Christmas is Coming

It's been quite a long time since my last post, and as Christmas is Coming, I thought I'd write another.


Due to moving house, crafty activities have been put on hold for a while. Currently, I am in the process of watching badly painted walls dry. Alas (yes, alas. Depth of feeling right there.), the prospect of another coat makes me want to lie on the floor and flail. Admittedly, there is one bit of wall I am happy with, because (to me, at least), it contains a  Lord of the Rings reference. I should probably paint over it. I won't.

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Although craft activities are temporarily on hold, I have been practising my wirewrapping and weaving. It remains fun, but it is addictive. If you are going to give it a go, I would recommend wearing foam plasters on your index and middle fingers. I use the same basic rule for a lot of my work: 8cms of weave & 3-4cms of bare wire at either end.
The variety of designs you end up with is pretty impressive.

                  
On that note, I started my own etsy store a while back: www.etsy.com/shop/koryphasia, so feel free to take a look.
 However, in the battle of Etsy vs Redbubble, Redbubble is currently winning. I'd actually forgotten all about it, but had an email today, notifying me that I'd made a sale. Satisfying. Given that it's December, I'm going to assume it will be a Christmas present, and I hope it will be well received by the Lord of the Rings/ Monty Python fan. For my next project, I'm going to construct a large wooden badger*....   

The t-shirt someone has purchased

*I don't actually have the skill or inclination to build a giant badger. If you're not familiar with Monty Python, I suggest you check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2PdyxMtiYM

Wire Wrapping

Inspired by some beautiful examples of wire wrapping on Deviantart, I thought I'd have a go myself. It was good fun - made better because unlike the characters from 'Jurassic Park'*, I was not being chased or devoured by a dinosaur.

If you want to have a go at wire wrapping, too, you will need:

Wire (I used 20 & 18 gauge wire, which you can order or buy from craft stores)
Wire cutters
Round nosed pliers
A stone
Beads (if you're feeling fancy)


























*Please note: it /was/ on telly.

First Sale

"Unfortunately we have to mark this event with a very boring email..." 

No, no, Redbubble. I honestly don't think I've ever found 17p more exciting. I could buy 3 penny sweets (each costing 5p) from my local corner shop, or even a can of baked beans at a stretch. A Freddo, sadly, is out of my price range (20p, at Tesco). However, I will console myself with the fact that someone, somewhere in the world*, has judged my artwork to be an appropriate subject for a greetings card. 

This thought pleases me for 3 reasons: 

1) Someone paid $2.30 (yes, I get an 11.3% cut) for a card with my artwork on it. 

2)  I should imagine that the card will be given to someone for their birthday (what with Christmas and New Year now over), in which case, my artwork will likely be facilitating an inside joke. Yay! 

3) If it is not a birthday card, it could be a Valentine's card. Given the subject, that would be highly amusing. I may consider developing a range of Valentine's cards, based around the same slogan. Katniss and Peeta in their chariot, or a dragon-riding, sunglass-wearing Gilderoy Lockhart, anyone? 

Link to artwork: http://www.redbubble.com/people/lilfimodragon/works/11500134-thranduil-too-fabulous-for-you?ref=recent-owner 

Note: I know I haven't posted in a while, but I do have my reasons. My last completed craft project was a birthday present for someone, so obviously has to remain a surprise. 

Currently, I am working on my first sculpture I've made with wire armature. It's very exciting, and if all goes to plan, pictures should follow. 

Happy New Year! :D 

*If you are a friend or family member, please don't enlighten me!

Clockwork Jewelry

Having seen some really amazing jewelry made out of clockwork, I decided to buy some -ebay!- and have a go at it myself. My first creations were a beetle and some kind of...penguin-owl-chick, thing. 

My conclusion? It's great fun, but super glue is near impossible to get off your fingers.Lots of warm water, a pumice stone, a scrubbing brush, soap and nail varnish remover was required.  Additionally, although I was quite pleased with the result, the pendants don't exactly feel smooth against your skin when you wear them. 

Today, I came up with a solution: Fimo. 

Essentially, it's plastecine you can bake in the oven. It comes in loads of different colours and it's really easy to work with. I guess the only downside is that it can be quite expensive! Still, using Fimo (as opposed to buying some plain pendants to customise) definitely has its advantages. 

1. I was able to make the pendant any shape I wanted. 
2. It's a super glue-free method! Just press the cogs onto the Fimo and whack it in the oven! 
3. No risk of tetanus. 
4. It's very lightweight. 
5. You can mix Fimo with glitter, to give it a bit of extra sparkle. 

And here's the finished product! (Yes..I know..Another dire wolf. I'll do something different next time. Promise!)

Winter Is Coming

Considering that Britain has just had its hottest ever (recorded) Halloween, the title of this post may seem pretty inappropriate. It should probably read: 'Winter is Coming...Sort of...Eventually...Really...We Promise!'
Regardless, the shorter, infinitely more catchy title is relevant to today's project: Project Tote Bag.


A few years ago, I discovered the joy that is customising canvas shoes. For some reason, I find shoes are much easier to draw on than paper. Anyway, not content with one variety of custom canvas accessory, I recently decided to branch out, and purchased some plain canvas tote bags from amazon (you can also get them pretty cheaply on e-bay).



1) Bags purchased, it was just a matter of deciding on the design. After a bit of 'hmming' and staring vacantly into space, I decided on the Stark sigil. However, I was also feeling pretty inspired by the use of patterns in a colouring book I'd recently seen: 'Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom' (see opposite). So, I thought 'why not try fusing the two?'.






2) Now, when I'm working with canvas and I'm drawing something I've not tried before, I tend not to simply have at it with a pencil. (Although you can use erasers on canvas, if used excessively, the surface of the bag turns bobble-y and you get black smudges everywhere.) Instead, I sketched out my design on paper and, using a craft knife, made myself a template to trace round.





















3) After tracing my design onto the bag with pencil (I find mechanical pencils work best), it was time for the ink outline. I use DR pigment ink pilot drawing pens. Then it was just a matter of adding the details.
Don't forget to put a sheet of paper or two inside your bag to prevent any ink from bleeding through the canvas!







4) After finishing my design, I sprayed it with water-proofing spray (you can get it from most shoe shops) and voila! The finished product.