A Bit More Mokume Gane

I have a couple more pieces I made recently while on the mokume gane kick, and wanted to share them here.  This first set is made using a polymer clay stack of alternating colors, pressed with various objects, then sliced thin.  I really liked the sea blue-green color I custom-mixed and the way the design turned out.  I decided to leave the matte finish.  One of the polymer colors I used was the black glitter accents from Premo! and the sparkle and shine from that color contrasts really nicely with the matte of the blue-green and cream colors I mixed.

This second set was made a bit differently.  I rolled out the layers of clay so they were quite thin, then pressed a rubber stamp into the clay.  I only needed to shave off a thin layer of the clay to reveal the design from the stamp impression.  This method only produces one sheet of design, but it allows the user to make an impression that imitates the picture or design on a rubber stamp.  In this case, I wanted a high shine, so I covered the baked pieces with Magic Gloss for that extra depth and shine.

On a Bas-Relief Binge

There are a lot of photos here, primarily of brass cuffs.  I've been on a bit of a roll...It didn't take long before working with the cameo look evolved into making sheets with overall designs. These sheets are more like bas-relief, and lend themselves to making items such as bracelets, cuffs, and pendants.

First, I used sheets of translucent clay imbedded with gold or silver leaf as a base for the bas-relief.
These were later sprayed with preservative to protect the leaf, and have a shine and sparkle.

I also worked with plain clay.  I discovered that these pieces looked best when I textured the clay first before adding the bas-relief pieces.  I left these pieces with a matte finish (below).






As you can tell from the all the shots here, I've been having a great time!

More Play with Alcohol Inks - & New Stamps!

Back in November, I shared with you several examples of various experiments using metal leaf and alcohol inks. I put the metal leaf away, but have been drawn to play some more with the inks.  In addition, I decided to try my hand at some stamping. I've never done scrapbooking, and have never really used stamps as a part of polymer  - so this is new for me.  All of these pieces started with a base of white clay on black that I cut and baked first, before doing anything else - which is also a departure from my norm....

This first photo is a set of shapes with just alcohol inks. I'm going to have to give them a gentle protective coat of some sort, probably matte, since that's the way they seem to "want" to be.  I did not let the colors pool or sit against each other very much.  Instead, I dropped just a bit of color and dabbed it up quickly with a tissue.  I kept playing, adding and subtracting color, until I liked the result.  Each piece has been given a textured, wrap-around back and edging.  I don't know if I'll add anything else to these, or not.  Right now, I'm enjoying looking at the colors.

Then I took some alcohol-colored backgrounds, and gave them a simple inked stamp.  These have been sealed with a matte varnish to protect the alcohol background and stamped ink from smearing. I love the subtle feel these pieces have.  I think that a couple of them look almost antique in some ways.  You'll notice I moved into new color-ways, too. There is something very peaceful about working with the inks in this manner.

Lastly, I went "all out" - these pieces have an alcohol base, a layer of translucent cane slices, stamped images and a final coating of resin. They have a layered look with depth the other pieces do not have.  Also, they are quite shiny.  I suppose it's a matter of preference.  I've enjoyed making them all!