wabi sabi brooch

Here's the process of putting together my wabi-sabi brooch... 

These files are amazing!

Metal master on brass sprue.

The clasp I decided to use as a metal master, so I made a little mould and vulcanised it.  A surprisingly quick process.

here's the wax version ready for putting on the sprue tree!

My favourite part of it is probably the slice of green-coloured resin.  It's green because I was experimenting with natural colouring and tried a tiny bit of spirulina in it... appropriate, I thought!  A happy accident.

Background image is not mine, but an amazing jeweller I saw at Sieraad.

all the bits coming together... at the top is the bit of square wire with a groove filed into it for the tube to sit on.  The tube is to house the brooch pin.

Brooch bits getting acquainted.

 

Laser cutting pattern play

A couple of weeks ago I developed a few patterns for laser etching from photographs I'd taken on walks, or around the college.  I love the text that appears on the dry risers in the college - so that has become the basis of a lot of experimentation.

Here's a few of the starting points - with what they developed into:

 

Some of these I laser cut onto wood, or tried on photographs or fabric. I'd really like to try some of them into enamel or spray-painted metal.

experiments and developments

Our experimental techniques project is creeping to a close.

My favourite bit so far was playing around with the laser cutter - using images I repeated on Photoshop and then laser cut onto more photos. 

I've become obsessed with the text and numbers on each floor of our college. The building must be from the late '60s and the font is of that era.  It's got great shapes and sparked off lots of ideas through playing with repetition and mirroring. 

 I forgot about these in the kiln for a good while - started soldering something else... and they were fried, but although black and scaly I thought they looked great.

Mmm, textures...I didn't use the wooden sample in the final piece - I wasn't quite satisfied with the pattern.  A bit too regular, perhaps?  Not sure.