Boot Camp: Hoops and Negative Space

by Staci L. Smith

I was going to do a little tutorial on soldering hoops, but MaryAnne posted this great video that did all the work for me!  Thanks MaryAnne!

 

So it allows me to talk today about why I love using hoops / loops in my designs and some ideas of how to use them. 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always been drawn to hoops, whether in the form of wire or a donut bead.  They offer endless possibilities in design.  They can be a focal piece or an accent.  The can be connectors, or made into chain.  The form of the hoop, can give you an array designs and styles to chose from.

 

I personally like the negative space it creates.

Negative space is a space that is not occupied, or taken up by a focal piece.  It is used in great paintings, to push your eye to the main focal point of the picture, or to keep your eye moving around the piece. 

 

I find that water color artists often are the masters of negative space in paintings.  Below is a good example.  See how the negative space between the trees allows you to focus on the trees themselves? 

 

 

Painting by Pat Howard of the Painted Prism

http://thepaintedprism.blogspot.com/2012/05/watercolor-workshop-negative-painting.html

 

In jewelry, not only does a hoop provide negative space, but it can also lighten up a large piece of jewelry by occupying more area, using less material.  Using heavy stones, ceramic and glass can weigh a piece of jewelry down.  Especially if you like your jewelry large like I do.  Hoops allow me to make the pieces more wearable.

 

Creating a large focal using hoops, like this piece, allows you have a large piece that is very light, both in actuality and to the visually.

 

 

 

Adding negative space can also break up a flow of solid chunkiness, to give the eye a break from the heaviness, and since its a hoop, it carries the eye through the piece, without creating a break that is unappealing.

 

 

 

In fact, I am so drawn to negative space, I even started adding it to my beads, as in these skeleton hearts I created in polymer clay.

 

 

 

I have used hoops this year, to allow me to make some simpler pieces, that can still be funky.  In this piece, I used a simple loop to hang a bead I loved from.  That way, the focus is the paisley bead (by Diana of Suburban Girl Studio).  A very simple design, that is light and chunky at the same time.

 

 



Here I soldered some loops together and gave them a verdigris patina, and they have become the focal point.  I made it asymmetrical, so it could still be funky, yet it is light and simple at the same time.

 

 

Hoops don't have to be empty though, and I have also used them to frame beads that I want to accent, like in this piece with a fancy Joan Miller Bead

 

 

I hope you enjoyed a little trip through my mind, and how and why I love the shape of the hoop.  I also hope its inspired you to use them in jewelry creations.  Hoops span all styles of jewelry.  It is the most basic form.  It can be simple or complex.

 

Please share you hoop /loop creations in our Flickr group this month for the current Boot Camp.  I also hope you will join us on

 

October  14th for the blog hop, and show off what you have been making with hoops!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



boot camp - hoops

mary jane dodd

hoop made with single piece of wire

i wanted to see if i could make a hoop with one piece of 16 gauge wire that met a couple of needs.

1 - attach to an ear wire in a way that holds it in place

2 - allow for a dangle on the inside

this sample hasn't gotten a liver of sulphur treatment yet or been through a tumbler, but i think you can see that it has a rustic nature that moves us into the cooler months.  using 16 gauge wire will create a frame that can handle ceramic or visually 'weightier' dangles in the center. 

wrap your wire around an object with the diameter you desire, make sure to leave at least an inch extra on each side. 

remove it from the object (i used a  mandrel), and hold the center with a pair of pliers. 

bend one piece of wire up across the pliers - this is sometimes called 'breaking the neck'

bend the wire over your round nose pliers to create a half circle.

'break the neck' again to create a loop at the top. keep in mind that you want it to be arched enough that you can not only hang it from an ear wire, but have clearance on the lower wire for a jump ring or wire wrap as well. 

at this point you will also want to trim your wire to about an inch on either side. use a hammer to flatten the ends, then file them smooth.

loop one side under and wrap around. given that this is a heavier wire, you will probably need to use pliers to accomplish this. when you get to the flattened end, tighten it against the center wire.  repeat on other side. 

use your hammer to texture and slightly flatten the hoop. a good tip for keeping your fingers safe and ensuring that you don't hammer over the wire wrappings is to place only the lower part of the hoop on your anvil or bench block. hammering on top of where wire is wrapped only weakens the wire. 

polish your metal bright (because of course, this can be made of any metal wire you like) or give it an antiqued look with liver of sulphur. polish it up and you have a hoop that is ready to be adorned. 

It's just a circle, right?

by Barbara Bechtel

Today I thought I would reflect a little on our current Art Jewelry Boot Camp theme, Hoops! After all, a hoop is just a circle, right? The circle being one of the most basic shapes can often be over looked in its simplicity but has held meaning for humans for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

We're all familiar with the symbol of the circle as it pertains to marriage and weddings. The wedding ring represents a symbol of unending love and fidelity. The long tradition of a simple round band has long been a tradition.

We're all familiar with the circle as it pertains to the circle of life. The unending circle of birth, life, and death. In Native American culture, this circle is often represented as a medicine wheel and in Japanese symbology by the Enso. In popular music, it is often referenced by the "wheel", the "wagon wheel", or the "wheel in the sky".

In this post, I wrote about my mobius links as another variation of the hoop and circle.

In what ways have you found the circle symbolized in your work?

How to Make Wire Bangles

MaryAnn Carroll

So, what have I done for our Hoops Boot Camp?  Well, I watched this very short little video on how to make bangles and then added my own little twist.

The video is short and right to the point.... just like me! lol! I'm not really short, but I have been known to get right to the point! 

With that said,why start changing my reputation at 53, I will get right to it!

Here are some different views of the three bangles that I made. I decided to use copper wire as well as adding my own ceramic beads to a couple of them. The third one is probably a 10 gauge wire (not sure, but I got it at Lowes) and I soldered one of my hammered copper tubes to it.

When watching the video, I did not think that 8" seemed like long enough, but after wearing these, that I cut to 8.5", I would say that I am sure that it is.  I also used copper solder that I had recently purchased at a bead show near my home (one of the very few - often not so great) in Syracuse, NY. Copper solder is interesting to work with and I definitely need some more practice, but I like that it blends in with copper, since that is my metal of choice.

Have you been busy making some new hoop designs? If you come up with something that you think is unique, maybe you will even offer a tutorial on "share" day..... That would be very cool!

So, I have reached my end for today. I had three year old grandson overnight last night. Today, I glazed what were supposed to be a few beads for Bill's wood-firing tomorrow, but they didn't turn out to be a few and I just finished doing another "few" things for Bill while he loads the kiln.  It is 9:40 and I am beyond pooped! Gotta get up at 5:30 am tomorrow for week two of the 2013/2014 school year. It's already going by fast!

I'd love to hear what you are doing with your latest jewelry endeavors.

And, I just couldn't end this any other way....... but..... to.....

Thank-you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn