MCHs Team Challenge: Fan-fiction Challenge

Welcome back to our team challenge. This time we challenge our team members to created a piece of metal clay art inspired by a book, movie, music or TV-series. We have received four wonderful submissions from our super-talented MCHs.

1) Divergent Movie Inspired Soaring Bird Silhouette Necklace by YorkAvenueStudio

Divergent necklace with soaring bird silhouette in Bronze with gold filled chain. The movie Divergent tells a story of people who live in a world where everyone is divided into groups, labeled by their function in society in order to keep the peace. Divergents do not fit just one group, and have creative minds adapting far better and faster than most, which makes them "uncontrollable" by authorities enforcing their rules.

Check out Kathy's creation here.

2)  Fan Art Silver Pendant by MostlyStoneware

Inspired by shields and GOT, specifically the Greyjoys

Check out Kathy's creation here.

3) Handmade Dragon Eye Pendant Game of Thrones by TheSinteredArtist

Handmade White Copper with Copper accents Dragon Eye Pendant. Hand sculpted metal clay is fired in a kiln to produce a solid metal piece of jewelry.

Check out Anise's creation here.

4) Hobbit mailbox by Envydesignsjewelry

Hobbit mailbox handmade in silver with a really cool rainbow patina.

Check out Jennifer's creation here.

Please vote using the Poll to the right. Share this post with anyone that might not otherwise know about the Challenge. The Poll is open to the public. Any comments are welcome! Poll will be closed on October 13th.

 Don't forget to check out the Artist's work as well by clicking on their name/shop name! Enjoy!

Congrats to our Add Some Color/Enameling Challenge Winner Carrie!

We're so glad to announce we've a winner for our Add Some Color/Enameling Challenge -

Shelyn's Holy Symbol from CarrieMichael

Carrie's first attempt at a champleve finish with enamel won our hearts! The vote results are 50% of popular vote and 75% of technical vote (by the MCHs). Carrie won the bragging rights of being the Queen of Coloring Metal Clay Art 2015!

Thanks to all the talents who participated and all who made their votes. We will have another challenge soon so please stay tuned!

MCHs Team Challenge: Add some color/enameling challenge

Welcome! This time we challenged our Metal Clay Heads to add color or enamel their work. Member can use alcohol inks, ceramic/glass paints, enamel, resin, epoxy or colored pencil. The style or design is completely open. As is the metal. The possibilities are simply endless. 

These are the fabulous, handmade entries.

1) Rag-A-Dolly Necklace from YorkAvenueStudio

Little girl necklace is 1.25 inches. Kathy named her Rag-A-Dolly because through all the steps to design and enamel her, that was what was going around in her mind. This project was specifically intended to push Kathy to try enamel and learn something new. View more pictures here.

Check out Kathy's creation here.

2) Ginkgo and Lizard Necklace from LynnCobb

Lynn used enamel powders and pmc3 combined to make slurry, molded, kiln fired on pmc3 a ginkgo leaf. View more pictures here.

Check out Lynn's creation here.

3) Shelyn's Holy Symbol from CarrieMichael

This is Carrie's first attempt at a champleve finish with enamel, and using 24K gold foil with silver so that warm colors won't react and turn brown. View more pictures here.

Check out Carrie's creation here.

4) Leaf Earrings from Envydesignsjewelry

Jennifer used alcohol inks on her design this time to achieve the vibrant colors on metal clay.

Check out Jennifer's creation here.

Please vote using the Poll to the right.  Share this post with anyone that might not otherwise know about the Challenge.  The Poll is open to the public.  Any comments are welcome! 

Don't forget to check out the Artist's work as well by clicking on their name/shop name! Enjoy!

I actually managed in creating my dream job -- Anna Siivonen

Welcome! Our October featured artist is Anna Siivonen from Sweden. Exotic, fairytale-ish (if there is such a word), dreamy ... are the words that wandering in my mind when I wow over Anna's wearable art. Here is an inspiring story on how she pursuit her dream since 6.

Serqet Scorpio Goddess Statement Necklace by Anna Siivonen

I have been dreaming about working with art since I was a kid (after I gave up the notion of becoming a princess or a hockey goalkeeper). I took a ceramic clay class when I was six years and I continued for about fifteen years, my favorite thing was to sculpt small figures. From an early age I felt that I had good creative ideas, but I lacked in confidence. I could not get in the right art schools. So I studied at the not so popular school but after having completed university I still could not convince anyone to give me a job that was the least bit creative. I came to the conclusion that I´ll have to create my dream job for my self, nobody would just give me that. So I settled on a job that was offered and I started a company on the side as a creative outlet.

In my company I did all kinds of sculptures and projects that went nowhere. I painted and wrote a children´s book that suck but had great pictures. I did a cow for Cow parade in Stockholm (that somebody massacred in a week). After two years I stumbled upon silver clay which was unheard of in Sweden so I taught my self everything about it, and I wrote a book about it that no one wanted to publish. So I taught my self about publishing, layout, photography and I published the first Swedish silver clay book, later on published also in Finland. Because of this I got to teach a lot of silver clay classes, but still I had not much luck in selling my art. Then I found Etsy and through Etsy I found my style and a method of creating efficiently. I started thinking in terms of product development, and nowadays when I create I have a plan on how to efficiently reproduce an item even before making it.

Statement Ring Skull Ring Knuckle Duster by Anna Siivonen

The good thing about being a self-employed designer is that I can go a bit crazy without being interrupted. I can create things I find fun and don't have to dilute my inspiration to make it mainstream. I won't sell hundreds of a design, but the few ones that I do sell are treasured. I can have an idea, make it, put it up in my shop and sell it, all in one day. What makes my business special is not one product but my productivity and the uniqueness of my designs. I communicate with customers and sell all over the world. I customize things to their needs and I use their input to evolve my business further. I sell my handmade things, items made in Sweden (a country with really high taxes where most companies outsource their products to Asia and India) to Asia and India, Russia, Azerbaijan, US and Mexico (mind blowing to me). It took me quite a while, lots of detours, but I actually managed in creating my dream job. And the funny thing is that what I´m doing today is what have been my favorite thing since I was six years old, the thing I would have said I wanted to do when I grew up if I ever thought a job like that existed, I sculpt small figures.

Fathers Cuff Links Boy and Girl by Anna Siivonen

A lucky winner will have the choice of prize:

1)

Bronze skull pendant hair tie pony tail holder

2) 

Honey bee knuckle ring

or 3) Both of the prints here.

Top: Girl with balloons, collage print  Bottom: New best friend, collage print

Here are the rules to enter the MCHs blog giveaway:

Every person is eligible to enter the blog giveaway with up to FOUR (4) entries. How can you get an entry? You can do any of the following and then let us know that by leaving a comment here so we can keep track.

1. Follow our blog = 1 entry
2. Check out featured artist and post favorite piece on the blog = 1 entry
3. Heart featured artist’s shop = 1 entry
4. Follow featured artist on Facebook = 1 entry
5. Make a purchase = 2 entries
6. Refer a friend = 1 entry
7. Tweet about the giveaway using key word metalclayheads = 1 entry
8. Share the Metal Clay Heads blog giveaway link on FB (Go to http://www.facebook.com/MetalClayHeadsTeam and click Share) = 1 entry
9. If you voted and commented on our last challenge = 1 entry

The giveaway will run for two weeks. We will announce the winner on October 29th. Good luck!

Recycle Scraps Technical Poll

The Technical Poll is limited to Metal Clay Heads members only!

Cast your vote here.

Metal Clay Heads Your Style Challenge Results

Metal Clay Heads Your Style Challenge Results

We challenged our team members on creating a design with the theme "Your Style" with any technique of their choice and received seven amazing entries. Here are the results:

By Popular Vote:
1. Bronze Star Anise Spice Jewelry - SeavBeach with 9 votes
2. Dolphin Necklace - Lifeartdesigns with 4 votes
3. Amethyst stone cage necklace cats - AnnaSiivonen with 2 votes
3. Crescent Moon Pendant in Fine Silver - PartsbyNC with 2 votes
3. Jasmine silver ring botanical imprint - StuckOnSilver with 2 votes
3. Silver Tree of Life Necklace - Lynn Cobb with 2 votes.

By Technical Vote:
1. Amethyst stone cage necklace cats - AnnaSiivonen with 2 votes
2. Bronze Star Anise Spice Jewelry - SeavBeach with 1 vote
2. Celtic Tree of Life Pendant - Mcbisco with 1 vote
2. Dolphin Necklace - Lifeartdesigns with 1 vote
2. Silver Tree of Life Necklace - Lynn Cobb with 1 vote

Overall (based on percentage recalculation of the two above):
1. Bronze Star Anise Spice Jewelry - SeavBeach (43%/17%)
2. Amethyst stone cage necklace cats - AnnaSiivonen (10%/33%)
3. Dolphin Necklace - Lifeartdesigns (19%/17%)

Congrats to Anise of Seavbeach who won our Your Style Challenge this time! Our next challenge will be mid-February of 2013. Thanks to all who entered and voted! Without your support we're no where near where we're now!

Who won the Peas in a Pod Charm from Sue?

Drum roll! It's Katy! Congratulations!

Katy will receive the very adorable Peas in a Pod Silver Charm from Sue of SomethingXtraSpecial.

 

Thanks to Sue who support our team by doing this feature and giveaway. Thanks to everyone who entered the blog giveaway!

Katy, please contact Sue or me directly with your address so Sue can keep in touch with you.

Congrats to Vickie!

Who won our October blog giveaway! Vickie will receive the Textured Teardrop Hoop Earrings from Pennee Parker of All Wired Up Jewelry Designs.Sincere gratitude to our featured artist Pennee who give such beautiful metal clay earrings as prize. Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway! We will have one more blog giveaway before the holidays come. Please stay tuned!

Susan Won Our September Blog Giveaway!

Congrats to Susan who will receive the beautiful Scalloped PMC Pendant created by Harriet of HGWjewelrydesigns. The Scalloped PMC Pendant has an intricate pattern and is adorned with a 3mm CZ in the middle.

Thanks to Harriet who giveaway one of her amazing work! Thanks to all your support and don't forget to follow us to get the inside scope of metal clay!

Metal Clay Heads Winged Flight Challenge Results

Our Winged Flight Challenge Results Are Here!
We challenged our team members on creating a design with the theme "Winged Flight" with any technique of their choice and received eight amazing entries. Here are the results:

By Popular Vote:
1. Winged Steampunk Escutcheon Necklace - Zoeowyn with 11 votes
2. Conjoined Twin Cat & Dog Bronze Pendant - AnnaSiivonen with 10 votes
3. Fairy Wing Necklace with Rainbow Spinel & Sapphire - Envydesignsjewelry with 9 votes

By Technical Vote:
1. Conjoined Twin Cat & Dog Bronze Pendant - AnnaSiivonen with 3 votes
2. Fairy Wing Necklace with Rainbow Spinel & Sapphire - Envydesignsjewelry with 2 votes
2. Winged Steampunk Escutcheon Necklace - Zoeowyn with 2 votes

Overall (based on percentage recalculation of the two above):
1. Conjoined Twin Cat & Dog Bronze Pendant - AnnaSiivonen (26%/38%)
2. Winged Steampunk Escutcheon Necklace - Zoeowyn (29%/25%)
3. Fairy Wing Necklace with Rainbow Spinel & Sapphire - Envydesignsjewelry (24%/25%)

AnnaSiivonen won our Winged Flight Challenge by wining the technical category! Zoeowyn's work is amazing and won the well-deserved popular poll. Congrats to both of them!

Thanks for all the MCHs who participated, and thanks to YOU who voted! Our next challenge will be mid-November. In the meantime, don't forget to enter our blog giveaway here.

The possibilities with Metal Clay are endless - Harriet

Our blog feature artist for September is Harriet from HGWjewelrydesigns. Harriet enjoys working with a variety of materials, including gemstones, pearls, wire, copper and brass. She uses fine and sterling silver to create her unique jewelry. Harriet is interested in making bold pieces with sophisticated and natural shapes. Her preferred medium is metal clay, with its endless possibilities!

Black and Yellow Geometric Design Enamel Pendant by Harriet

When did you first become interested in Metal Clay? How long have you been designing jewelry using Metal Clay?

When I was laid off from my position as curator of American art at our local museum, I wanted to find something I could do that would still be art related. I began taking classes in metalsmithing and Metal Clay. I do both, but prefer Metal Clay, because the possibilities with this medium are endless. I have been designing Metal Clay jewelry for three years.

What was your first piece of Metal Clay jewelry?

The first piece I created in Metal Clay was a simple pendant with a hole in the top for a jump ring. There were no stones or other intricate work, just easy so we could see how the medium worked.

Double Teardrop Silver Enamel Pendant with Large Dichoric Glass Stone by Harriet

 
What inspires you?

I am inspired by my background as an art historian. I love all periods of art. I take inspiration from classical and abstract art. I know this sounds like opposite ends of the spectrum, but you would be surprised how much abstraction is in classical art.

What are the major challenges when creating Metal Clay jewelry?

Making rings is my most challenging Metal Clay activity. Because of the shrinkage I am never certain the size I want will be the size I obtain even though I use inserts and follow instructions. Sometimes I create the ring flat and fire it in the kiln or with a torch and then mold it to the size I want. This process works very well with band rings.

PMC Silver Dichroic Glass Cabochon Pendant by Harriet

 What do you enjoy most about working in Metal Clay?

I enjoy the manipulation of the clay. The freedom it gives me to make changes, additions and corrections. I can actually explore the design while creating it, along with changing and reinventing as I go along.

What is the biggest mistake you ever made? What did you learn from it?

I have made this mistake several times before realizing what I was doing wrong. I was setting dichroic glass into my Metal Clay pendants, firing them at the correct lower temperature and ending up with a very nice pendant. But when I used a flexshaft on the silver to polish it I cracked the glass. The first time I thought the glass cracked in the kiln, but the second time I was very careful to check the glass and only noticed the crack after using the shaft. I learned not to use a flexshaft anywhere near dichroic glass jewelry. The vibrations can cause the glass to crack.

Harriet is giving away a Scalloped PMC Pendant with an intricate pattern adorned with a 3mm CZ in the middle. The pendant is generous in size of 1 1/4 inches in diameter! Talk about bold!

To enter our blog giveaway please follow these rules:

Every person is eligible to enter the blog giveaway with up to FOUR (4) entries. How can you get an entry? You can do any of the following and then let us know that by leaving a comment under this feature so we can keep track.

1. Follow our blog = 1 entry
2. Check out featured artist and post favorite piece on the blog = 1 entry
3. Heart featured artist’s shop = 1 entry
4. Follow featured artist on Facebook = 1 entry
5. Make a purchase = 2 entries
6. Refer a friend = 1 entry
7. Tweet about the giveaway using key word metalclayheads = 1 entry
8. Share the Metal Clay Heads blog giveaway link on FB (Go to http://www.facebook.com/MetalClayHeadTeam and click Share) = 1 entry
9. If you voted and commented on our last challenge = 1 entry

The giveaway will run for two weeks. We will announce the winner on October 2nd. Good luck!

MCHs Winged Flight Challenge

Our quarterly challenge is back, cast your vote NOW!

This quarter we challenged our Metal Clay Heads to create an art piece with the theme "Winged Flight," with any technique that is best for creating the work. Here comes the amazing work from our talented members!

Silver Wings Earrings with Garnet by YorkAvenueStudio

 

Genuine Garnet gemstone earrings shaped like wings. This design style is organic and natural and each pair is made to order fresh just for you. Wings have so much personal meaning and I hope these earrings will give you inspiration. Comfortable and lightweight, these wings can be worn everyday.

Collector's Flight Pick Monument by Mcbisco

 

The Flight Pick Monument includes this beautiful display case, The Flight Pick Necklace, one thin Flight Pick and one thick Flight Pick. The Pick Monument can sit on a table or hang on the wall. The picks sit in a bamboo pedestal, making them easily to pick up and use. The necklace can be removed by lifting up the roof. The Flight Picks are part of a limited edition of 25 picks. (number one and number 2) The picks are made with Bronze Metal Clay.

Winged Steampunk Escutcheon Necklace by Zoeowyn

 

This handmade copper necklace features a pendant with gears, and dial and winged Victorian styled escutcheon. The necklace chain is highlighted with small gears, and the lobster clasp is part of the design up front.

Conjoined Twin Cat & Dog Bronze Pendant  by AnnaSiivonen

 

Siamese cat & dog twins with bat wings. This started outh with me thinking it was a fun ideá to make a cat and a dog share a body, but the conjoined cat and dog pendant didn´t hang right and I felt it needed "more umph", and what could be better to umph it up with than bat wings.

Silver Wing Pendant, flight by Jewelflyt

 

This beautiful fine silver pendant features a unique feather texture. A wing shaped flight of fancy, created from an original hand-drawn texture.

flight has been given a soft brushed silver finish, with selected areas polished to a high shine to enhance the texture.

Night Flight by Satorydesigns

 

A beautiful swallow with a lovely peridot set in, flying around a circle with 3 black diamonds. Flying thru the night on a delicate chain 16 or 18" in length. One available in this combination of Peridot and Black Diamonds.

Fairy Wing Necklace with Rainbow Spinel & Sapphire by Envydesignsjewelry

 

This fairy wing pendant, I made with recycled fine silver. Hanging from a handmade chain of sparkling rainbow spinel and sunny yellow sapphires. The gemstones are wrapped with sterling silver wire. Dropped off the bottom of the fairy's wing is a mystic Imperial topaz briolette.

Moonbat I Necklace by ElementsArtifacts 

 

Bats are lucifugous little creatures, often associated with the night, Halloween, and vampires. The folklore on these creatures is vast, including the belief that bats taking wing in the evening are departed spirits coming to visit the living, or that after death the spirit of the departed hovers near his or her body as a bat.

Vote Now!

Please cast your vote using the Public Poll at the right.  Voting will be open for two weeks and will close September 25th. The Winner of the Challenge will be announced shortly after. (The Technical Poll is for MCHs team members only.)

Please leave a comment below to be automatically entered into the next Jewelry Giveaway Drawing held soon!

Winged Flight Challenge Technical Poll

This technical poll is open to MCHs team members only, all other entries will be deleted. Thank you!

Yes, Sandra! You Won!

Congrats to Sandra who won our August blog giveaway! Sandra will receive the beautiful Mars Exploration jewelry set created by Kathy of Mostly Stoneware. The Mars Exploration set "was inspired by the recent exploration of Mars" and Kathy's vision of "how Mars might look" if she was able to see the surface.

Thanks for all of you who have entered and don't miss our next blog giveaway scheduled mid-September by following us! Thanks to Kathy who participated and giveaway such an amazing jewelry set. Our September challenge will be up pretty soon as well!

Happy Labor Day to you!

Congrats to Tammi!

Who won our July blog giveaway! She will receive the Dogwood Earrings in Silver from Erin of Heartsabustin. Our next blog feature and giveaway will start mid-August, please stay tuned! Winning is easy and you could be the next winner!

Threaded Vessel Challenge

Presenting The 2012 Second Quarter Metal Clay Design Challenge by Etsy’s Metal Clay Heads Team. 

Entrants were posed with the challenge of designing a metal clay original work under the theme “1920s-1930s Era” including the technical requirement for each of the entries to be a threaded vessel.  Talk about a true Challenge!

Each Quarter, the Metal Clay Heads team members embrace the task of incorporating new skills and techniques to gain personal growth as designers and artists.  Sharing ideas, learning from each other, the highs and lows of successes and failures, each member is encouraged and supported along the adventure.

This Challenge was particularly difficult with several failed attempts and crossed-fingers, prayers whispered in anticipation and plenty of recycling!

Before revealing the entries, there is one very notable effort worthy of a spotlight:

Laura of ZOEOWYN, Art Jewelry Adornment designed a beautifully crafted threaded vessel. 

These photos are examples of the degree of difficulty and gorgeous artwork that come from these Challenges.  Although her vessel is still a work in progress, her design is duly noted and just a taste of what wonderful designs were entered by truly talented metal clay artists.



And now  for the entries submitted for voting in the 2012 Second Quarter Metal Clay Design Challenge!  In alphabetical order by Etsy shop name, here are the 4 entries, each and every one deserving of recognition for successfully conquering the Threaded Vessel Challenge!  Please feel free to click on the photos for more details of each entry.

Silver Perfume Bottle, handmade fine silver Art Nouveau bottle necklace-OOAK by Jennifer of Envydesignsjewelry

A beautiful Art Nouveau style perfume bottle pendant in pure (.999) silver. Made entirely by hand, by me from recycled silver, this is a definite statement piece, featuring a raised iris design, and a screw on lid, with a carved leaf crown. There is a different texture on the back.
I added the bail on the back to hang the bottle from an 18" sterling silver snake chain.
I gave the bottle a rainbow patina, then buffed the raised design, to bring out the highlights.
This pendant is 2 3/8 inches long or 87.5mm x 16mm x 15mm. (more)


Pagoda  By Anise of SeavBeach

 This is an entry to a challenge in a wonderful group that I'm a part of. The design challenge was jewelry from the 1920's and 30's. I researched jewelry from that era and found the thing that intrigued me the most were the perfume bottles that were made during this time. Very intricate bottles were made to hold the finest perfumes from around the world. In reading about the jewelry from that period I found out that Asia influenced a wave of Art Deco jewelry. This is just one piece. The pendant. The top being a roof of a pagoda. It will fit into a built pagoda which will later become the bottle holder. (more)


Hagar's Threaded Vessel Pendant in Fine Silver by Bev of StuckOnSilver

Hagar's threaded vessel pendant in fine silver by Bev of StuckOnSilver
The dynasty created by Hagar's and Abraham's marriage included her land (from modern-day Libya and Egypt to Canaan) and his (from Iran and Iraq to Yemen) --a huge expanse of the known world. The leaves on the pendant represent the shrub that shaded their son Ishmael in the desert.
This pendant includes recycled silver and weigh approx. 4 grams. Vessel and top measure approx. 20 mm in length. A retro leaf motif adorns the vessel and top. Sleek square vessel has a circular screw-on top--both are hollow and might hold solid perfume or a mini-scroll with the name of a loved one on it (not included.) Wire holding the top is solid low-tarnish Argentium sterling silver for low-maintenance ease. (more)

Petite Bottle by Lisa of WillowandMe

Constructed with COPPRclay, the vessel sides and threaded connections were formed separately and assembled together to form this triangular Art Nouveau inspired bottle.  I reserved the extra pieces cut from the vessel sides to place inverted which gives the vessel a unique bottle shape with angular sides.  The top is also constructed using the pieces trimmed from the triangle bottoms, giving continuity of design throughout the entire piece.  The bright red CZ is secured with prongs made from cut pieces of clay and set pre-firing.  Fully sintered after three firings, this vessel measures about 1 ¼ inches tall.


Vote Now!
Please cast your vote using the Public Poll at the right.  Voting will be open for two weeks and will close July 9th.  The Winner of the Challenge will be announced shortly after.  (The Technical Poll is for MCHs team members only.)

Please leave a comment below to be automatically entered into the next Jewelry Giveaway Drawing held soon!

Inspiration, Imitation and Copying : Trends and the Evolution of a Personal Style.

This post will be part 1 of 2 parts


Part 1.....
Metal clay as a material has limitless possibilities for design and innovation, its only limitation seems to be its expense. I’ve seen so many gorgeous examples of work here on the internet that inspire me and that often leads to a flight of design ideas and new possibilities.  Why don’t those come to fruition?  I’m afraid to be accused of “copying”.  How can I use this wealth of inspiration I see here on the internet to develop a style that is truly my own.

I suspect I'm approaching the topic as an art historian might.

Early 20th century artists and craftspeople have shared skills and worked in smaller groups, guilds and geographical locations and, as such, they could train/imitate/copy and still keep one another accountable. Forgery was frowned upon and could get someone booted out of their "school", guild, or even lose their apprenticeship.

A totally ruined career unless you were:
a :) talented enough to get a bunch of others to defect with you or
b :) could afford to move to another country and set up shop.
Mass commercial enterprise and the "net" have totally changed the rules of the art and craft world.

Everything is fair game and people are trying to "copyright" age old processes and designs in order to make their mark.

A whole industry has evolved to share information and I contend that it leads to a kind of stagnancy when we come to developing our own creative processes and style. Pictures, published materials and experts running workshops set the trends. Seeing the beautiful work is inspiring and can give rise to new and innovative designs and material use. More often, I think, we flock like sheep to copy the latest trend.
I’m guilty!!!

I’ve wondered whether jumping on these trendy bandwagons might be really inhibiting my own evolution of a personal style.

Most alarming is the trend for big off shore manufacturers to "steal” and use imagery, usually that of a craftsperson who makes each item by hand, only then to reproduce inferior quality items to sell huge volumes of these items. That`s new. It makes us all throw up our hands and mutter, ”Why even bother?”  if someone’s just going to rip it off.

Is it wrong to copy or imitate?.... and how is it fair that someone can take “your” idea and execute it, promote it and sometimes become much more successful than you were?

These quotes about imitation are cliché but they underline the fact that this issue has been around for a long time:

“Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery - it's the sincerest form of learning.”
― George Bernard Shaw

“Parrots mimic their owners. Their owners consider that a sign of intelligence.”
― Marty Rubin


Our inspirations are the sum of our parts, our physical and genetic makeup, where we live and where we have traveled; how we view the world and its beauty, its underbelly and all the wonderful natural idiosyncrasies. Originality is the stock and trade of most artists.  Some artistic visions are truly revolutionary, many are original but few exist without studying or at least having been exposed to other artists’ work.  It’s a pretty difficult pill to swallow when you’ve worked really hard to evolve a particular design and technique, perfect it and then see that same design mass produced or replicated.  With the advent of internet selling the problem becomes exponential. So many artists scrambling to have their work rank high on the almighty Google search criterion.

Ideas and trends evolve via inspiration, imitation, and sometimes outright copying. I think in the fashion industry it is somewhat expected.  There are thousands of books, CD’s, tutorials, and
industry publications.  Being published and selling one’s methods is often a big or bigger money generator than selling one’s creations.  We should not be surprised when people copy our work when the environment that surrounds us has a business model that promotes and encourages this.  Trends are highlighted, hot selling items and people are “featured”, magazines encourage DIY and expect artists to publish their process.

Historically, artists considered imitation to be a sign of respect.  I suspect many of those who teach and publish books subscribe to this view of imitation.  I think learning is really important.  One of the people I most admire is my grandmother, known for her fabulous recipes and baking; her motto was, “I’ll tell you the basics, and how hot the oven has to be but the rest you have to figure out on your own”.
She was an inspiration. No tutorials, just her voice in my memory and her handwriting in the margins of cookbooks I inherited.  I’ll never make cakes that look or taste the same as hers did, but she inspired me to learn.


Here are a few web based perspectives on this issue:

http://www.squidoo.com/inspiration-vs-imitation

http://www.tekniskamuseet.se/1/313_en.html
http://prettyshinysparkly.com/fbff-when-is-flattery-by-imitation-just-downright-copying/

http://udis-tmc.blogspot.ca/2012/02/inspiration-vs-imitation.html

I’m hoping this is enough info for us to have a bit of a discussion and entertain any comments on the subject then move to the next part in this series that will focus on where we can “find” inspiration and innovative creative processes.

Kathy


Visit Kathy on etsy at MostlySilver and MostlyStoneware

Our Geometric's Challenge Results Are Here!

We challenged our team members on creating a Geometric design with movement and received five amazing entries. Here are the results:

By Popular Vote:
1. Silver Spinner Necklace II -- MyBrownWren with 29 votes
2. Umbrella Ring Copper Silver Spinner Wrap -- YorkAvenueStudio with 12 votes
3 . Silver Spinner Chocolate Pearl Pendant from Envydesignsjewelry with 9 votes

By Technical Vote:
1. Silver Spinner Necklace II -- MyBrownWren with 10 votes
2. Silver Spinner Chocolate Pearl Pendant from Envydesignsjewelry with 1 vote
2. Teardrop Unusual Unique Triangle Silver Ring -- Somethingxtraspecial with 1 vote

Overall (based on percentage recalculation of the two above):
1. Silver Spinner Necklace II -- MyBrownWren (55%/83%)
2 . Silver Spinner Chocolate Pearl Pendant from Envydesignsjewelry (17%/8%)
3. Umbrella Ring Copper Silver Spinner Wrap -- YorkAvenueStudio (23%/0%)
4. Teardrop Unusual Unique Triangle Silver Ring -- Somethingxtraspecial (6%/8%)


Congrats to Tammi of MyBrownWren! Her Silver Spinner Necklace II is absolutely outstanding and won both categories in flying colors! Thanks for all the MCHs who participated, and thanks to YOU who voted! Tammi will pick our next challenge theme this coming May.

The Geometric's Challenge

Drum roll please! Our geometric's challenge is here! We've amazing entries this time from five very talented MCHs. You can see from their submissions that they're eager to take their metal clay skills to the next level. Our technique requirement this time is "movement." Here they're:

Umbrella Ring Copper Silver Spinner Wrap from YorkAvenueStudio


Adorable little umbrella ring that wraps around your finger. I make the umbrella top with fine silver (.999) and the design is carved by hand. The ring band is the umbrella handle that wraps as an adjustable ring made from heavy copper wire. The Umbrella spins, perfect for those who like to fidget with their fingers, fun!

Teardrop Unusual Unique Triangle Silver Ring from Somethingxtraspecial


This beautiful and unusual shaped tear drop ring is perfect for the fiddler! A different design (one embossed, one etched) on each side of the disc, giving the wearer the option of two rings in one!

Drifting Fine Silver Pendant from Jewelflyt


...drift away...across a dreamy sky...

This handcrafted pendant is made from precious metal clay - fine silver. Crafted in the shape of a hot air balloon, 'drifting' is a lovely, whimsical pendant.

Silver Spinner Necklace II from MyBrownWren

This is a spinner necklace. It has four wings that are perpendicular to the central core, which is an extruded square tube. The central core and the wings are all hand carved, as well as the matching bottom bead. This piece hangs from a 24" oxidized sterling silver chain.

Silver Spinner Chocolate Pearl Pendant from Envydesignsjewelry

A fun paisley patterned domed open circle pendant with a spinner disc affixed to the front with a chocolate pearl. Handmade from recycled fine silver (.999). The disc on the bottom of the pendant is set with a yellow sapphire, and yes it spins!

The public poll on the right is open for two weeks. The technical poll, also open for two weeks, is restricted to MCHs team members only. Enjoy and don't forget to vote! Please cast your vote on the right column; and if you post a comment, you will be automatically entered into our December blog giveaway. Polls will be close on March 25th.

If you post a comment, you will be entered into our next blog giveaway!

Want to Know Who Won Our Sea & Sky Challenge?

Who did you vote for? Did she win? Find out now! Here are the results:

By Popular Vote:
1) Night sky pendant -- Envydesignsjewelry with 13 votes
2) Sunset Necklace -- SparkleBeeDesigns with 9 votes
3) Amazonite Fine Silver Pendant -- Vaasvara with 5 votes

By Technical Vote:
1) Amazonite Fine Silver Pendant -- Vaasvara with 8 votes
2) Dream Cloud Silver Ring -- YorkAvenueStudio with 3 votes
2) Night sky pendant -- Envydesignsjewelry with 3 votes
2) Sunset Necklace -- SparkleBeeDesigns with 3 votes

Overall (based on percentage recalculation of the two above):
1) Night sky pendant -- Envydesignsjewelry
2) Amazonite Fine Silver Pendant -- Vaasvara
3) Sunset Necklace -- SparkleBeeDesigns

Congrats to Envydesignsjewelry! Who won by a slight advantage based on the popular vote! Vaasvara did a great job as a new challenger! Thank you for all who entered and voted. Don't forget we've a blog giveaway going on that you can enter and win:
http://metalclayheads.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-are-only-limited-by-your.html