I'm not sure why, but I don't usually do a lot of things in stripes. I was inspired to give stripes a try when I sat across from Anita, of Anita K Designs, at the Mammoth Cave Retreat. She was using long bolts to make texture on striped slices, and I really liked the way they looked.
On the first pieces I made, I passed the striped clay through the pasta machine multiple times, with the result that the lines between the stripes were softened. I think these softer stripes are pretty. However, I tried using the bolts to make the waffle design on these soft stripes, and realized I was not getting the crisp look I wanted.
The next striped pieces I made were passed through the pasta machine just once to seal the joints between the colored stripes. Since the bolt ridges only run in one direction, each piece is rolled twice, once each in perpendicular directions. The clay does move a bit while being rolled, which I think adds to the interest of the sheets.
These photos show how the impressed lines from the long bolts made a nice waffle texture and emphasized the stripes.
No comments:
Post a Comment