Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Only if you promise not to point and laugh....

Naw....It's not really that bad.  

But it's not really that good either.  ;-)

I wasn't sure I was going to share anything that I worked on during my hand engraving work shop.

I really liked the structure of the class in that we were shown a skill, and then left to practice it.

The teachers were readily available to answer questions and offer suggestions, and we weren't pressured to make a project just for the sake of making something.

I mean, it's nice to have something to take home, but I liked spending my time working on the skills and being able to ask for guidance when it wasn't working for me.

So, this is what I learned.  Hand or hammer engraving is super cool, and just beautiful when done well.  And of course being the perfectionist I am....I want to do it well.

Problem is, that's going to take a lot of practice.  But nothing worth having just happens overnight now does it?

I am waiting for my supplies to come in so I can begin practicing again.  And, we also learned flush setting, which is another thing I've always wanted to learn.  I have yet to try it out on my own.  You know how it is...the teacher always makes it look so easy.  I hope I don't have too hard of a time with it.

So...Without further ado, I give you my attempt to hand/hammer engrave.




It's kinda hard to see because of the ultra dark patina I put on it...and I wish I could say I formed it, but we were in the last few minutes of the last day when the teacher took pity on me trying to form my bracelet and fixed my wonky mess.

It was also my first time to see someone create an anticlastic form.  So cool.

Anyway, the bracelet doesn't really feel that comfortable on me, so my daughter's have been playing with it.

Had someone given me this bracelet when I was a kid, I would have pretended like I was Wonder Woman with it!  :-)

6 comments:

  1. Hey everyone has to start somewhere! it is certainly better than anything I could do having just learned a skill like that - i'd love to try hammer engraving!

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  2. I think you did a great job! I would love to take some classes but I always feel so intimidated by how great everyone else is...

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  3. Thanks girls! I'm the same way Tess, and it has prevented me from taking a lot of classes that I wanted to take. I'm glad I forced myself out of my comfort zone. And honestly, nobody was super great. We were all new to engraving. You are quite talented, and I can't imagine you not picking up a new skill right away! I'm actually considering taking more classes! It seems I just don't have the strength to teach myself anything major anymore...

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  4. Amy,

    that is a beautiful start- you should be proud of yourself!! All things come with diligent practice, just keep doing it!!

    Xoxo
    a

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  5. That's a great beginning. Learning how to use and then sharpen the tools is a major accomplishment in itself. You are starting off great and will only get better.

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  6. I think it's a great finished piece. And from what I have heard you do have to do practice to get it but that is no different from anything else we do bet the first time you rode a bicycle you didn't do great. Keep up the good work

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