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Skyelar In reply to KarenOlwenDesigns [2010-03-22 14:53:23 +0000 UTC]

I honestly can't recall the gauge of copper that I used -- it was 10 years ago or so that I finished this piece! It was fairly thin copper because it was able to be embossed by a simple wooden stylus and the edges were able to be folded around a piece of cardboard by hand. Beyond that, I honestly couldn't say.

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KarenOlwenDesigns In reply to Skyelar [2010-03-22 14:59:10 +0000 UTC]

it's absolutely gorgeous - love the textures you got out of the metal - what a lot of work...

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Skyelar In reply to Heatherzart [2010-01-13 15:31:49 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! It's been about 10 years since I did this piece (wow, I feel old) but it's a technique called "repousse". A thin and malleable piece of copper was basically embossed with the design, working from the back of the piece. A wooden stylus was used to "push" the copper into a softer material (in my case, the copper was on top of a stack of newspapers) creating a raised 3D design when you flipped the piece over. Once the design and all its texture was completed, I washed the copper with India ink, then buffed the copper with steel wool -- this brings out the highlights and leaves the ink in the deeper grooves, so the texture really stands out. I then folded the unfinished -- and sharp -- edges of the copper around a piece of cardboard and framed the whole thing without glass. That's about it -- it's a really fun technique.

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Heatherzart In reply to Skyelar [2010-01-17 18:42:05 +0000 UTC]

That's fascinating! I want to try it now... Thanks for giving me the details.

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Skyelar In reply to cyberia23 [2003-12-24 05:50:49 +0000 UTC]

Why thank you!
And no, I don't have much patience generally, I tend to skip around between projects. But I have to say this was a TON of fun to do, because banging on metal after a frustrating class in school is a great way to relieve stress.

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cyberia23 In reply to Skyelar [2003-12-24 08:27:00 +0000 UTC]

Yes, it looks like it would be fun. I've messed around with metal art for an art class during my junior high.

We did it a bit differently. I remember we coated the metal with some kind of wax, and the scribed a drawing into it. Then we ran this acid over the wax. We let it all evaporate away and then scraped the wax off and we had what we scribed acid etched into the metal. Only the exposed metal surface was eaten away.

It was pretty fun to do, however I remember the acid had some serious vapors going on. We applied it under a huge exhaust vent, and had to wear rubber gloves, breath masks and shop goggles.

Ever try anything like this?

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Skyelar In reply to cyberia23 [2004-01-02 04:16:26 +0000 UTC]

Nah, I never got a chance to do any etching. My school system's art program pretty much sucked. The copper turtle was about the only metal working I managed to do, except for some VERY limited jewelry making in like 7th grade.
If I get a chance to take an art class in college, that etching sounds like fun. I'd give it a shot.

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