This month's Art Elements theme is - Eyes.
Mom and I both looked for ideas for this theme - I have a Pinterest board of Art Elements theme ideas. I think mom and I both came up with ideas for these month's theme. I found the idea of the tiger eyes and mom found the idea for the Day of the Dead.
These are the patterns glued down onto the copper. Mom will then drill pilot holes, thread the jeweler's saw blade through the holes and saw out each design. I didn't take pictures of mom sawing this time - she mostly sawed while I was at work.
Enameling for me is a several step process:
I start with a clear layer on the back of the piece first:
I then do layers of color until I get the look on want - on the back first. When I am done enameling the back - I then flip the piece and do the same layers on the front - and cross my fingers that the front will look as good as the back.
I then use an iron to smoosh the tiger eyes flat.
And again using the iron to smoosh the Day of the Dead eyes flat.
Because the pieces are flat, and laying on trivets, the heat can warp the piece. So, I use the iron to flatten the pieces out again.
Here are the final pieces:
The tiger eyes are being displayed in a shadow box.
If you guys didn't notice - the face is actually in a feather. Yes, I was totally oblivious of that fact until I started enameling the piece. Mom just shook her head at me and said this was your idea. I said all I was looking at was the eyes :)
Again, we displayed the Day of the Dead eyes in a shadow box. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture. The shadow boxes are not easy to take photos of to share.
So...that is what mom and I created for this month's theme: eyes.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone else created!!!
Here is a list of the participants:
AE Team:
Ooooh, I love those tiger eyes, perfect!!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the feather right away, by the way. It made me giggle that you didn't remember it yourself.
I did notice the feather shape in the Tiger Eyes piece & have to say that it'swhat makes this piece so unique!! I've been following the progress on social media and love the final colors in the Sugar Skull too!! As always, awesome sawing & the shadow boxes are a great idea. Alysen
ReplyDeleteBoth pieces are beautiful! My favorite is the tiger eyes feather. Having the advantage of looking at the pictures, I saw the feather directly and thought how clever the combination of a feather and tiger marks is.... and the had to laugh out loud reading about your surprise and your mum's comment! :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you put your creations into shadow boxes. They look great. I can relate to how you must feel when you turn your creations over to put on the enamel. I often feel that way when I stamp words on a card.
ReplyDeleteBoth pieces are beautiful. I am always blown away by your mom's sawing skills;-) But those tiger eyes in the feather are my favorite piece this month! Well done.
ReplyDeleteThose tiger eyes!!! they look amazing and in that shadow box they are perfectly displayed. I like the Day of the Dead eyes too but the tiger eyes are definitely my favourite.
ReplyDeleteLove, love the feather with the eyes. I noticed the feather right away. But, the day of the dead one is great too. So playful!
ReplyDeleteThese are very cool! I'll admit that I didn't see the feather, but I do now and love the two together. The colors you used in the sugar skull are just perfect for that piece as is the sawing. You two make such a great team!
ReplyDeleteI love how the creations are in shadow boxes as well! The tiger eyes are amazing! Interesting about the iron, too, I didn't know that!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work, ladies. Love the colors you choose, especially for the wolf eyes/feather. Also, I got a chuckle from the confession about not seeing the feather in the design at first. :)
ReplyDeleteThese are both fabulous! You and your mom are such a wonderful team!
ReplyDeleteThe tiger eyes on the feather is very striking - do you know who the original artist was? Was it actually a painting on a feather that inspired you? Wow. Cool. (Sorry I was so late to the hop.)
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