Friday, March 20, 2015

Build A Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques, Coral Law of ab:coraldesign, Part Three

Woohoo...finally we are almost to the end of this journey. I can't believe I can make it with my impatience. First of all, I would like to say thank you to Brenda Sue from B'Sue Boutiques who hosted this master class for 54 artists. Also I would like to thank for all the participants who have left encouraging comments to me here in the blog or on facebook.

Let's see what I made first. And then I would like to share what I have learnt from this challenge.

peace by piece abcoraldesign

This challenge requests five pieces at least. While I saw other artists making more and more, I was discouraged for a little while. However, my spirit came back after I realized after this challenge, it will be the real start not the end. Even it took me a long time to design one piece, I am planning to make more later on.

About the name:
If you have read my first blog post about this challenge, you will have found that my inspiration for this line is from peace. It takes a long time, a lot of effort and many steps to achieve a peaceful society. Piece by piece of all our inputs are important to that so I name my line "Peace by piece".

About the engraving words:
Besides the part of jewelry design, the most difficult part for creating this line is the choice of words that reflect my thoughts. I took some pictures on the street and at the exhibition for my inspiration.



 In my first and second blog post for this challenge, I have showed these designs. The first pieces is "和平" (Peace) while the second pieces i s"珍惜" (To treasure). Please check my old posts if you want to know more about their meanings.

Peace in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign





To treasure in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign


In my third piece, I used "怒" and "恕" which means "anger" and "forgiveness" respectively.
"怒" is composed of "奴" (slave) and "心" (heart). When you are angry, a slave is in your heart.
However if you choose "恕", you "如" (follow) as what your "心" (heart) tells.

Anger and Forgiveness in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign


In my forth piece, I used "自由" (freedom). We all want freedom to do what we want. However, there are many constraints in reality. We cannot be selfish to just fulfill our needs. I hope people can be more considerate when you are striving for your freedom. 

Freedom in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign


The fifth piece is "心" (heart). I created this line from solely what inside my heart. I am so glad I could use jewelry to express myself. I don't follow the trend in the fashion world but I follow my heart. I hope you like my line.

Heart in Peace by Piece by abcoraldesign




Reflections from this challenge:
Thanks for Brenda Sue's and other participants' advice, I was enlightened to create a cohesive line that is not only one of a kind but also be able to repeat. I used to make once for each design as I like to create. When the number of design grows, my style gets distracted. Also the pro-design time like photography is so much that I can't focus on my design. With this cohesive line, I can repeat the design while keeping each piece unique as I engrave and paint every piece.

Besides creating a cohesive style, I have also started to think about the difference between collection and line. Up till this moment, I am still figuring so hopefully I can share my research in my next post.

One of the important point of selling a line is the pyramid of design. More items for simple pieces and less items for over-the-top design. Certainly the price goes up along the pyramid. However, I haven't created some in the middle. Probably I will make some bracelets. The four pair of earrings are closed to the bottom while the necklace is at the top.

As I am not very good at matching color, I take this challenge as a practice for finding color in the same category according to the theory in the book "Color me beautiful" by Carole Jackson. Luckily I met a new friend who is a specialist in color theory. She has shown me how to distinguish color into Spring, Summer, Autumn ans Winter.
When I was matching the color of glass beads, I put the beads on the color chart to see if they are in the same season.




Thanks for reading. Please share this blog if you like "Peace by piece"

Before you go, hop to other blogs of my mentor and classmates.

Brenda Sue Lansdowne
Marcia Tuzzolino
Jann Tague
Judy King
Linzi Alford
Cynthia Wainscott
Carole Carlson
Lynn Stinten
Marica Zammit
Catherine Shattuck
Michaele Collie
Mary Craig
Lee Koopman
Erin Whitacre
Monica Casady
Leila West
Cindy Peterson
Leila Belcher
Gloria Allen
Pamela Anger
Tammy Adams
Lynda O'Mara
Elizabeth Hildreth
Dana Hickey
Janet Calardo
Maria Clark
Lori Beekman
Jennifer Kroeger
Amy Jorgensen
Robin Reed
Ingrid Anderson
Louise O'Shields
Susan Killam
Mary Katherine Deis
Nike Bottalico
Susan Bowerman
Kristy Le
Jan Peters
Mitzie Crider
Gina Hockett
Linda Anderson
Alexandra Sefton
Melida Boman
Teresa Shurter
Melissa Latimer
Renee Hong
Nadine Edris
Lori Meyer
Jennifer Merrill Williams
Denise Lussier Poirier
Renee Allen
Autumn Adams
Elizabeth Owens
Kat BarronMiller
Sandra Ballard
Coral Law
ab:coraldesign (you are here!)
I treasure your comments!
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Monday, March 16, 2015

Cherry Blossom line


 While I was working on my Build a line challenge, I was distracted to work on these. (Yes, I am easy to be distracted but I can't help.) I like working on contrast color and the combination of green and pink always give me a feeling of spring.

First I degrease the brass and let them dry overnight. Then I put swellegant metal base and patina on them. It's very fun to see how the color changed over time.


After a day, when the patina is totally dry, I rub some off and paint Vintaj patina on them. Again, after it's dry, I rub some off. If the result is not satisfied, I redo it. Like the bangle, I feel the color is not vibrant enough so I redo it. 


When all the paints are dry after another 24 hours, I seal them with Vintaj and Swellegant sealer. I prefer the first one but the second one gives a more matte look.

After all these processes, it's time for real design. I really like Czech glass beads as they come in different color and very cute shapes. 

Viola! These are some of earrings and bangle I made with the brass with patina. 



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