Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Ten on Tuesday: Mokume Gane Photos

I think I'm changing "Top Ten Tuesday" to simply "Ten on Tuesday". (I know there's at least one meme out there by that name, but oh well. (g)) The reason for the switch-- I found myself tending to make lists that weren't exactly a top ten "countdown", so I thought the old name might be misleading. Anyway, for now, it's "Ten on Tuesday". (g)

Today's ten focuses on beautiful photos of mokume gane (mg) with polymer clay. A photo of work by Kim Cavender (who has recently started a blog, by the way) inspired me to search the treasure troves of flickr. . .

Ten on Tuesday: Mokume Gane Photos

1. "Mokume Pendants", by Kim Cavender:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimcavender/965505568/
Gorgeous depth in these mg pendants! Based on her name for this version of mg-- "Mokume Gane to Dye For"-- I suspect that it involves some sort of dye. (Very clever of me, I know. ;o)) (A few other mg pieces are also available for your viewing pleasure, if you check out her photostream.)

2. "Katsumushi", by Jael:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaelsjewels/502937056/
Lovely blue mg-- and an interesting combination of mokume gane with canes. (There are photos of other pieces from this same mg slab, too, as well as completely different "batches". The blue heart and the "thermal imaging" style rainbow of mica clays are great.)

3. "Mokume Gane - Magnets", by mirandami:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20195140@N00/380964518/
An unusual use for mg-- slices of clay cured/glued to the back of flattened marbles! This could be a nice way to use up mg scraps, if you had some that were too small to do much else with, but too pretty to mash into scrap clay.

4. "Pulsera de cerca", by anenit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annenitartesania/376429235/
I love the colors in this mg-- aqua with flecks of gold. If you look at the photos before and after this one in her photostream, you'll find a few other pictures of this piece and some matching earrings.

5. "Celestial Forest Polymer Clay Pendant", by chickiegirlcreations (Janet):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8823440@N07/907771750/
This is a great example of how the mg technique can be used to mimic stone. There's a similar piece in pink and green, if you look through the rest of her photostream.

6. "What I did this week", by Paula I
http://www.flickr.com/photos/poppanen/1008029646/
According to the caption, polymer clay is a new hobby for her. Pretty nice results, huh? It's the colors that captivate me. . .

7. "This is my FAVORITE!", by ClaynPrazy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bysooz/1342914188/
(And we can see why! (g)) I love the sparkling green against the other colors in this piece. :o)

8. "New mokume gane pen", by Christie:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwright/291776236/
Beautiful purple and silver mg-covered pen-- an excellent example of how you can use mg for more than jewelry. There's also a photo of a switch plate covered in this same type of mg, if you look through the rest of her photostream.

9. "Lazy Woman's Mokume Gane - blue", by penguintrax (Barb):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/penguintrax/530847439/
Another take on mg-- this time using a clay gun (extruder). There's even a link to a tutorial, in the caption! Check out a "tropical" version of the same technique, also in her photostream.

10. "Electric", by Julie Picarello:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8528368@N08/1322924688/
Masterful use of the "non-translucent" mg technique. (If you like these, be sure to check out the rest of her photostream, too, as there are many other goodies in there.)


All this mokume gane has put me in the mood to "mokume", too. But that'll have to wait, as I'm already knee-deep in projects! (g)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

do u have any idea how can i make a lighter cover

Michael said...

I haven't done it before, but if you use a metal lighter cover, I think you can just shape the clay around it and bake the whole thing in the oven. Be careful to avoid air pockets between the metal and the clay, as these can expand in the oven and cause a bump on the finished piece.

It may help to cover the metal in white glue, first. Once the glue dries, it will give a little texture for the clay to grab onto.

As for where to find the metal lighter covers, I'm not sure. I just ran a quick search online with no good results, but I imagine they're available *somewhere* out there. I've seen people selling decorated covers of this kind.

Good luck! :o)

Glitterd1 said...

Thanks for including my purple pen in your list! I'm flattered!!