progress update

I've promised you an update on my beads, some photos in a daylight....here they are, although there was no proper day light here all weekend (I live in Glasgow and it is very gloomy here recently...)
I tried my best to do some proper shoots, I don't have a great camera either but the result isn't that bad.

First are the beads from the bracelet project. I have mentioned before I had some troubles making colors as they should be but I think I accidentally found the reason. Not too sure yet if this is the real reason, but I've noticed that Premo has different shades of gold and what I was using was an antique gold...not just pure gold color. Maybe this is the reason why my gold was so powerful in my beads and turned everything in the sea green shade? My new polymer clay order will be with me soon so I will be able to check this out.
I made a focal bead for this bracelet as well, but I can't find those spacer heishi beads which I am looking for anywhere on ebay.co.uk, so the project has to wait now...

This is the best close up of the focal bead from pendant I am doing for my friend...I would like to finish this with some silver wire beads maybe, not sure exactly what I will do in the end. The bead is quite strong already with the shape and color. I have to decide, I was also thinking about some small coral-marble beads on top of it, will see... This is my first attempt of sanding and buffing, it is not as smooth as I would like it to be. I didn't expect it is so easy to destroy the shape...You can notice the shape lost a little bit of its curve on the orange part....

And the last photo from today is the update on what I've got in total so far...the beads are not polished and finished yet (with brown shoe polish, acrylic paint  and so on) I can't wait to the final result....

And today I made a whole bunch of oats cookies for my children...yummy yummy...little hands have found them already!

Another bracelet

I've been working recently on another project from the Ronna's book, a lovely purple mix bracelet:

I really like the 'look and feel'  Ronna had achieved here, great balance between the texture, shape and color of course...as always... so here it is mine first attempt...

I have made a bunch of them but I have to say, I am not pleased. It was hard to match proper color despite the fact I was sticking to the color recipe from the book. Golden from Premo is very intense, it turned everything in a sea green...so I have to play a little bit more with it, but...
...Yesterday I was working on a little birthday present for my friend, in a meantime I was playing with ''the marbling thing'' using clay scraps from the discs set (quite often just playing is the part when real creativity starts to flow) and there IT IS! I think I have found my way to marbling. I made nine little discs but  three in particular where exactly as I wanted them to be.

You can easily see those three light sea green discs, with a little bit of golden and white...They look a lot better than my whole bunch above which is too bland I think....

On the knitting needle I have a focal bead for the bracelet, I quite like it apart from the fact I have to add some more strings. I didn't realize that transculent clay can darken so much. I left some space between the strings, but after baking it looks unfinished rather than made on purpose...I will add photo later because I have to take it in the daylight...Unfortunately for me I can't find anywhere on uk ebay those spacer discs used in this project, so I am not sure when I will be able to assemble it all together...

Another bead on the needle is the yellow one. I am very pleased with the marble effect I have achieved here (remember those beads are my first and only samples so far...). I have mixed yellow with white and transculent. In my opinion looks lovely, quite dramatic but I like it that way. It can be used as a great focal bead in another bracelet or some necklace maybe.
Those three small beads next to it are made from leftovers and I am also quite pleased with them.

I have noticed my thinking has developed. I am trying to think about texture, size, shape and color a little bit more. Figure out first where is the focal point in the piece I want to make, how to achieve the best possible balance, and how to let those beads to shine at their best...at the moment more of it happens in my head only as I am very limited with time I can spend on claying...I try to look at the best possible artists I can find, and learn from them. Hopefully sooner than later I will be able to add my own mark on their technique and designs to create my own unique style but for now as I just began to learn..I am pleased with 'trying to copy' phase...

The last bead on the photo is the focal bead for my friend's birthday, I made it using form design from Linda Peterson's book ''How to Make Polymer Clay Beads'' and the color inspiration attempt was from Kathleen's Dustin '' blowing grass'' purse.

I love this color combination, although this photo does not give the purse the justice...I have another shoot of it from opposite angle in Maggie Maggio and Lindly Haunani book : Polymer Clay Color Inspirations, where you can really admire Kathleen craft!
The colors didn't turn out as beautiful but those are my very first attempts so I can't expect too much!
I am going to combine this bead with silver wire and some silver beads, and add some glossy finish maybe...will see. Probably I will do another version of it or two for myself or my mum, there is a lot to learn here...

I will add proper daylight photos of the beads during the weekend, I am quite busy till Friday. See you then.

new work space..:))))))

My husband is a real teasure, he agreed to convert our smallest room into my mini studio space.
I had mentioned that before but here is the photo:

as you can see in the close up, I made a mess already, but it is a healthy, working, inspirational mess...

I also have another separate table here, for my other 'arty' stuff I am going to start soon (hopefully this year). It is really a comfort now for me to work here, I can trully relax and don't worry I have to tidy up for the morning - how great is THAT!