All levels of ability
The earliest use of perfume bottles is credited to the Egyptians with Nefertem being the god of perfume, beauty, and healing. Our lesson will focus on creating an original bottle design by using radial symmetry and balance concepts in our planning. We’ll start with a combustible core in which to form our hollow construction, apply a foot to the bottle, and a flange at the top. Repetitive design elements of varying sizes will be used in dry to dry construction techniques to decorate the surface of the bottle, and an ornamental bottle stopper and stem will finish it off elegantly. I think you will be surprised you can achieve complex construction with step by step instruction and proper planning.
Materials:
Art Clay Silver 25 g and PMC Sterling 925 25g (we will mix to make our own 960, which s 50/50 of each clay), texture sheets, Wood or cork clay, Elmer® Gel glue, 3M polishing papers, Eve® Rubber polishing wheels and knife edge for Silver, blue (medium), pink (fine) for rotary tool, 3M Radial Bristle Brushes 400 grit to fine, A block of polymer clay to make "props" for dimensional forms, Basic Tool Kit, Kiln.
Nefertem Perfume Bottle: God of Perfume Tutorial by Holly Gage
Lessons are in a PDF format are for students who need no teacher guidance with the lesson. You do, however, have an option to purchase a 1 hour question and answer session by appointment.
To purchase a private session in addition to the self guided lesson, select the "A Private Session with Holly Gage." separately. You can select how many sessions you would like. Sessions are live on the Go to Meeting platform. This option is for seeking answers to questions and have an interest in seeing Holly Gage perform select demonstrations.
©2021 Gage Designs. All rights reserved. This lesson and information within are protected under copyright law. Sharing or reproduction in whole or part are prohibited.Each tutorial suggests what Metal Clay to use, but you can use the clay you choose with these guidelines in mind since clay preference is an individual choice.
I tend to use Metal Clay with a good melting surface, which means adding water to eliminate imperfections on the greenware surface makes an excellent "self slip" that you can move around with a brush or healing tool to smooth the surface. Many of the lessons use this technique.
Since PMC Sterling is discontinued, the handmade 960 (1/2 PMC Sterling and 1/2 Art Clay Silver) you see in some lessons can be replaced with another strong clay with good carving properties — 950, 960, Sterling Clays, and Base Metal Clays that carve smoothly without chipping.