I'm still working away with the Carved Collection (still need a better name). I've tried the carving process straight from the freezer (read back to last week for details). The clay behaved better ie firm and (for a short time) easier to carve. However, it's still not there. My next approach is to partially bake the beads. Normally, I would bake for 30mins at the required temperature (check on clay packaging). So, I'm going to try 10mins and try to carve and return to oven for 30 mins (just to make sure the clay is properly cured).
The beads I've carved from the freezer are not what I want. I'm going to cure them and ink each bead, this will highlight the carved edges and will give a better idea of how they look. Here are a few photos before curing.
As you can see I've used a craft knife with a very sharp (new) blade and a toothpick to both make the hole and hold the clay while carving. My idea here was to help keep the clay cold and stop the heat from my hands transferring. This sort of worked !
I'm determined I will get this technique ! I'm quite optimistic about the next experiment. Will report my findings next time.
In the meantime here's a great item which I would love to be able to produce :
This fantastic necklace is produce by some called Genervieve Williamson (an e friend) for Anthropologie. I love her work but this is a real masterpiece when you consider the carving technique.
I will keep going and dreaming - one day I will get there !
Thanks for reading.
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