Doodles

So I have been trying to get my head around this project again so have been doodling in prep for some final pieces. I'm not sure if I've posted any sketchbook for this project before but it actually differs from how I use sketchbooks for jewellery design: more flowing and expressive whereas I'm more technical with jewellery. 

A Rusty Haul

We must apologise for our absence from this blog - it has been a rather busy couple of weeks for us both! In the interim, before we get our teeth back into things, we have been on a joint scavenge for rusty goodies.

The image above - and a rather poor quality image at that, (I am in the process of moving homes at the moment so have been unable to get things together to photograph properly), shows our findings from a short walk along the Riverside. Although, dark and blurry, I like this image as it reminds me of museum displays; collections of curious implements and tools. I find this a very inspiring mode of research - each of the items found tell a different story and some hold such intrigue as we pose question to what they began as at all! I hope to post better photographs soon as the gradation of the rust and the different effects of the process are aesthetically very interesting, and indeed the shapes and altered forms themselves. Some are brilliant orange and others are mottled with such a range of colour and filing, that they appear only a muddied, ruined 'thing'. I feel it was a hugely successful trip - definite food for thought in developing our project. I feel it will help me to move in a less literal manner.

Fabric Samples

In response to an earlier post in which Nicola and I discussed the possibility of producing rusty prints from rubbings, I have experimented with fabric swatches. Having begun with different weighted papers I found that too smooth or dry a surface encourages the rust to simply flake away. In order to make successful prints from the rust deposits a damp surface is needed. Samples previous to the paper below were dampened before rubbing but without prolonged contact with the damp surface, produced a weak print. The paper below was left overnight in damp conditions pressed against a pre-rusted paper clip chain.

 The results, though strong in colour, lack form.

I found that fabric treated with diluted vinegar and kept in the same conditions as the above, produced a far clearer print, with the fabric moulding to shape as it dried.

I think that making literal prints such as this could be an interesting way of making printed jewellery e.g. an emulative necklace or bracelet.

Initial Doodles etc.

Most of the items from Nicola that I am attempting to rust/affect at the moment have been plated in some form, so there are no big changes to be seen as yet - my vinegar solutions and concoctions are still working away! So in the mean time I wanted to post a couple of sketches to indicate what I'm aiming for in my experiments with repetition...

 I think that the larger hooks and eyes will produce some really lovely rusted prints - different compositions will work well as stand alone images or as long lines of emulative chains. I think I will begin with silks and glazed cottons.

A few rubbings to give an intial impression of how the imagery should appear. And below, a print made from rusted paper clips on parchment. The paper clips rust fairly easily and immediately came to mind when I began to consider the idea of creating links and chains - they're proving useful in these early stages. Hopefully, I'll be able to make more of this ilk when the pearl wire rings and brace clasps have succumbed to the rust!

And again, further paper clip experiments. I like the different grades of rustiness on each - all are entirely individual. Can't wait to get going with the rest of our materials!