Walking Wounded - LOL

It is not possible to make a project in my house without a blood sacrifice.  For my studio day yesterday, I stabbed myself with my craft knife and cut myself with my sewing shears (they are VERY sharp).  Then, of course, because I am a ninny (don't 'cha love that word? - ninny?) -- because I am a ninny, I didn't bother with gloves when I pulled out my finished pieces and neutralized the acid.  Ferric chloride is a mild acid (I would NEVER do that with other acids I work with), but the acid hurt all of my earlier injuries.  I'm pleased with the etch that I got even though I was still etching at 8:30 last night.  I had a lot of trouble getting the image transferred well.  It was transferring to the copper without a problem, but then it wasn't accepting the fusible protectant film.  After a couple of calls to Frank (he's the person who invented this particular system of image transfer), we determined that because my pieces were (1) larger and (2) using 20 gauge copper, they weren't getting hot enough.  He suggested a different thermostat, which I will order today, and a couple of little techniques that I hadn't thought of.  That gave me about a 96% fusing rate and I was able to paint the rest with my resistant ink.  He thinks that I should be able to get 100/% transfer and fuse with the new thermostat and I have never gotten a transfer that is that clean.  So I look forward to getting the new thermostat.  A friend has requested a particular image and, even though that one will use 24 gauge copper and, thus will be easier to work with, I will be happy to play again.  I also have my next project perched in my head just waiting for it's opportunity to play.  So today I'll polish my etchings and darken them, tomorrow I'll drill them and wire them, and I'll have them mounted by the end of the week.  Then I can concentrate on the silk. 

Breakfast with Meghan, Sebas and Chickie yesterday was a lot of fun.  Meghan is turning into a great Mom - very attentive, and obviously very much in love with the little man in her life.  She's looking forward to moving to the U.P. of Michigan in August to begin school.  Since money is always tight for single Mom's, I doubt we'll have the chance to see much of her once she has moved up there.  We were talking about maybe taking a road trip to Yellowstone National Park as a graduation trip.  That would be SO fine. 

Weekend Beckons

I mounted the hardware on my box yesterday morning.  I had ordered it from Home Depot and had to drill the hole and cut down the screw so that it was the correct depth.  It looks wonderful.  I would do better on a second try for this flip-down door, but I really can't complain too much - I think it looks good and I had purchased a second pull-down knob so when I want to do my second box, I have the component to do it.  I've been ruminating about handkerchief hems and other methods of finishing my fabrics now.  I will be getting into working on the fabric very soon and I want to make sure that I know the direction I need to go.  I will need to make sure that I have precise measurements marked off - no margin for error here.  The fabrics for the top must fit exactly. 

I'll be focusing on the copper for the next few days.  I want to get these ready to etch on Wednesday so that I can progress to the next step.  I have the Tengwar text finished and it arcs around a circle in two lines.  It looks terrific.  I want to put the translation on the interior box lid so that whoever buys the box will know what is being pictured and what the Tengwar actually says.  So I'll be trying to get things finalized so that I can print the transfers on Monday and etch on Wednesday.  I can hardly wait to play with acid again :-) 

Back to the Grind

I completely finished the wooodworking portion of my BFAC2011 project yesterday, and I got the Tengwar placed properly so that I can make the final and etch the copper next week.  There are a couple of tweeks that I need to make to the text so that it will read properly, but it is unlikely that anyone other than me would even know if the letters were backwards or not :-)  But to me it is the same as any other language that I have etched in the past, I have to make sure that it will read properly. 

I purchased two books for myself as an early birthday gift for myself.  The Future of Fantasy Art by Aly Fell and Duddlebug is a wonderful compendium of cover art and fantasy art over the past four decades.  It is stunning art with small accompanying descriptive paragraphs for each piece.  I wasn't going to spend the money, but I fell into the "I just can't be without this" after I spent a half-hour looking through it carefully.  The thought of putting it back onto the shelf was too sad.  The other major item I purchased is actually a workshop/magazine called Fantasy Art produced by the publishers of Imagine FX.  Imagine is a magazine specializing in digital art techniques - a technique that I really want to learn.  This workshop has tutorials, interviews and features for using Photoshop and Painter.  My version of Photoshop is ancient, but I can't afford to update it.  I'll have to see what I can do with my limited tools.  It will be fun to try, anyway. 

Today's Beading For A Cure auction items are by Sue Harney (top) and Nikki Ryan (bottom).  I've never met Sue, but I have met Nikki and she's delightful.  She works for a friend of mine in the bead business in California and she's grown into a fine beader and designer over the years.  This is the final week, so please look over the items and place a high bid. 

Weekend Shopping Success

Sunday was a wonderful and relaxing day. The American Craft Council Show was being held in Saint Paul. I look forward to attending this show every year - I always see work that I love and have the opportunity to learn how my own work fits in with people who are making their living with craft. I wore my copper pendant - the one that had been turned down for Lark Books' "30 Minute Necklaces". My customers love this piece, and I had at least five different artists compliment my neckpiece. So I guess I was quite close on the piece - I just wish it had been accepted. I think I'll make another one with a different twist later this year.

I was looking for a wedding gift for my friend Michelle. Michelle is getting married on May 1st and I knew I didn't have time to make her something - my time right now is totally focused on my BFAC 2011 piece. So I was hoping to find her something neat. Although I really wanted to come in under $50, I overspent on a fantastic wall piece of heat treated and formed copper by Claymoon Copper . I love this piece. I would have a much more difficult time releasing it to Michelle if I had available wall space. But I really don't. So I will wrap this up for her and her new husband to enjoy in their new house and I will hope that she has the room for it. It is not overly large - just 8 x 20 inches.

Only three more weeks of Beading For A Cure auctions. We have some really amazing pieces to offer this week. Today's piece is by Cindy Hlavka. I have known Cindy casually for several years now and she is the current President of the Upper Midwest Bead Society - a position that I held more than 10 years ago. I urge you to take a look at all of the wonderful pieces that will be offered this week, and I will be featuring them throughout the week in my blog.

Busy Studio Day

Today I already have the kiln firing a couple of pieces for a customer. Later today I will begin building the interior of my box and working the full-scale schematic of the cover. I need to pic down exactly where in the lid I am going to drill the hole for my etched piece. I am beading, painting and adding etched copper to the lid for the box. I also need to work on the text that will be etched and finalize the exact size for the copper disc. I was going to continue painting the box, but the interior partitions should be nailed into place before I paint. Paint should be one of the last things. I did make a final decision on color, though, so I am pleased about that.

I have a long list of errands that I have to do today, but at the top of the list is getting the fabric for my box lining. It needs to work with the bead colors of the kit. I tried to stop by the fabric store on Sunday and pick some up then, but I didn't have the beads with me and couldn't decide on the absolute shade that would work best. So I will bring the beads with me today and do it sensibly. I can't afford to waste money or time on mistakes.

Today's Beading For A Cure auction items are by Wendy Reed (top) and Pamela Perry (bottom). Pam has been a friend for a long time. A friend, a confidant, a roomie, and the best workshop companion ever - we go back more than 10 years. I have watched her come into her own voice and talent, become a strong beader, and expand her creative wings - it has been a joy. This piece is a lovely contribution to our fund raising cause. Wendy's bag is fabulous. I love bags anyway, but her beaded embellishments will put this one into the unique collectible category. Wendy was on the Board of Directors for BFAC for many years and we would not have been able to accomplish all of the things we were able to without her contributions. Remember - view and bid high - the money raised goes towards a fantastic goal.

Back to the Designing Board...

So, after e-discussions with a fellow enamalist, I decided to order some Ferric Nitrate for etching silver. I did buy two small containers yesterday to be used with silver. I don't need to go as large as I do for my copper etching since I very much doubt I'll be etching the quantities that I tend to do in copper. I standardly use a large quantity of etching solution for my copper and usually am etching up to 20 good sized pieces at a time. But, I figure since I'll be etching silver for my trees project, I should probably design at least one other piece to go into the etchant also. So, I'm going to design a cuff bracelet to get etched also.

Yesterday I set up my new photography lights. What fun! They are awesome. They aren't making the shades super hot, they have long life full spectrum bulbs, and I get great lighting. I should probably get some new scatter sheets because the ones that I own are small for the diffuser that I use for my products. I also want to look into some different lighting and positioning for my items. But for a first time, I'm happy. I'm posting one of my "Peter Rabbit in Hieroglyphics" etchings that I did two-three years ago. This piece was etched on 20 gague copper, hand painted, and then protected with clear epoxy. It was a very intense project, but a lot of fun.

Project Bunnies

I have several project bunnies perched in my head right now. Of course I have the etching designs for my cloak backplates. I have decided on the images and am awaiting my Tengwar translations and my new supplies. I hope to be able to transfer and etch the design on Wednesday, and mount the plate to the enamel later in the week. I still will need to attach the pin back, but that step will be a simple solder job on a separate plate which will then be rivited to the actual etched piece. I would really like to raise the inner edge of the backplate to be a type of bezel for the enamel, so I'll probably etch two of each pattern just in case I mess that part up. I don't have a sandbag on which to place the disks while raising the edge so this part could be "challenging". - The story of my life :-) If that doesn't work, I'll saw out prongs to prong-set the enamel.

I have been cleaning up some of my favorite boxes and measuring them for enamel tops. I started the design process for one of them, but I don't really like what I came up with. I think I'll scrap that and go a bit more abstract on it. I have plenty of this type and size, so I don't mind working on several images for the tops.

And I have been working on several drawings that need refinement. I keep dreaming about the day when I can retire. It is a certainty that I won't be bored. My only problem will be what the heck I will do with my husband. He's bound to get in my way and that will drive me crazy. Maybe retirement will lead me to the divorce that we've both been threatening for more than 30 years :-)) But I won't be at that no-work stage for several years yet :-( At this point it is a moot point.

So, what project bunnies are perched in your head and craft area? Are you working with color? With texture? With pattern? Do you not have a current project perching? Why the heck not?!?

Beauty and Exhaustion

If the Olympic games broadcast goes until 11 pm each night, I'm in deep trouble. As it is, I usually go to sleep at 10 pm and awaken at 3:30 am. That allows me to take my shower and spend 2-3 hours on the computer before I leave for work (and another 1-2 hours on my laptop). That's only 5-1/2 hours of sleep on a normal night, so by Saturday I'm a sleepy wreck and I sleep in on Sunday morning to 8 or 9, sometimes until 10. But now I'm getting 4-1/2 hours of sleep and I'm going to be a zombie. But I can't miss skating, and snowboarding, and luge, and...and... Oh heck! I really love the Olympics but I will be a total disaster by the end of the 16 days.

And I am delayed on my etching project because I have not received my Tengwar translation yet. I should get that within a day or two, but it looks like I'll be able to etch the copper next week. And at this rate, one more week is not the end of the world. It's more "par for the course".

So, today is a busy day before the shop opens, and I would like to continue to clean up some more designs that I wanted to etch for diferent projects. If I'm going to etch some items, I might as well etch a lot of them. It's easier for me that way. And maybe my tired brain will free up my creativity a bit more because any barriers I have placed in my mind will be weaker because of lack of sleep. This may all be good for the creative process and I may reap these rewards over the next year or more. At least that's the optimistic viewpoint LOL.

Progress and Opening Ceremonies

Last night was the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. While they were doing the performance and "Welcome to Canada" segments of the full ceremony, I thought of my friend Seth who is an expert in electronic projection, etc. I really hope that he had an opportunity to see the ceremony, even though some parts dragged, the graphics and how they were handled was really marvelous. I loved the picture below - even a Canadian Lynx decided to check out the Olympics venues before the opening ceremonies!

Canada is an amazing country - geographic contrasts and wide open spaces. I have wanted to visit Canada since I moved to Minnesota 30+ years ago and I haven't made it there yet! But if I didn't live in the US, I would live in Canada. I have met a lot of people from there and have really enjoyed meeting them, and I love open spaces, mountain, plains, etc. I'm not crazy about even longer/colder winters, but that would be the tradeoff.

I must admit I was shaken by the death of the luger from the nation of Georgia. Having someone die on the luge track after I posted about breaking into a million pieces if I went onto the luge track bothered me. I certainly did not intend any negative mojo, but I have been told that this particular luge/bobsled track is considered to be one of the most dangerous tracks in the world. It is a shame that had to be pointed out in such a graphic and permanent manner.

I spent several hours last night while watching the Olympics opening ceremonies, working on the graphics for my backplate etching. I now have two possibilities for Telperion and one for Laurelin. I want to have a total of four choices for each of the trees to choose between, so I'll be back at the computer tonight while watching the Prime Time events and wrap-ups. It is starting to come together, though, so enjoy your creative weekend.

Graphics vs Vector Graphics

I wish the graphics I was using as my base decoration for my cloak backplates was a vector piece. The design is perfect, but it is only scaleable in basic size, I can't change the curvature of the actual pictures and that's what I really need. I have a feeling that I will end up having to hand-draw each element individually to match the curvature that I need, then scanning that in so that I can bring the image into the disc. It would look absolutely amazing if I actually could get the miniature graphics and extreme detail in the etch, and I may try it anyway since copper isn't expensive, but I think I'd better do a larger one also to be on the safer side and have something useable after pulling the metal from the acid.

The Winter Olympics begins tonight. I am an Olympics junkie - I have been since my youth, watching skiing down the slopes of Grenoble (no, I wasn't there in person - just on a grainy, black & white TV). I love both the Winter and the Summer Olympics, but having them in Vancouver, BC will be wonderful. The last Canadian Olympics that I can recall was Calgary and that was a fun time. I look forward to the new track for luge - someday I really would like to do that even though I would probably break into a million pieces. It would probably be worth it!

So, back to figuring out how best to make my image work within my copper size...where are my pens...? What are YOU going to do today that is creative? You've got a weekend coming up, and in between watching the events in Vancouver, you should do something for yourself. Think about what you can do that is creative because creativity broadens the mind. Play and make, and wake up on Monday with a feeling of happiness.

Studio Day - Chicken Anyone?

Today will be spent with me running around like a crazy chicken. Circles, loop-de-loops, etc - I'll be all over town from North to East, back North, then Southwest, then back North again. I'd better remember to get some gas first thing this morning or else I won't make it very far!

My day will start with breakfast with the Chickie and our friend Meghan. Hopefully Meghan's little boy, Sebi, can also join us. Meghan and Sebi are returning to Peru for a few months in two weeks, and then, after they get back home, they'll be packing up for a move to northern Michigan. So Chickie and I wanted to be sure to catch them before they left on this stage of their travels. We're going to miss them!

My afternoon will be spent working on the text and embellishments for my copper backplates. I'm still thinking about how I want to do the actual setting of the enamel - whether I want it set from the front or the back and whether I want prongs, tabs, or a full ledge. But even without determing the exact setting, I can work on the text and pictures. I want to get this to the point where I can print this out and etch it next Wednesday, so I have my design work cut out for me. I'm feeling much better about this though. I just wasn't happy with the silver - it didn't really compliment the enamelwork. I think the etched, and maybe pierced, copper will be a vast improvement. Have a creative day!

Changing Points of View

Beginning where kudos are due - congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for a well-deserved and well-fought win at yesterday's Super Bowl. I was hoping that NO would do well - I wanted the team that beat the Minnesota Vikings to be a team of destiny, and my ex- has roots in NO and so I cheered for his sake also. I suspect that Fat Tuesday will start now, even though Mardi Gras celebrations usually do start earlier with the various parades and Krews. CONGRATULATIONS, NEW ORLEANS!!

And I've decided that I'm simply not happy with the settings that I fabricated in silver for my enamel cloak pins. So I'm returning to something that I do well, and enjoy. I'm going to design a setting that I will etch in copper and I think I'll be much happier with that. I'm divided about whether I will pierce or resin-enamel the etched surface, I'll still have to play with the design a bit, but I'm feeling much more confident about my design with this turn. I can make the setting look exactly the way that I want, and I want to add Tengwar text to the design. I know that I can get extreme detail in my etchings so it frees me up in the design facet of the project. And I know I also can easily solder the pin holders and bail onto the back without difficulty. Now I just need to work the details out on my computer so that I can get the printout made and transferred to the copper. I should be able to do the etching next week if I apply myself to the design work this week.

Miracles Needed

I have a project ready to send out. But I'm supposed to also send photographs of it and one of my lights for camera shots just burned out. So I'm stuck pulling in a substitute and that will change my white balance and total composition. Growl. I had hoped to mail this out express mail today. I think I'll phone the book company and find out if the photo is essential since I'm sending the actual project and if it is not, I'll get the whole thing in the mail super fast.

I've decided that I really need to get a micro-stamp of my logo. I had no way to mark the piece that I just finished and that's disturbing. But I'm very poor right now and don't see that changing for the next few months. So I'm not really sure how I can order this. But I need to, so I'll have to buckle down and save everywhere that I can to accumulate the money to get this ordered. I know that I can order one for metal clay from Babette, but I need one for my metals work also. Well, one more thing to get done :-)

And what do you do when you create something that just doesn't work? My mockup of a piece really worked well. But when I made the piece in real life - it just sucked. It was ugly. The flow - didn't. The colors - didn't. The concept - didn't. I'll end up saving whatever components can be reasonably reused, retire the concept and rework it, and I'll try again, later, with a different twist and make lemonade from these lemons. But I consider this project - as it was originally designed - completely dead. Ick!

The Intrusions of Work

The nice thing about retirement is that I can concentrate on my artwork. The bad thing about retirement is that I'm not retired yet. Therefore, work gets in my way. I had a great January because it's my slowest month and we don't do a lot of ordering or processing during that month. But now my work schedule is ramping up again and I would SO much rather just be reading, drawing, painting, enameling.....creating. It's simply unfair that life is getting in the way of living. I'm very grateful that I have my Wednesdays, at least, although that's not nearly enough time to be able to indulge.

I'll feel much better next week when I have received my new enamel colors and can play again. In the meantime, I have to get some copper shaped and formed into the final shapes that I want to enamel with the new colors. I'm already looking forward to Wednesday and I have many days left until it arrives! I also have to make sure that I schedule some photography time for Sunday because I really need to catch up with finished projects to release them for potential sale to the public. I don't have the space to have a permanently set up photography station although it would certainly save me a lot of time. Time - my always best friend and worst enemy.

Prayers and white light go to the victims of the commuter crash from earlier this morning. Almost 50 people have left us and we are the poorer for it.

Planning the Week Ahead

I always try to think ahead and plan a bit on Monday mornings. Because this week is Bead & Button registration, I'll have my normal studio day on Wednesday, and a few hours off on Tuesday to get registered for my classes. I received almost 500 of my copper disks on Saturday, so I'm ready to counter-punch and drill those as well as put the next front/back coating onto my current projects and deciding on the decorative patterns/techniques. I keep trying to think of a way to make things less labor-intensive, but there is a certain standard that I have and skimping just doesn't cut it. But I'll keep trying. Wednesday's errand list is growing already, but I should be able to get at least four hours at the kiln, and perhaps closer to six which would make me extremely happy.

The second Sunday of each month has, traditionally, been "Painting Day" at my local games store. For more than three years my DH and I have been showing up on the second Sunday with paints and primed minis in hand to spend a few hours with a really nice group of guys. But I can't attend in August, September, November and December and often miss other months as well because of conferences/classes/travel. Apparently other people have scheduling problems also because I was the only one to show up yesterday and my friends at the store say that's been more of the norm lately. I remember when we used to completely take over the back room - more than 30 of us getting together. But, I can paint just as easily at my crafting area and it won't stop my going in to look for new minis. It is a shame, though. It was always a good time and I got some good work done there.