20/8/2010 3 Comments Maori Women - Episode #1At last, I have something to show for all my research and scribbling! I have got several more to do, but at least I can start work on these now. My series will consist of a selection of famous Maori women, who are known for their achievements in various spheres. So far, I have: Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the late Maori Queen Guide Makareti 'Maggie' Papakura Huria Matenga, heroine of the wreck of the Delaware I also intend to include as many of the following as I can: Meri Mangakahia, suffragette and activist Iriaka Ràtana, first Maori woman MP Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano Whina Cooper, leader and activist Princess Te Puea Hèrangi Ahumai te Paerata, the heroine of Orakau Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi, teacher and advocate of Maori language and culture Merata Mita, film-maker Rangi Topeora, chieftainess of Ngàti Toa, signatory of the Treaty of Waitangi Erihàpeti Rehu-Murchie, Human Rights Commissioner Rangimàrie Hetet - artist the list goes on! Here is the first of two portraits I have done of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the late Maori Queen. I have chosen to develop this piece rather than the other because of her welcoming, happy aspect. I can almost feel that, under her cloak, her arms are out for a hug. Guide Maggie is a fascinating woman, too. There are a large number of pictures of her around, and a lot of literature about her. I like this picture of her, she looks like an interesting person. In the picture I drew this from, she is leaning against a post, which I have yet to add. You can read a bit more about her and many of the other women here. Huria Matenga, heroine of the wreck of the Delaware, was the first subject suggested to me when I mentioned I was going to do this series, and I can see why - her story really stick with you. Read it here. In my picture, she looks as if she's about to burst out laughing, so I need to fix that a bit... :P Maybe she'll look a bit more solemn once I've shaded her in again...
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19/8/2010 0 Comments Portraits... and Maori WomenSo I've started on the detail for the leotard, and I am also halfway through the images for my Maori women series... I'm about to scan and add them, so watch this space!!
So, I've now completed the hand-drawn part of the work. I've worked on my first draft so that the face is a bit better, the arms are corrected, and I'm ready to 'ink': So I have to go over the lines in black pen, then erase the pencil, then go over all the lines again. I have photocopied the image at each stage, so you can see the process: Check out the crazy thing my scanner did! I think it got a bit stuck... Anyway, now I can get on to my favourite part - the colours. Now, I have coloured these very roughly to show what it could look like, but acutally there are still several hours of touch-ups left. I have to make sure that all the lines are complete, get rid of any pesky white dots, and make sure that all the different zones of colour work well together. But as a quick overview, here you go: So you see, when you look at the original, there's still quite a bit of work to be done!
16/8/2010 1 Comment Portrait of a Lady - continuedWow, that was a hell of a mission! My old scanner just isn't on Canon's list of priorities any more, and I realised that as I lent my old PC out I couldn't scan my work!!! Luckily for this guy, who is a frikkin godsend!!! I was able to install it on my NEW PC, saving me the annoying extra steps of scanning, copying to USB stick, move to other PC and download off USB stick...
So here is my first draft of Dolly Dagger, a Real Hot Bitch currently based in Melbourne, Australia. 15/8/2010 0 Comments Portrait of a ladyI'm thrilled to announce that I have the permission of the stunning Dolly Dagger to use her portrait as an example piece for my artwork commission section, so watch this space, the piece is in progress now!!!
11/8/2010 0 Comments Plating up the shininessHow you serve up your creations is just as important with crafts as it is with food. Packaging, presentation, dressing and stall layout - 'plating' is one of the things that I am constantly struggling to improve! Below are a selection of images from my years of stalls... As you can see, I am always changing the layout but I still want a good way to get height while remaining transportable and wind-safe... Greg, the latest display box I made, with the help of my friend Tim. I'm not entirely sure how he got his name, but one day it just came to me. Greg is sturdy enough to withstand Wellington winds, and when I tie ribbons around the stock, he also allows me to display earrings and other packaged items without worrying about them being damaged. Greg is showing off my older packaging here, with cardboard and cellophane. I now use simpler cellophane-only packaging, as it wears better. Shown here at Craft 2.0, March the 6th, 2010. I have designed and put together my whole packaging philosophy and style myself, working from the awesome logo that my friend Ed designed for me, as well as my own silhouette of Phersu created for my research essay. I use black and white versions of my collages, printed on business cards, hand-punched and hand-packaged in crystal-clear cellophane bags and finished with labels I have again designed myself. The packaging is essential to protect the glass finish and keep the pairs of earrings together, as well as making them easier to display and adding to the advertising and merchandising potential of the business cards by ensuring there is one with every pair sold, as part of the packaging. It also means that, if anything should go wrong, the customer is more likely to have my contact details so that I can put it right. One of my biggest risks so far has been the enormous investment in Riker Mounts as display boxes - they were a huge outlay and I couldn't tell until they went out there if people would like them. Luckily, they look even better than I had expected and add a real 'collectable' element to my work, making it even more precious and special. The boxes also protect the items for travel and postage, especially John's hand-painted model plane earrings, made of cast plastic resin and painstakingly coated and finished with minuscule decals (stickers). Pictured here are a pair of Vought Corsairs. All these earrings come with Sterling Silver hooks as standard. 10/8/2010 3 Comments Convalescing in the sunThere's certainly something to be said for being home with the flu - even if I'm too tired and weak to do much, it's amazing the difference a little sunshine makes! So I've been sitting in the sun, nibbling toast and watching the old Robin of Sherwood series on DVD, and thinking about my latest range. The biggest challenge I have come up against is that not everyone treats their jewellery in the same way - I can't stand washing my hands with rings on, but some people simply never take their rings off! So I have to cater for these people, too, and make hardier rings. The problem is that I have to use water-based lacquers, for my safety and for that of my customers, but this can cause rings and cufflinks to fail if they'r exposed to too much water or steam - so I have to find another way around it. For some time now, I have wanted to try making rings and cufflinks using the 'memory glass' technique. 'Memory glass' is basically a sandwich of two thin slices of glass around an image or memory, bound together with copper tape and soldered. The challenge has been how to make this work for me... and now that I finally have a soldering iron that works, I have begun! As usual, I apply my image to one piece of glass; then bind the other piece and the appropriate findings with adhesive copper tape and coat it in solder. Sound easy? I thought so! But there are pitfalls - the glass can't overheat or the lacquer melts; the metal findings heat up, too, so they have to be held out of the way; I need a sponge to keep the solder tip clean and finally, I need to keep the solder smooth enough without losing the interesting texture... so much to learn! Luckily, my cats are here to keep me company, and keep an eye on those pesky fish! Shasha is the black and white one, and her mother is the tabby, Responsibility (known as Billie). Shasha suffers from an excess of curiosity - earlier today, not long after this photo, she took on something that was buzzing against the window... then went shooting off around the house with the buzzing creature latched into her fur! Sounds like a sleepy bumble bee, so I hope she wasn't stung. She seems fine now, lolling in the sunshine. 10/8/2010 0 Comments FIRST!Well, I have finally found the time to start my blog! I am into my third year of making jewellery now, and I am always finding new ideas.
But how did I get to this stage? In November 2007, I was browsing online and found some lovely, calla lily-shaped beads. I decided to make some earrings out of them, but that meant I woud have to get some more beads. And findings. And then I had to use up the leftover beads... and so it grew, until I started selling them at markets. For some time, I spent small amounts on stalls and beads, not really getting anywhere, then I discovered my true calling - beautiful glass. I have been making items with glass and Lucite for a couple of years now. I started with pendants, then earrings, brooches, rings, cufflinks... and I have been putting my own artwork into them as well. I started out making digital collages, made of collections of images and gradually built up by hand until I had an image I liked. I have also drawn the Roller Derby and Aviator series. Gradually, I have found the best glass shapes for my work, and the ideal settings for them, although I never stop looking! |
AuthorCat is an artist and craftswoman who makes pieces of happiness in beautiful Wellington, New Zealand. ArchivesCategories |