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Dimensional Mandalas with Opals
Dimensional Mandalas with Opals : Using Simple Scratch Foam Techniques
Sunday May 4 & Monday May 5, 2025
Skill Level: All levels
Register on the AMCAW Metal Clay Live Website:
https://metalclaylive.com/workshops/

In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to unleash your creativity and express yourself in a meaningful way. We will begin by exploring Mandalas and creating our own by hand, focusing on freely expressing our emotions. After that, we will deconstruct our drawings to add depth and transfer the design onto Scratch Foam to capture the lines in low relief.
Scratch Foam has its own unique look and feel, giving our creations a distinct signature. As we cut, shape, and dry the Metal Clay parts, we will assemble them in layers to give the Mandala a sense of depth.
Throughout the process, you will learn various techniques for creating textures in Scratch Foam, assembling, setting Fire in Place Cultured Opals, and best practices for working with them. Opals symbolize hope, purity, and truth.
Techniques covered:
  • Design
  • Scratch Foam use in making textures
  • Turning a 2-D drawing into a 3-D design
  • How to work with Fire in Place Cultured Opals (FIP) including firing, tumbling, finishing and handling.
  • Making and working with dimensional props

    Presenter – Holly Gage, USA
    Holly Gage of Gage Designs is a 2015 Saul Bell Design winner recognized for distinction in jewelry design. She creates contemporary jewelry and teaches her unique techniques with a gentle blend of design instruction and technical proficiency. Holly brings her innovation, creativity, and gift of helping others find their artistic voice through classes, mentoring programs, master workshops, and retreats. Classes are available live Online, at her PA studio, throughout the US, and abroad. She is a full-time jewelry artist, Certified Metal Clay Instructor, author, and conference speaker. In addition, Holly holds a BS in Fine Art and Education. Her jewelry and articles on techniques and design can be found in over 75+ regional and national publications, including the Best of America Jewelry Artists; Named 3rd in Handmade Business: Top 12 Makers, Movers, and Shakers; Metal Clay Today; Making Jewellery; Metal Clay Today among others. You can find more information about Holly’s jewelry, classes.

    Register on the AMCAW Metal Clay Live Website:Register on the AMCAW Metal Clay Live Website: https://metalclaylive.com/workshops/
 

Dimensional Mandalas with Opals with Holly Gage

$0.00Price

  •  

    • Basic metal clay tool kit
    • 30g Fine Silver Metal Clay,
    • Fire in Place Cultured Opals as needed for your design (1 large, multiple small approx. 5 – 7)
    • Scratch foam,
    • A variety of tube cutters
    • Packing tape or contact paper
    • Pencil
    • Broad and fine ball point pens
    • Various tipped ball stylus
    • Tracing paper
    • Denatured alcohol
    • Grafix® Incredible White Mask Liquid
    • Frisket 1/8” Foam Paper/foam healing tool or Wet Ones® hand wipes (better than average baby wipes)
    • Silly Putty®
    • Polymer clay
    • Drill bit
    • Super Glue® – gel type,
    • 3M® Bristle brushes
    • Eve® Rubber wheels and knife edge sets
    • Fused silica bead firing dish or fiber bowl
    • Kiln and kiln furniture
    • Fine grain vermiculite.
    • Basic Tool Kit additions: Small #2 brush, Dust brush, Overhead projector sheets cut in 1/4’s, Needle files, Sandpaper 3M polishing papers, Polishing pads.

    The instructor will contact you by email before the workshop to confirm the tools & materials requirements.

    • Prior to class, approximately a week before class, I will send you a PDF file of the lesson. (Please keep this for your eyes only due to copyright)
    • Students will receive a link to a Go to Meeting (no account needed) and should arrive 15 mins. prior to the start of the first class.  (I'm in PA eastern standard time)
    • During class I'll talk about design and demo major steps
    • You can ask any applicable questions you need during class.
    • If you need to try something while I'm there to watch, no problem.
    • If you miss a class, bring any creative development homework to the next session.
    • Please take progress picture(s) of your piece. I will have a Private board for you to upload the pictures, so we can all view it, this way I can reference it, or point to it during our session to describe what needs to be done next.
 Please send this creative development homework it at least 30 mins. before class if not sooner -- stopping to upload pictures disrupts class time.
    • Holly Gage cannot be held responsible for technical difficulties arising bad internet connections. You should have a camera on your computer to participate. Other people on your personal network may also impede the session, so it is recommended that only one person in your household should use the network at a time. Headphones are recommended.
    • If technical difficulties prevent an individual from communicating during the group session or impedes an entire session, I will communicate with that person after the session to rectify the problem. If technical difficulties disrupt the entire session, make up time shall be added to the end of the sessions.
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