No matter WHAT you are putting together, designing is a process which can be accomplished a number of ways.
Many sketch before they begin to hammer, sew, paint, saw. As far as jewelry is concerned, I've seen intricate sketches that were works of art, in and of themselves! A sketchbook is never a bad idea.....I wonder personally how many good ideas came in my head, and then, poof! right back out again, never remembered, because I didn't take time to jot down a basic sketch.
I like to draw....but sketching....well! it just doesn't work for me. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one!
Designer Marian Harmon will be the first to tell you that she, too, is a very organic designer. Like me, she has trouble sketching out a design and keeping to it....although she does admit doing some loose sketching.
For the most part, she says, she enjoys taking pieces , moving them about on her workspace as if they were puzzle pieces....until it feels just right.
Then, she may rearrange them again, just for the 'what if?' of it all.
She may change her mind several times during the execution of the design. Something that starts out to be a bracelet may well end up becoming a necklace. A piece of scrap metal left from a previous project comes into play, and now is part of the design, or becomes a separate pendant.
Here are some examples of things that Marian has done that took turns and twists in the road...until the final destination was met:
You will probably NEVER guess what Marion made this bracelet from....it began with a dented bezel. Then the bezel was pounded FLAT. Hmmmm....what if it were scrubbed back, patina'd....and then cold connected? The result is this amazing cuff.
Marian made this bracelet for our Easy Peasy Bracelets challenge at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group at Flickr :
The side sections are actually necklace centerpieces for lavaliers, made from a very old die (tooling). I must say, however, I have seen this very piece used in vintage pieces, just this way. It makes an excellent side station for a bracelet design. Marian has added her own patina recipe to scrubbed back plated pieces, and quite effectively.
Another example of organic design is this simple pendant:
Marian had a little bit of ICE RESIN left from a batch, and needed to use it up. On her workbench was this nifty bezel and a little filigree part (I think we were throwing these in some of the goody bags that week!) She placed it in the bezel and poured, just to see the effect. Very pleasing! She says it reminds her a bit of an ancient compass under water.
And that's just it: some of the greatest designs aren't elaborate.....and many are born from simple experimentation. Another example, is what she did with this embossed copper ox plaque that I was clearing in a package lot at my backroom Etsy store :
She just stood them on end, drilled them and connected! I NEVER thought to do that with them. It's a really handsome design!
Marian has just opened her Etsy store:
Her goal is to fill it with things she loves to make: organically designed pieces that feature found items, unexpected objects, and dark scrubbed-back patina brass employing metalwork techniques in a Bohemian aesthetic.
In the past, Marian has specialized in designs for plus sizes, so hopefully she will place some plus sized pieces in her new store as it goes along, as I'm sure she will find a ready, grateful audience for them.
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