Statement Jewellery - Silver and Polymer Clay NEW

Create unique jewellery with two wonderfully versatile mediums – silver metal and polymer clay.

Silver metal clay enables you to make beautiful 99.9% silver jewellery in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional silver-smithing methods. Polymer clay comes in array of stunning colours and can be made to look like anything from glass to ivory. Melanie teaches multiple forms of bead, pendant and earring construction as well as professional finishing tips. You’ll get hands-on experience in rolling, texturing, cutting, shaping, layering, drilling, building and embellishing. You’ll learn how to fire or bake and then finish your pieces. At the end of the course, you’ll walk away with a number of jewellery pieces, of your own designs, as stunning, one of a kind, wearable art.

Adults: $418.00
Under 18: $242.00

Prices include GST

Details

	Age	15+
	Skill Level	Beginner
	Time slot	Whole week - full days
	Status	Bookings open July 1, 2021.
	Location	Bellingen High School

Statement Jewellery - Silver and Polymer Clay

More about the course

Day 1:

Discussion on what these contemporary clays are, the different forms they come in and how to best care for, work with and store it.
Silver Clay Intro: Make a basic textured silver clay piece that will be inserted into polymer clay later. Also make simple bails for polymer clay pendant and earrings.
Prepare pieces for firing.

Day 2:

Make silver clay bead caps with bail attached. Make silver clay curved tube beads.
Prepare pieces for firing.

Day 3:

Demo on firing with butane torch
Kiln fire pieces.
Finishing silver…brushing, polishing, tumbling and adding patina.
If finished early, start on learning how to condition polymer clay.

Day 4:

Polymer clay component: Layer different coloured clays to mimic the look of ivory and shape and indent beads and pendants and then colour them with pan pastels and alcohol ink pens. Attach the silver bead caps and bails and bake. We will also talk about the various ways to finish and antique the clay.

Day 5:

Learn various ways of layering clay to make landscape pendants and abstract art pendants using alcohol inks and translucent clay.
Attach silver insert. Form different shapes. Attach and insert wire loop.
Bake and finish. Attach to silver tube bead.

For more info & inspiration check out

http://livelifehappy.today/polymerclayandmetalclayworkshops/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/melaniedilday/mels-clay-creations-metal-clay-and-polymer-clay/

Tutor

Melanie Dilday

Melanie has been a senior instructor for the Contemporary Clay Instructors Program for over a decade of experience. She has taught at TAFE colleges, the Fremantle Art Centre in WA, Grafton Artfest, McGregor School, Territory Arts and Crafts and travels extensively holding workshops as well as running private workshops in her Mullumbimby, NSW studio.

Course Requirements

Contemporary Clay Jewellery Materials list

There is a material cost of $140, which includes the cost of the Silver clay, Premo and misc shared materials. This is payable to the tutor on the first day.

Tools to bring:

Pasta machine if you have one, if not, I have a few for people to use
Ceramic tile or tempered glass work surface. Large-ish i.e. around 30cm
Roller: Lucite roller or piece of poly pipe 10cm long or more.
Lucite or acrylic slab to roll beads (or an old plastic cd cover)
Tissue blade (if you have, I will have spare)
Needle tool or simply a large darning needle
Small pointed painting brush x2 for fine detail
Alcohol-based hand wipes or paper towels
Small glass jar and small saucer or bread and butter plate
Cling wrap and baking paper
Knitting needle or similar smoothing tool
Ball stylus tools/carving tools/…or anything that can be used to indent tiny patterns into clay, I will provide some as well.
2 small jars cup sized or smaller (one with water, one with a couple of tablespoons olive oil)
Wet/dry sandpaper 400grit, 800grit, 1200grit
A few large 2 cm-ish marbles or large round beads in glass or polished stone (will be draping/drying silver bead caps over these)

Please feel free to contact Melanie on melaniedilday@gmail.com if you have any questions.