Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : enamel

Check out Art Jewelry's new free wirework project (it's a necklace and earrings!), metal clay template, enameling how-to videos, and more!

Kristin Sutter — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:23:00 GMT

Last Friday was Web-update day here in the Art Jewelry offices. We put a bunch of new content on the site, including a new free project for subscribers, new videos, a template for making "3 Surprising Ways to Integrate Polymer clay and Metal clay" from our September 2009 issue, a packing checklist to reference as you're getting ready to go sell your jewelry at art fairs and/or craft shows, and more.

Check out our new subscriber-exclusive project, "Wire Celtic Knot Necklace" by Irina Miech. I think the layered figure-8 links she shows you how to make for the necklace's chain are simple, clever, and beautiful. (Not a subscriber? Click here to remedy that situation -- it'll save you money compared to buying the issues on the newsstand. Money you can then use to further feed your jewelry-making habit.)

Our beautiful cover piece for the September 2009 issue is Cindy Silas' domed metal clay and polymer clay pendant. You'll find instructions on how to make the project "3 Surprising Ways to Integrate Polymer clay and Metal clay" on page 56. Subscribers can click here to download the metal clay dome template from page 58 so they don't have to cut up their magazine.

If you sell your work at art fairs or craft shows, Business Savvy columnist Marlene Richey's packing checklist is a must have. Subscribers can download the free PDF, which is an excerpt from Marlene's award-winning book, Profiting by Design: A Jewelry Maker's Guide to Business Success, available from MJSA Press.

Enamel-lovers will be happy to know that we've now posted videos on four methods for doing sgraffito enameling. For a great sgraffito project, check out "Scribble into Enamels — Sgraffito Revealed" from our July 2009 issue. Also, don't forget to check out our new video on using a tumbler to polish metal.

Did you know that you can always check out our "What's New?" box on the Art Jewelry homepage to see the latest content we've added? Even if the home page isn't the first place you visit on our Web site, make sure to check back there so you don't miss any of the great extras we add regularly. And speaking of great extras that we add regularly, be sure to watch for "Tour the Art Jewelry Web site" in our November 2009 issue. We'll show you how to navigate the site so you get the maximum benefit out of being a registered user and/or subscriber.

Enjoy!

—Kristin

Enamel jewelry by Jamie Bennett at the Racine Art Museum

Jill Erickson — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Has the sgraffito bracelet project in the July issue of Art Jewelry magazine piqued your interest in enamel? It's got some of AJ's forum participants talking about this colorful medium.

Currently, the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin is featuring a retrospective exhibit of enamel jewelry by artist Jamie Bennett. Bennett is an internationally acclaimed artist and innovator in the world of contemporary jewelry and enamel. The exhibit, which runs until September 6, 2009, has an accompanying show catalog. So, even if you can't make it to the museum, you can check out Bennett's explorations with paint, pencil, and enamel by ordering a catalog from the museum gift shop.

Let us know what other types of enamel techniques you'd like to learn. Cheers ~ Jill

Small jewelry world! Finding inspiration and discovering connections

Addie Kidd — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:37:00 GMT

Oh, how exciting is this!

Cynthia Tinapple over at Polymer Clay Daily just posted about Bettina Welker's polymer work.
Bettina's polymer work was inspired by enamel bracelets made by Angela Gerhard.
Angela's enamel bracelets are going to be featured in our July 2009 issue – you can learn how to make one!

My fellow associate editor Jill is editing Angela's sgraffito enamel bracelet story even as I type. Check out this cool process photo from the article - in it Angela's cleaning up a finished panel of her enamel bracelet.

Isn't it wonderful when inspiration can jump across medium lines like that?! That's part of why I'm so happy that Art Jewelry has always been a multi-media jewelry-making magazine. We'll have polymer clay next to enamel, next to gold and silver, next to bronze metal clay, next to wirework. Whew!

I think it's even more amazing when artists give each other the credit that they all deserve. Sadly, too often ideas are "borrowed" without acknowledgment. But not in this case – Bettina's so excited about her source of inspiration that she even puts Angela's Flickr address in the captions of her photos. I think that her confidence must come from the fact that Bettina didn't copy Angela's work in the least. She saw something beautiful in Angela's work, and then used her own medium of choice to make that aesthetic look completely her own. Isn't art great??

So check out this little chain of inspiration connections, then look for Angela's sgraffito enamel project in our July 2009 issue. I hope you find inspiration from it to make beautiful artwork of your own.

Happy Friday,

~Addie~