Mixed media pendant and locket in progress

 Remember I wrote some time ago about making a locket? Well, I'm making a third attempt right now, and that one looks like it may actually get finished :) The first attempt became rubbish pretty quickly, the second... wasn't looking that bad until I started to finish it off, and noticed just then that one of the walls got soldered on skewed. After that I took a break form locket-making, and yesterday started a third one. I also completely changed the design. On a more difficult one. Typical me ;)

But I'm pretty happy with how it looks like right now, and I'm only a chain, a bail, and finished hinge away from completing, so I hope this one will end up nice and all. Although, if it will be good enough for me to even consider putting it up for sale, I have no idea how to price it. I don't think I can use my usual pricing formula, because I had so many problems with soldering the hinge knuckles on, that I spent 4 hours today on this task alone. Yes, four. And I was quite close to losing my mind by the time I finished it. But I did finally manage to solder them on, so as far as the hinge goes, I just need to set a hinge pin in place. I hope this will go easier.

So, here it is:

Still a lot to do, but I like it.

It's greenish inside, because I took those pictures after the first batch of pickle stopped working, and before I made another one. It dried in the meantime, and the verdigris patina is the result. I don't know if you can see it, but there are two layers inside: the raven in a foreground, and a branch in a background. Surprisingly for me, I didn't have any problems with sawing the bird out, nor with soldering it and the branch inside the locket. A major miracle, I feel.

As for the mixed media pendant... I was reading something, someone mentioned mixed media jewellery, someone else was complaining how they've got too many interests, and how to combine all of them, and I've got a light bulb moment, and just had to try something like that. And that pendant (well, right now a part of one) is the result:

 

I'm shamelessly happy with it

The frame of the pendant is copper, the painting is acrylic and Indian ink on watercolour paper, with mica powders on the moon and on the spirals on the wolf's face, and the painting is encased in resin.

Funny thing is, I really don't like painting miniatures, yet somehow always get ideas where I have to paint or draw one anyway. Though I had a lot of fun painting this one! And I already have and idea for a second pendant.

One picture is just not enough

I really like how the frame turned out. I had no idea how it was going to end up, I only knew it will wrinkle. But I just love the look of it. And I rather like that folding it like that is somewhat unpredictable.

However, there is one slight problem: after I poured the resin, I carefully passed a torch over it to get rid of bubbles. And I did. There were none. And yet, when the resin was almost dry, I check on it... and there were two huge bubbles on the lower right hand side of the pendant. And they popped, and left two dimples in resin. You can see them in the pictures. I will have to add another layer: the dimples will still be visible, but the paper won't be exposed to outside world.

If not for those dimples, I would be ecstatic about this one.

And I also made a mistake: I got over-exited about the painting, encased it in resin, and  then realised that for the bail I designed, I should wait with it until the end. I wanted the bail to go directly through the loop. And now I can't do this, because I can't solder anything that near to the part with resin. I designed another bail, and will see how it will turn out.

I also made three cuffs, and a ring, but this post is getting long, so that's it for now:)

Till the next time!
Kasia