Sugar Skulls........ Making the plate

The design has moved from the brain to the hand.  The preparations have been made and now it's time to make the photopolymer plate.  Next to making rings, this process for making the mold is one of my favorite things to do,.

Photopolymer is a process taken from the printmaking world.  I use to do t-shirts using the photopolymer emulsion on a silk screen.  Instead of squeegeeing ink through a screen to create the finished design, it is used to create a reusable mold.  In both instances it is used to make multiples.

Photopolymer plates can be plastic or metal.  Both are covered with the light sensitive emulsion and both require the same finishing steps.  The plates can be different thicknesses from ones that create a shallow to a  very deep design,  Plastic plates will warp and harden over time.  Metal ones will last longer. Both should be oiled and kept in a cool place after use.

Okay, I've gabbed enough.  Here's the process.

Working in a room with very low lighting, place the transparency that contains the desired design on the emulsion side of the plate.  (The print should be as dark as possible.  Sometimes I tape two prints together.)  Create a sandwich by layering a hard piece of backing,  a spongy material, the plate with the design on it (if it contains lettering they must read backwards), and a piece of glass.  This sandwich is held together by clips which compress everything for the best contact of the plate and design.

The next step uses a UV light (but you can also go outside and dance around in the sun...... if you have some.)   I use the light.  Place the sandwich (glass side up) in the UV light (be sure not to look in when the light is on.)  Time for one minute.  Take the sandwich apart and head to the sink to brush the plate with a soft bristle brush. Scrub until the softened emulsion is brushed off.  (Brush gently or the design could be lost.)  The areas covered with the black design were protected from the light and will wash out.  The areas where the light was able to get through will harden and remain.  After brushing, rinse the piece to remove stickiness.  Pat dry and place back under the UV light to finish curing.

The plate is now ready to be used with the clay.

New Displays

I've been working my butt off making new pieces for AppleFest which takes place Oct. 3, 4 and 5 in the city parks in Franklin, Pa.  This is my first year and I want to put my best foot forward.

Speaking of foot....... I got some new displays for the festival.  One of which is a foot to display anklets.
Now maybe it's just me but why do the foot displays have the heel of a shoe and barefoot toes.  I understand the heel raises it, but why not have a shoe on that foot?  Just saying!  (It kind of freaks me out.)

There is plenty of room in my front studio to display pieces but the tent is only 10' x 10' (a little crowded.)  I needed some displays that saved space and these next two pieces did just that.  In fact, I can't believe how much more room I now have.  (Got to keep the nose to the grind, I guess.)

This display rotates and will hold thirty two pieces.  (Both of these displays could hold much more if my backings were smaller.)

If you are in PA with nothing to do, stop down.  The food is good, the activities are fun and there are lots of vendors.  There's something for everyone.

Number Four

Once again I picked up a flattened beer cap.  Not sure what brand it is.  But it's been added to my collection.  What will it become?  Time will tell.

This one had a crack in the center which will add interest.  Often I've been cutting the centers out to save clay, but don't think that will happen to this one.

The yellow piece is the mold I've made from the new bottle cap.  A two part silicone mold making material is used.  Equal parts of the material are mixed together to activate the firming process.  The piece is then pushed into the mix before it cures.  After curing, the piece is removed and the mold is ready to take the clay.  One of the nice things about the silicone mold is that is does not require a release agent.  Molds are a good way to make multiples which can still be manipulated to make each one a unique piece.

I think I'll offer a mold making class this spring.  Does that sound like a good idea?  Everyone can bring in items to make molds that will be used to make their metal clay designs.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday I taught my first class since March.  A fellow Oil City music teacher, Beth Orris treated her daughters to a metal clay class for their birthdays.

This isn't the first time someone has given one of my classes as a present.  Another teacher friend gave her daughter and son in law a class for Christmas.  One Easter, a mother gave her son and daughter a class instead of candy.  They even used her own stones in their pieces.  And a fellow artist's husband gave her a gift certificate for a class.  Can't remember what the occasion was.   If you ask me, I think it's a great idea......... a tangible gift "and" knowledge.

Anyway, there were five students.  Not only did Beth and her daughters take the class but also Beth's sister in law, Amy Krumich and a good friend, Vicki Scherr.

What a great group.  Lots of fun and laughs (and lots of picking on each other!)   I felt right at home.

What always amazes me is the variety of work that comes out of a project.  Everyone adds their own flair and truly designs their own personal pieces.  

Unfortunately the photos I took of the finished pieces were rushed and most of them did not turn out.  (There were men watching little ones back at the house .......... need I say more?)  So, my best shot is the unfinished pieces as they were prepared to go into the kiln.

Julie and her mom brought leaves and ferns that they incorporated into their fold over bail pendants.  Others tried a variety of shapes and texture variations to make their pieces unique.  

As many times as I make pieces and teach it, it is still like Christmas when the kiln is opened.  Everyone surpassed their expectations.  Besides the pendants, we used the remainder of the clay to make a pair of earrings.  

This was the only decent photo of a finished piece.  These were made by Vicki.  Her earrings kept breaking so she ended up making a delicate necklace for her grand daughter. I wish I could show you the rest of the pieces but the pictures just don't do them justice.

What do you do?

After an afternoon of working (reworking and reworking again) with metal clay I sometimes get just plain lazy.

When I'm down to the end of a package (or in the case of Hadar's clay..... a mixed up batch) of metal clay, I don't want to wrap it up and save it or open a new package and combine it.   So..... I make earrings that don't have any excess clay to deal with.

I roll the clay into a tight ball, flatten it a little and roll it out into an oval.  Cut it in half lengthwise, file the two pieces to match and drill holes.  Instant earrings..... no left over clay.

They are simple and one of my favorite earrings to wear.  What do you do?

Bronze clay in the greenware (dried and unfired) state