My Creative Process

Adding Patina to Metal and Clay

I’m one of those people who take the scenic route to develop different techniques. I check out the usual suspects for inspiration. Mostly Pinterest, with a dash of mindless wandering on line. I do really like to experiment. You can stumble across combinations of materials and techniques that I wouldn’t even know how to look up on line. So when I get a new product such as a medium to create a patina on metal, straight away I play with it. I try different surfaces and try to apply it in different ways. After I get a sample of how this looks on say 3 different metals then I experiment with different overlays of different colors, or applying the patina differently.

You can use so many different products to add a patina and I want to try them together to see if they blend. What happens when they are mixed. Just trying everything that comes to mind. Play!

So here is one of my favorite mediums and it works great on almost any surface I’ve tried. Alcohol Inks - and my favorite are the Tim Holtz brand. You can find these packaged in sets of 3 at most craft stores. They will most likely be hanging out in the paper crafting section. I get mine at either Hobby Lobby or on line. 

   

I keep all my inks in a box on top of my work bench. 

I have the blending solution and glaze there also. 

There are also places on line where you can buy just one bottle This Etsy shop has a good selection        https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarkerPOP  

You might want to wear gloves if you get messy. I just scrub it off afterwards. As much as we are all washing our hands now it may not matter. I am a messy crafter and think little of having blue and green fingers.

Here is a shape of baked Sculpty clay before and after applying the inks to the surface. I like to add mine on top of each other quickly while the base layer is still wet. It’s magic to what how this develops. 

This is a one color clay in a bright green with just one color of brownish ink applied and then quickly wiped off and only left a small amount on the surface. If you only want the ink in the lower or recessed areas you will need to seal the clay prior to adding the ink. I suggest using the sealant made by Sculpty for best results. Let this dry prior to adding the ink. The excess ink will wipe off better if this is the look you want. Here on the green leaves I wanted it over the whole surface. 

This Sculpey glaze is wonderful. Before I found it I must have tried 10+ things and none worked. They left the clay item sticky and it wouldn't ever seem to dry. You can use lots of other sealants on metal thou. 

Also here is an example where I used the inks on a very textured surface and pulled a paper towel over the surface before it dried. This left a little on the surface but most in the lower indentions. I love this look. 

Well go play with some inks and I’ll be talking

about a few of my other favorite patinas in the next few posts. 

Olivia said to remind you that you might want to keep a small fan on your work area to keep any lingering chemical smells away from you. This will be more important with some of the other materials I will be using later. None of these are kid safe, so keep them put away from little fingers grasp. Setting up a little area in the garage works great too. 

Getting Stuck Inside Your Creativity

Yesterday Jack came over and we spent a good while sitting at the kitchen table playing with polymer clay. Jack makes sculptures and I mostly make elements for my jewelry. I’ve played around with polymer clay for years but have never put a lot of time into learning new techniques. I do see wonderful things created on Pinterest that I would love to know how they are done. It’s one of my jewelry tools along with metal work and wire wrapping. I really need to increase my skills in all of these. 

This is one of my favorite things to do with clay 

is create these "Royce Rocks". 

They are my faux stones I often use in my jewelry. 

Several new clay molds came in the mail this week and I'm looking forward to using these. I've never used molds before. 

I’ve taken almost no classes, which I often regret. I’ve always thought of jewelry as a hobby and didn’t want to invest a lot of money into it. I understand now that this was a mistake. I have learned a lot on my own but sometimes you just need to peek inside someone else's creativity to get a new edge to your craft. 

So I want to set aside time for just practicing techniques. I’ve all but stopped putting metal into my jewelry. Not really sure how or why this came about. It takes time for me to work new things into a routine, but I must make time to hone those skills. 

I have become a bit bored with what I am making and that’s not good at all. I have a hard time making multiples of a piece, but making everything unique slows me down. I’d like to find a middle ground. 

I have a lot to work on. I have plenty of time and materials. Now to just push myself to do what I need to do. I’m sure after I get started and make a few things I’m proud of I’ll feel more enthusiasm to work more and push myself more. 

My sewing machine is back from the repair shop and now that it’s home and in it’s new area I look forward to getting back into quilting and fiber arts. I really enjoyed that and want to bring it back into my life.