ice so I can clean my work in progress.

This week was my final Metal Forming class at Lillstreet with Darlys Ewoldt. We covered anticlastic forming and then had Open Studio time. Anticlastic forming means forming in two directions at once, so, in the pieces below, that means making the metal into a u-shape, but also into the shape of a bracelet. She first… Continue reading Metal Forming #4 – Part 1

This past Saturday was my final Color on Metal class at Lillstreet. It was basically Open Studio, with access to the instructor and all the tools. I had decided that alcohol ink was the most appealing of the techniques that we covered, so that is the technique I wanted to practice. I brought a bunch… Continue reading Color on Metal #4

Did you know that jumping from one hobby to the next is a ADHD trait? The more I learn about how ADHD presents in women, the more it resonates. This week that tendency served me well, because I had ALL the fun crafty supplies on hand to bring to class! I attended my third Color… Continue reading Color on Metal #3 – Part 2

I was back in my Color on Metal class at Lillstreet today. The light wasn’t great so the photos don’t do the colors justice. Our instructor demonstrated using colored pencils with liver of sulfur or turpentine wash, guilders paste, and alcohol inks. She showed us some samples using acrylic paints too. This first grouping of… Continue reading Color on Metal #3 – Part 1

Well it turns out that forging is way harder than forming for me - who knew? Though I am so new to all this, take my perspective with a grain of salt! 😂 The featured picture is my first sloppy attempt at a forged bracelet. These are some of the teacher’s samples: If you look… Continue reading Metal Forming #2

I learned about sand blasting and powder-coating today! It was the second session of my Color on Metal class at Lillstreet Art Center. Powder-coating looks like paint; you might recognize it from cars, home appliances, etc.. Apparently, it’s actually a type of resin, or plastic. You conduct a little electricity through the piece, spray it,… Continue reading Color on Metal #2

At the beginning of our second class we had a look at people’s work from last week. Some left theirs at the studio, and I brought in experiments from home. Here are the instructor’s rings - cool variety of colors! These are from another student. The dark blue is really amazing! And the chunky salt… Continue reading Color on Metal #1 – Part 2

I am smitten! Both with the outcomes and with this technique. I had a crazy moment a few weeks ago when I was feeling great health-wise, and in that moment, I signed up for two classes at Lillstreet this session. Not my smartest move (it’s only been one week and I’m already tired). BUT, I… Continue reading Metal Forming #1, Part 2

In my metal forming class on Tuesday night this week, Darlys shows us the basics of forming and planishing. These first four pictures show her shaping a 3 inch copper disc into a bowl shape. She used dapping sets and a mushroom stake to create the bowl-shaped curve. The metal is worked, and then annealed… Continue reading Metal Forming #1, Part 1

Here are some of the samples from my Color on Metal class last Saturday. The first photo (featured image) is copper with a stamp on it; a slow, gentle heating turns the metal purple. You can also achieve wonderful yellows and oranges, like the instructor samples below: But Saturday we mostly focused on blues and… Continue reading Color on Metal #1 – Part 1