Fabulous Faux - Playing With Iced Enamels by Karen McGovern

I love experimenting with new products.  Especially products that are relatively inexpensive and fun.  Recently, I began working with Susan Lenart Kazmer's Iced Enamels.  Faux enamel powder in a nice spectrum of grungy, cool colors.  The idea is to create the look of enameled metal without, you know, actual enamel.  For me this is very interesting because I am a freak for enameled metal.  Just ask MaryAnn Carroll--I use her gorgeous enamel discs in just about everything I make. 
 

 

Now, right off the bat I will tell you that Iced Enamels in NO WAY replicates the look of true enameled metal.  BUT, for those of us that do not have an enameling studio, the line is fun, easy to use, and can add lovely textural accents and colors to your designs.  Basically it's a three-part system of a liquid adhesive applied to metal, followed by a layer of Iced Enamel powder set with a heat gun.  The third part is sealing, which SLK recommends you do with Ice Resin, her wonderful jewelry grade clear resin.  Since I never do anything I am told to do, I use several coats of Everbrite and have been very pleased with the results.

 

For an impatient person like me, faux enamels are really attractive as an accent.  Don't worry, MaryAnn, I will ALWAYS BE TRUE TO YOUR DISCS!!!  But, the faux enamels add a nice touch to larger pieces, bangles, cuffs and more.  I like the look of the powders--base colors mixed with "grunge" creating a crusty, aged effect.  The variety of colors is very nice as well, although I am waiting for some greens and dark blues to come along....ARE YOU LISTENING, SUSAN??

 

I'll share with you a bracelet design I'm having fun with that was inspired by Barbara Lewis, the queen of torch fired enamel jewelry.  You get an extra "faux" here, in one of the bracelets I also used polymer clay faux beach glass shards created by Ginger Davis Allman of The Blue Bottle Tree. GORGEOUS!!!

Iced Enamels on aluminum with polymer faux beach glass...
 

Basically, I start with a 3 x 2.5 inch piece of aluminum (or any metal, I just love aluminum) and cut it on an angle leaving one end wider than the other.  Round the corners, file the edges smooth, then texture the metal if you wish (I use the paving stones on my driveway as a texture plate!).  At this point you can stamp a message on the inside of the cuff if you like (thanks, Barbara Lewis, for this lovely idea). Drill or punch a hole in either end and curve the metal on a bracelet mandrel or with your hands to fit your wrist comfortably.  

Iced Enamels on copper. Created for the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in support of their bongo antelope
conservation programs.  The colors of the cuff are inspired by the beautiful striped hide of a bongo, and Delilah
is an orphaned bongo that we are hand rearing at RSCF.  I have pics of her all over my Facebook page!
 

My Iced Enamel "station" is an old cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Using a cheap paint brush, coat the top side of the metal with the Iced Enamel adhesive (cleans easily in water so you can use the brush again).  Then sprinkle on the powder in the color of your choice (you can also blend colors prior in a little cup if you want, or apply layers, which I'll explain in a minute), shake off the excess, then heat the powder to melting with a heat gun.  My heat gun has two settings, I use the lower setting to get even, controlled heat.  NOTE:  Clear away any excess Iced Enamel powder that you have over-sprinkled BEFORE you turn on your heat gun.  Otherwise the powder will blow all over Kingdom Come!  As you heat, the powder will bubble and melt in a couple minutes.  The bubbles disappear after you stop heating.  There is a slight odor, but nothing overwhelming.  Do this with proper ventilation, etc.  Let the metal cool, then either seal or add more adhesive and another layer of powder in another color, accent, pattern, STENCIL (oooh, that would be cool, I have to go get some stencils...), allow to cool, seal and you are DONE.  You can also file away some of the enamel to create a more imperfect or grungy look--whatever you like!  For copper and brass I would start by giving the metal a nice liver of sulfur bath to create a dark base to show through, but that's my taste. 

As I mentioned, I use Everbrite ProtectaClear spray to seal.  Two or three coats do a great job, and dry in minutes.  Finish the bracelet with riveted or micro screw elements, beads, chain, leather, ribbon, whatever you have on hand!  I've made a few of these now and am really enjoying the look and feel on the wrist.  FUN!

"But Karen", you say, "Will the faux enamel really stay on the metal?  Won't it rub off?"  Well, this stuff is pretty amazing.  The first time I used it, after heating with the heat gun and melting the powder on, I immediately dropped the cuff on the floor, while still hot and "gooey".  I picked it up (using a towel cause that sucker was hot), and some of the semi-liquid enamel had rubbed off (and also now stains my floor mat), but only a top layer. Cursing, I cooled the metal in the sink, then tried to sand away all of the enamel powder to start over.  I COULDN'T!  I went at that thing with a sanding sponge, sandpaper, and diamond files.  Yes, if I had spent the rest of the day working on it I would have gotten it all off, but by no means was it coming off easily.  And that was before sealing with Everbrite.  So, I am pretty confident that this stuff stays on and will hold up over time.  I also think a textured surface will "grab" the faux enamel better as well.  If you are really concerned, I suggest using Ice Resin to seal.  Takes 24 hours to cure, but then you really have a totally impervious coating.  

So, give Iced Enamels a try and let me know what you think!!  You can find great tutorials and ideas online at the Ice Resin website.  Go nuts!

the queen of cold connections

mary jane dodd

in my world is susan lenart kazmer - her book 'making connections' has inspired and educated me more than i could ever quantify. 

i love fire and torches, i do. 

but the challenges i find with cold connecting - from both the technical and design aspects - are very satisfying. 

this book has spent many a night on my belly, as i have fallen asleep while trying to absorb all that i could - desiring to find ways of integrating her knowledge into my language. 

she teaches rivets of various kinds, prongs, hinges, staples, etc. 

there are times you may want to set something that doesn't work with fire - like a resin cab or fibers - 

mjd - portal to awakening 2011

staci showed us a great example of cold connection yesterday in her halloween post - 

winkartisans

see how she linked her chain segments together with the spiraled wire?

while inspiration abounds and much is learned from personal experimentation, having a solid source of information can be invaluable. that is what this book has been for me. 

Putting the ART in Art Jewelry - By Karen McGovern

From the beginning of my designing life, I have been attracted to unusual, weird jewelry and art like a moth to a flame.  I have never been very interested in what I considered “department store jewelry”.  Shiny, diamond-y, expensive…just not my thing.  “Fine” jewelry is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, just not for me. 

Instead, I have always gravitated to the “outside the jewelry box” type designs.  Susan Lenart Kazmer and Tessa Rickard Carpenter influenced my work from the moment I set eyes on theirs.  Susan, because she uses so many wonderful found objects and unusual materials in her work and also because she is completely unafraid to create big, crazy, sometimes un-wearable designs.  More on that in a moment… 

Two of Susan's unbelievable works.  The one on the left is a resin doll
creation that comes apart into a stack bracelet set and a ring.  The other
is a fantasitc collar of resin papers and a jillion other things...beautiful!

Tessa struck me with her wonderful, wonderful weirdness.  I am weird.  She is weird.  We are kindred!  Tessa is a master metal smith and jewelry instructor.  She uses things like plastic animals and antique false teeth in her rings, pendants and brooches.  YES, I SAID ANTIQUE FALSE HUMAN TEETH.  She hand constructs amazing settings and puts completely bizarre stuff in them, creating gorgeous, crazy, stunning works of wearable art.  She and I will be friends forever because she traded me a few tiny cast bronze babies a while back.  I used them in some of my most favorite designs to date.  She made me a set of stacking rings created from single, tiny bronze baby chopped up and set in tiny discs.  It is one of my all time favorite ring sets.  I have a photo of one of her lockets pinned over my work bench.  It’s been there for years, a total source of inspiration for me.  Her materials may be unorthodox, but her execution and construction are FLAWLESS.

The Tessa locket I adore....sigh....

Anyway, my point is, that neither Susan or Tessa confine themselves in any way shape or form.  Both create works that some may find overwhelming, sometimes disturbing and not jewelry-like in the least.  True ART JEWELRY by my definition.  I wanted to ask in this post if any of you ever create designs for the pure joy of creating, without worrying about whether or not the finished result will reside within the conventional definition of “wearable jewelry”?? 

SLK inspired rings.  My favorite is the tall
grass ring.  Yes, I kept it, and yes, I wear it!!

I do this quite a bit.  Especially with my “storybook” or Sacred Salvage designs.  These designs are usually accompanied by a short story or poem, and some of them are intended to be shown on their own as art when not being worn.  I create a shadow-box, stand, or some means to hang the piece on a wall.  They are meant to be displayed outside a jewelry box.  Some are extravagant statement pieces, some are just down-right strange.  All were wonderful and cathartic to create.  Some will never be sold, simply because it will take an adventurous individual to embrace them, and also because I find it hard to part with them when I’m done!!!  I’ve added some photos here, including a few of what my husband refers to as my “creepy baby” designs.  While not for everyone, these designs are some of my favorites to date.  They reflect my intention to explore what is possible in jewelry design, my desire to tell stories, and my passion for creating something beyond “pretty”.  Does that make sense?  Does it have to?



Tessa's tiny bronze babies feature heavily here, along with antique
miniature porcelain German dolls I collect. Two of the bronze babies
are attached to antique sterling silver olive serving spoons.
Oh, and a ring made from coyote teeth.

Art jewelry is all about giving three-dimensional life to your inner thoughts and inspirations.  Not being afraid to make a ring that reaches for the sky, break rules, to use materials that others may tell you do not belong in jewelry design.  Oh yeah?  You don’t want to know what I’d say to that person…..hang on to your dentures, Dear.  If not, I can make you a killer pair of earrings or a ring using them… 

If you have explored the limits of art jewelry, please share your works with us.  I’d love to see how far you’ve dared to go….and then encourage you to go farther!! 

I’ve included here a link to a tutorial for one of my most fun rings called a Party Hat Ring.  You can take this ring as far as you want (GO TALL, BABY!), and it is one of the more wearable of my crazy jewelry designs.  I use this ring as a teaching tool to introduce cold connection and it is a BLAST to make.  My favorite element in the ring shown below is a pink plastic polishing wheel—they are FABULOUS for rings (so are the fabric polishing wheels).  Yes, this ring is a party for your finger, and worthy of display anywhere, on or off your hand.

I made this particular Party Hat Ring for myself using an antique
patterned brass band, gears, patina copper, bone, polishing
wheel, enamel steel wire and pearls.  One of my favorites!

Resin - A Love/Hate Relationship by Karen McGovern

Resin has come a long way, baby. I've recently been experimenting with jeweler's resin, thanks to the inspiration of Susan Lenart Kazmer and her Ice Resin. Ice Resin is a fairly recent development in the mixed media art jewelry world, an easy to use, crystal-clear resin specific for jewelry design. The possibilities are endless...fill bezels and embed gems, color it with inks or powders, layer it, add metals, glitter, dried flowers, coat art paper, anything you can think of. It's quite amazing what you can do with a bit of imagination and some free time.

As you probably figured out from the title of this post, I both love and hate resin. I love it because my head is filled with a million ideas to use it, I hate it because I am the most impatient person on Earth and have limited time and space to work on jewelry in the first place. Working with resin takes time, patience, and attention to detail. Three strikes, I'm out!

For those of you that haven't tried Ice Resin (or similar products, the are several jeweler's resins out there now), I encourage you to do so, but be prepared. You need a dedicated, clean space to work, and a clean, dust-free space to cure. Cure time is at least 24 hours. I'm including some links and photos here of my favorite products and artists working with resin to inspire you. It really is a fantastic art product that totally frustrates the Hell out of me! I long to be able to create works like these, from Altered Alchemy and Susan...gorgeous! Sigh....

I am a schizophrenic artist at best. I flit between projects, never make the same thing twice, and jump between media like a jack rabbit. I also screw up...a LOT. So, I shall share my most recent resin screw-up, which I actually managed to salvage, thanks to a surprising automotive product. Are you on the edge of your seats yet??

I recently was inspired to make a ring based on a pomegranate. I constructed a brass ring with a dish-style bezel. Really pleased with how that turned out. I planned to fill the dish with tiny garnets in resin, representing pomegranate seeds. As usual, I was going for broke, in a hurry, and mixed what I thought was the perfect amount of resin, and set my garnets. Lovely. I carefully placed the ring in a clamp, set it in a dust free space (a shelf in my kitchen) and tried not to have a brain embolism waiting 24 hours. The next day I snatched the ring from the clamp and found the garnets resting in a pile of sticky goo. What the...?? Okay, maybe it needs to cure a bit more....imagine the Jeopardy theme song in the back of your mind as I waited, and waited. Test number two, now 48 hours...still a pile of goo, with garnets in it. Craptastic! At this point I had to accept that I had not mixed the resin correctly. I obviously used too much resin and not enough hardener, even though I thought I was being very careful. You need to be precise, one part resin, one part hardener. Soooo, I spent an hour scraping the mess out of the setting. When I was done, the setting was free of most of the resin glob, but still coated with a film of sticky gunk. How to clean? I didn't 't want to use paint thinner, I was afraid it would affect the patina I had painstakingly created on the brass. Salvation came in the form of a can of WD40. I knew WD40 worked well to remove adhesive residue, so I spritzed it into the setting, and wiped it around with a Q-Tip. Viola! The resin wiped away completely, and the patina wasn't affected at all. Rinse, dry, ready to go again. This time I used calibrated syringes to measure out the resin and hardener, mixed, poured, set the stones, and THANK YOU JESUS IT WORKED.

WD40, the miracle in a can, and the ring that tried to kill me.

The moral of this story? Patience is indeed a virtue, which I do not possess...and, WD40 is pretty awesome.

Also, there is another type of resin out there for those of us who need instant gratification. UV resin. Lisa Pavelka's Magic Gloss is a pre-mixed, ready to pour resin that cures in sunlight in about 5 minutes. It must be exposed to UV light to cure, you can even purchase a UV bulb set-up specific for this resin. Nunn Design also has their own version, and the product is fantastic. BUT, you cannot color or free-embed anything using this resin, since the UV light has to penetrate completely to cure (yes, I learned this the hard way). I love this product for coating paper/photos or filling bezels that are fixed with items glued down to the base. Resin-coated papers are my favorite thing at the moment...more on that in my next post--"Resin-nating" (see what I did there??).

 

A necklace I made featuring vintage nudes UV-resin set in steel wire frames.





Until then, give resin a try and let me know,what you think. Share some pics and stories about your experiences. Stay sticky, my friends....