New week. New Techniques - Part Two

[ P e w t e r . ]

This the first time I've ever worked with pewter and I absolutely loved it! The block of solid metal quickly melts under the heat of the blowtorch and can then be poured into a mold.

Not a great photo (its very dark in that corner of the workshop!) but here is the pewter just after being poured into clay. I had pressed the metal shape into the wet clay first to form the outline. As you can see the pewter is very free flowing so can easily spill, but the great thing is it can be melted down to be used again if it does go wrong! 

Above are my first experiments, the on the left was created using the same silicon mould I poured plaster into earlier in the week & it came out lovely and textured but did melt the mould a bit so I'll have to explore this with a different material next time.

Continuing on with the same domed shape I enlisted the help of my tutor Ed to help make a wooden press mould to press sheet metal into. This requires lots of precise calculations which is definitely not my strong point so I was very glad of the help!

This is still in the process of being made so I'll keep you posted on whether this worked in the end or not!

New week. New Techniques. - Part One

This week has been a week of experimentation & trying out new techniques which has been exciting & inspiring and given me lots of new possibilities to explore in my work!

For the first technique I worked with plaster and mould making. I was given some leftover silicon to play with and this is what happened..    

Below on the right is the object I used for casting, from my collection of rusty pieces. I'm not sure exactly where its from but I found the shape & texture really interesting, especially where there are folds and creases in the metal. Its also much more fragile in nature than the photo portrays, which is in contrast to the solid plaster version. 
When I first saw it, the shape reminded me of those brightly coloured flying saucer sweets! 

I'm excited to continue working with this shape and developing it in other materials.

[ Liebster Award ]

I've been nominated for the 'Liebster Award' by Alex from Lifestylefunxion, thank you Alex! The Liebster Awards are basically a platform for new bloggers to share a little bit about themselves & the rules are as follows...

Link back to the person that nominated you.

Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.

Nominate 11 bloggers that have less than 200 followers and notify them.

Make a list of 11 questions for them to answer.

1. What are you most proud of?

I am probably most proud of the fact that I've managed to come back to university this year after having to take time off due to illness on 2014. I was diagnosed with M.E/CFS a few years ago(see Katharine's post about being at university with M.E here for a great explanation of how it feels & more details about the illness.) and it all caught up with me and I wasn't able to do the long hours and massive workload of an art course on top of being unwell. Luckily, although it has by no means gone away, I am now so close to finally finishing my Design Crafts degree, fingers crossed I will get there after a few more months of hard work!

2. What is your favorite blog? 

At the moment I'm really enjoying posts from Apartment Apothecary & Claireabellemakes, especially the DIY pieces!

3. Who is your biggest fashion inspiration?

I don't have one particular inspiration, I take inspiration from lots of different places, Instagram, magazines, charity shops & friends.

4. What is your favorite drink?

I've been drinking so much tea at the moment in the studio and a lot of coffee to keep me awake!

5. What if your favorite outfit?

Definitely my mom jeans at the moment (a bit like these ones below from Amy) with a T-shirt or blouse, glittery socks and lots of jewellery. 

6. What is your favorite magazine?

I've recently discovered 'Oh Comely' I love the layout, drawings & photos and its been great for sketchbook inspiration & scrapbooking. 

7. Makeup or clothes?

Clothes. (and jewellery!) 

8. What is your favorite film?

I don't really have a favourite film (I usually fall asleep before I get to the end anyway!) but I love anything about crime or serial killers - I was going to do criminology at uni before I chose Design Crafts.

9. Do you have any pets?

We have two really cute but slightly stupid dogs, Zack & Olly. 

Olly - Likes jumping on your lap when you least expect it, eats anything & loves swimming.

Zack - Steals all of Olly's toys, is scared of loud noises
& is obsessed with mealtimes. 

10. What is your favorite colour?

Mint green, or anything neon!

I nominate the following blogs to join in...

Debbie of 'Duck and Duffel'

Ruth of 'Blue Eggs and Tea'

Katharine from 'Katharine and me'

Anna from 'Life in the slow lane with me'

Kate of 'Made by Mrs M'

Emma of 'The Turquoise Door'

Jess from 'Jess cfs'

Sophia of 'Spoonie Sophia'

Chloe from 'M.E and me'

Emma from 'Emmas Looking Glass'

Emma of 'Emmadrusilla'
Faye from 'Freckles & All'

My questions to you...

1. What inspires you?
2. Why did you start your blog?

3. What new skill would you most like to learn?
4. Favourite place to visit.

5. What do you hope to accomplish this year?
6. What is your favourite piece of jewellery?
7. Share the blogs you most enjoy reading.
8. Summer or winter?
9. Do you speak any other languages?
10. What makes you happy?
11. Favourite quote.

Looking forward to reading all of  your answers! x 

Look closer, everything is interesting.

On one of the only sunny afternoons last week I took my new camera out around Leicester looking for inspiration...

Weathered metal.

When you look closer there are many beautiful old buildings around the city & even those that aren't at first glance often have interesting and unexpected details. Above is a pillar from a car park - I love the peeling layers of weathered metal, the colours are something I would love to recreate in my own work.

Rusty post.

Worn nails.

Peeling paint.

What inspires you around where you live?

Rusty Finds.

Since coming back to university in January I've been collecting rusty objects for my current project. In my last project I used an old burnt out barrel my Dad found at the bottom of the garden as my main material and this has sparked a bit of an obsession with everything rust, as you will see! 

My friend Amy's parents have just moved into a new house in the countryside and in the woods at the back there was massive haul of old, rusty objects which Amy kindly managed to stuff in her car & bring back to Leicester for me! If you are interested in contemporary jewellery take a look at Amy's lovely work here.

My absolute favourite piece from this collection is this beautiful, falling apart bike, which had been there for so long it even had a tree growing through it!

As if this wasn't enough rust to be getting on with, me and fellow Design Crafter Alice (www.instagram.com/alicevictoria_textiles) took a trip to visit 'Rusty Rick' a man we found on Ebay who had a very interesting selection of rust covered items! See below for the pieces I chose.

Vintage mole traps, horse bits & pitch fork.

& this is part of the amazing horse bridle (more on this later) with the leather strap and buckle still intact.

I'll be keeping you updated on how I transform these objects so keep a look out! 

Let me know what you think about the rust, do you think its beautiful & interesting or belongs in the bin? I'd love to hear your opinions!

// Hello //

Hi I'm Katy, a Design Crafts student at DMU in Leicester. I'm coming up to the end of my final year and this blog will document my final major project, the lead up to degree show and everything that inspires me along the way! And of course as I continue to make after graduating! 

I work mainly in metal & textiles but often include unexpected materials in my designs and at the moment I'm focusing on creating jewellery pieces. I love anything old and worn, particularly if its really rusty, as you will see from my current project! Neon colours, pom-poms and anything mint green are also a favourite.

I hope you'll enjoy following my journey as I develop my work and hopefully go on to become a designer/maker after university! If you blog too share your site below, I'd love to have a read! 

Katy x 

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