Leaf textures

This week I tried out a couple more textures with the aluminum using a rolling mill.  My goal was to create a leaf impression.  I'm pleased with the results.

I dyed the aluminum first and sealed it. Then I ran it through the rolling mill.  All the little veins show up well on the aluminum.  It's such an intricate pattern and all that you see is texture, not different colored dyes.  I then did a little fold forming to bend the leaf,  filed the edges to show the silver color of the aluminum and voila!

The photo above reminds me of soft furry sage leaves - the green really does give them a soft look.

And you can see from the photo below that the veins even show up on the back of the leaf.

I haven't decided how I'm going to use them yet...whether a little creature will sit on them...or some flowers or.....what do you think?

Adding texture to aluminum

I got a little package this past week from my mum.  No, it wasn't a food parcel - it was little bits and bobs of lace, fabric, paper cutouts etc.  I had been telling her about my rolling mill and how I wanted to try using it with the aluminum - so all her little strips of goodies were things to try running through the mill with the aluminum for my bangles to create texture on the metal.

I haven't tried them all yet, but here are a couple:

 This first one is a lovely rich orange color - as that was always my mum's favourite color.  Is it still I wonder????  Anyhow - a happy color.  I put the aluminum through with a piece of thick lace.  I hope you can see the texture that came from it in the photos.

The other was just a small piece of aluminum I colored but hadn't made anything with.  This went through the mill with an open weave ribbon.

It'll be interesting to add texture to some of my bangles and also other aluminum pieces I make. I'll be trying the other goodies later so will let you know how they work out.

Yes, the aluminum experiments continue!

Thanks mum!

Struggling for a name.....

I'm stuck for what to call my latest pink aluminum bangle....

The design actually happened by accident but I like it!

You see the silver lines - like the "glint" bangles, crossing at right angles?  They were a color - a darker shade of pink - before I sealed it.  But the dye I used didn't get into the pores of the surface of the aluminum.  When you anodize the aluminum, it opens pores on the surface and then dyes with small particle size can get in.  Then when you seal the metal, the pores close and the dye stays and nothing else gets in. The resultant surface layer is also stronger than before. 

 

So the dark pink didn't work, probably because its particle size was too large to get in the pores, and left the silver color of the aluminum showing through.

Do you have any ideas for a name?

Glint Bangles - Ray of light

Here are some more aluminum bangles to add to this week's creations.  They are like the green glint earrings and necklace from last week however, the glint in these cases, is dark rather than light.  

I wonder if there is a different word from glint meaning a "ray of dark" instead of a "ray of light"!!!

As you may be able to tell, I'm enjoying finding a little time to make progress on the color anodized aluminum.

What do you think?  What is your favorite color? I have a few more bangles to show you on Thursday too.... yes, now I've started, I can't stop!!!

My mind seems to be on bracelets at the moment. I've just finished two metal clay bracelets and have been working on some aluminum bracelets/bangles.

Here are the aluminum pieces - still in strips and waiting to be formed:

 I like this line printing style.  Same as what I used for the Green Glint earrings.

I haven't decided whether to dye the background another color with the flowers. What do you think?

New Studio!!!

Yippee-yi-ya!!  Today I started moving into my new studio!!!!

While we were in San Miguel and I was trying all these different media, we decided that we just had to get me some more space for my studio! It's well over time...and we've been trying to figure out how best to do it for ages now, as I've been expanding from my little attic room into other rooms and generally taking over lots of places. 

So we've jiggled some rooms around and now I have a much bigger space! And much more light.

Today was the tough day of moving things.  My "old" studio is accessed only by a little attic ladder. Just climbing up and down it is quite precarious but when you are trying to carry loads of things - it's is even more dodgy! Luckily, John, my hubby was around all day to help!!!  Let's hope he is tomorrow too :=D

I have more to move in tomorrow and need to buy another couple of work surfaces like you see in the above photo.  My goal is to have 4 work surfaces in total. One for metal clay and one for finishing jewelry (those are the ones shown above).  Then one for aluminum and one for wax sculpture and anything else I might try! Then there is a soldering space and a space for my photography. 

And my birdies began to move in too. They took a liking to a spot, just their size, by the window seat!

 

If you are in the neighbourhood tomorrow and feeling strong...do stop in! 

Colors of San Miguel

I had some time to do some more dyeing of aluminum today and was attracted to teals and oranges - then realized that it could well be due to the fact that there are a lot of those shades around me in San Miguel right now.

You can see from the photo that I have done four bands - still to be sealed, filed and shaped into bangle cuffs. The band on the right is orange on one side and brown on the other - as shown below. Not quite sure yet whether to shape it with orange or brown on the outside.  Brown is normally a color I avoid but......

I haven't found a great place for photographing my creations here yet.....so excuse the photos that don't show things off to their best.....

The class I'm hoping to take here in San Miguel doesn't start until the New Year, so I'm hoping to try a few different things in the meantime...maybe some cooking ....some dancing....some.....????