Many artists feel as though doing custom work interrupts the creative process. For many artists, we let the metal (or whatever the medium may be) show us what it is meant to be. Or, we begin by playing with a certain style of manipulation- drawing, sawing, the torch processes, etc- as let that guide our creative process as we guide the medium into our vision for the piece.
Clearly, custom work is much different from that. I will have to do a post on custom bead work and the like, but for today I am going to focus on this custom work. My cousin, as I have previously mentioned is doing awalk for Autism Speaks, an organization which provides support for families of those with autism or autism spectrum disorders. I offered to make a custom piece to auction off to raise money for the cause, a part of the walk goal.
This peaked her interest, and she began drawing. This brings us to making the custom piece. She sent me drawings. Typically, I am closer to a person for whom I create custom items, and they can tour the shop, get theirhands on jewelry to see textures and treatments, sizes and settings and decide how they would like the details to work. In this case, Cassi is in Texas and I am here in Arizona. A little harder. So when she sent me drawings, I needed to print them out and size them to what size she wanted.
Notice above, her drawing of a puzzle piece, with the words I am more printed on it. I needed to size the piece and decide with her how we would put the lettering in. The purpose of the words are her intent to tech her children that they are more than any one quality. They are more than a diagnosis, more than any one label society would give them. This is such a special, wonderful goal, that these words are not merely a slogn, they are the heart of the cause for their effort! So they need to show up!
Out came the handsaw and the copper sheets. It needed to be strong enough to properly hold shape, but at the size she liked (her reference being Texas big, but not gaudy big), it needed to still be light enough to not be heavy or uncomfortable around the neck.
These were her two designs. I am excited to play with her other design another time, Very creative!
It took a few tries to get it just right...
Then I cut out the pattern and taped it to the copper.
Through the magic of photography- that was cut out quickly!
Then came letter punching. This can be challenge for me, and in fact there were several mesed up pieces, but I was able to use them... (waste not, want not, right? but we have to figure in and expect this in our cost of custom work.)
Then the proof went back to Cassi. Not truly happy with the lettering yet, thinking about a silver printing instead, but in the interest of time on the auction, we moved this piece forward into the next step and began another piece in the following stage.
One option was to mke the piece look like it was colored with a crayon, as her initial drawing. So I used one of the opp cutouts as an example.
To give her more options, I had also put one in the speckling patina. I sent photos of them side by side so she could think about them in the same light. If she had been nearby, she could have looked closely at many coloring options in person, helping her see many possibilities. She chose the patina on the left.
Then, I sent her several lettering options. She chose to do one in option 1, the other in a 1 and 5 hybrid.
This is how the hybrid came out.
I will continue to do custom work. I enjoy the creative process, even when it is shared. A little tip for any of you considering sharing the process with me- have time and patience planned into the project. I want it to be perfect for you, so it is much easier for you to see hands on and be involved with the process and making it the way you want. Got an idea? Send me an email!
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