Thursday, August 28, 2014

A little extra from the studio - new ceramic beads, from Something to do beads

So, this is a bit of an add on to my Inside the Studio post last Friday. If you read that you'll know that I'd just picked up a bumper load of beads after firing (I haven't got a kiln yet). Anyway, I didn't have time to take any pictures so I'm sharing them today.  On Friday I included a picture of some earrings made with a couple of dinky bird beads. Well, I've made quite a few birds...


If I have a spare bit of clay left out after making something I tend to make it bird-shaped. There are bird sets, lone birds, and birds in pairs for earrings.


Talking of earring pairs, I've made rather a lot of them.  


There were several casualties on the way to getting these warp-free, and I'm sure there'll be more warping in the future.  The glaze on the pair on the right is beautiful (and it's not like I made it, so I'm allowed to say that!), but, frustratingly, I've struggled to take a picture without having all of that light reflecting off them.  

I did say lots of earring pairs, yes? 


I do like crackle glazes. I've also always been a sucker for any glaze with crystal inclusions, like those I've used on a couple of these pairs.


They can be messy to use but I love them.  Had to make these glossy bonbons using them too.


I tried making up some of my old polymer designs in ceramic. These turned out quite nicely.



And, of course, there was bound to be some owl-age.


Which fox do you prefer - realistic fox or stylised fox?


These have a hole running down the centre at the back. Here's another fox-y piece:


And here's some more pendant pieces.


I've been having a go with glaze stains; I'm quite pleased with these sets.


This is a bit of an ongoing project - faux beach pottery. I've yet to get them exactly how I want them.  


Here's a few more miscellaneous pieces. I particularly like the tiger stripes and the cobalt feather set.




Yellow may be my favourite colour of rose. The rosebuds above, to the right, have also been an ongoing experiment. I really wanted to get a pinched, paper-like feel to them.  Here's an earlier set that I made as I attempted to get the look I was after. 


If you read Friday's post you may remember that I said the prize for the ITS giveaway would be a mystery bundle of beads. Well, let's clear that mystery up! The winning commenter will receive this set of roses. But I promised a bird too, so here's everything that's up for grabs:


If you'd like to win these, head here and add a comment saying what piece of equipment you'd most like for your workspace.

I hope you've enjoyed this little preview of these new beads. I have many more: a frankly alarming amount of photoshopping lies ahead. I'm hoping to get them in my shop within the next week or so.

Bye for now, Claire


14 comments:

Gale said...

Wow! I wish I could do all of that without a kiln! You really achieved a variety of marvels there. Your foxes are great, and I think the stylized one is special.

baymoondesign said...

I love all d the beads you made. Both foxes are great, but I prefer the ne on the right. Your birds are darling!

Divya N said...

wow, each piece is so beautiful, that it looks complete by itself. I can only imagine the amount of work you did to create them

Kathy said...

Such adorable pieces! I love all of them. I particularly like your landscape pendants. As for the cute foxes I'm with the others--I like the stylized one better but both are great.
-Kathy (PajegoArtHouse)

Mary Harding said...

Fabulous beads Claire!! I especially like the stained feathers and the stick type beads.
You just jumped in all ready to be a pro. Congrats!!

Saraccino said...

They all look so great (and more the reason to really also want to have a kiln for myself ^^)!

bairozan said...

I thought birds and houses were my favorites ever but now I am in doubt :) Fantastic! All of them!

Purple Pixie (Denise Perrett) said...

Love these Claire, cant wait for your shop update x

Ann Schroeder said...

Wow, what a wonderful assortment of beads. I love the variety. I just loved each one as I scrolled down. I'll have to look at this post numerous times to take it all in.

Klassy Joolz said...

Love the foxes...all of them...well I really love all your beads...They are all so fun and unique!

Unknown said...

Great selection of beads Claire!! I adore the foxes!

Unknown said...

I love them all. The roses are magic! I know animal print lovers would flip on those tiger beads. So...equipment for my little beady room? A good way to store wire , ribbons and leather. Some sort of spool system? Thanks for sharing your work. Always an inspiration. J

Mokki said...

Wow! I love the houses and the pendants with hills and houses. But really they are all beautiful. I prefer the darker brown fox. You've done such a good job on creating all of these lovely beads and pendants!

Unknown said...

Claire your beads all look great! I especially like the stain glaze sets and the bunnies. Your birds are adorable too! Thanks for a chance to win.