Edinburgh jeweller

Making a hollow form silver clay ring

2019-01-30T11:23:00.002+00:00

One of the benefits of starting the Make A Ring A Month movement is that I get to choose the theme each month! I had already settled on texture as the theme for January and had a good idea of what I wanted my ring to look like. And weirdly it has ended up as I imagined it would (that doesn't often happen!).

I decided to create a hollow form ring because I am a bit obsessed with making box forms at the moment. If you'd like to learn how to do that I suggest taking a look at this online course with Tracey Spurgin.

I then carved into the silver clay to make the texture. I use the dockyard micro carving tools.

I kiln fired the ring (I always recommend kiln firing rings as they need the strength of a long hot firing). I fired at 880 centigrade for 1.5 hours. Although I'll add here that I'm pretty sure my kiln is underfiring at them moment meaning that it is heating up to lower than the temperature it states. I need to do a proper kiln test for it but with Art Clay Silver I've found that it is a forgiving material and tends to work well within a good range of temperatures.

The ring shrunk 4.5 UK ring sizes. I was expecting a large amount of shrinkage because the larger the piece the more there is to shrink.

I polished the ring with my portable foredom mini micro motor. I chose this polisher because I am often travelling to teach and it is a really handy size to pack.

And here it is, the finished ring! With thanks to my lovely husband Gary for the photos.

If you'd like to take part in the Ring a Month challenge you are welcome to join in! All styles of jewellery and levels of jeweller welcome.
The theme for February has been announced. You can join on Facebook or Instagram (or both).

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/makearingamonth/
Join the Facebook group and share your progress shots and completed ring

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ringamonth/
Follow @ringamonth on Instagram and share your progress shots and completed ring with the hashtag #ringamonth2019

Ring a month theme for February 2019

2019-01-24T07:43:00.000+00:00

I've been overwhelmed by the number of people being inspired by the Ring A Month challenge. At the time of writing, we have 351 members in the Facebook group and 300 followers on Instagram.
If you'd like to join in there's still time!
Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/makearingamonth/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ringamonth/

I have decided to announce the theme for the coming month a week before the start of the month. This is to give people time to think about their designs, particularly those that are busy and have a lot to fit in.

The theme for February 2019 is .... music and lyrics

Here are some ideas to get you thinking about how to interpret the theme

Be inspired by

A song/piece of music you love
A specific lyric from a song
A style of music e.g. classical, metal, rap, funk etc
A musical
An instrument/s
Music artwork (CD/LP sleeve or music video)
A concert you went to (or wish you went to!)
A music festival
Choose a musician, singer or composer you admire and make a ring you think they would wear or that represents them

You can be as concrete or abstract as you like!

All I ask is that when you share your ring on Facebook you also share a youtube link to the song you were thinking of or a song that sums up the style of music you had in mind when you designed it. I think that will really help the rest of the group get a feel for your design.
If you are sharing on Instagram I'd love it if you shared the title of the song or piece of music and the name of the musician/band/orchestra (as you probably know links don't work on Instagram).
And I'd love to know a little bit about why you chose that particular song/lyric/person/concert etc so it would be great if you would add something about that too.

Alternatively, if you aren't inspired by this theme, make a ring of your own design. The challenge is to make a ring a month, the theme is optional.

I can't wait to see what you make and the music you choose.

Rent a studio or work from home?

2019-01-18T23:17:00.000+00:00

Rent a studio or work from home? Some thoughts on how to decide

There comes a point when you need to decide if you’ve outgrown your jewellery making workspace at home. So, what are the pros and cons of renting a jewellery studio versus working from home?

It took me a while to decide to rent a desk space in a studio to work from rather than work at home. I currently share a studio at Hill Street Design House in Edinburgh. This has been a really great move for me for lots of reasons but might not be the right choice for everyone so I wanted to give some of the pros and cons and my thought processes on it if you are also thinking about it.

Hill Street Design House event hire room

Jewellery making from home

Pros

Cost

This is the main consideration for me. It doesn’t cost me any extra to work from home plus I don’t have additional costs e.g. travel

Time

The time it takes to travel to and from the studio could be more usefully used making jewellery from home (and will I go there!)

Convenience

Any time I get a great idea I can act on it if I am working from home

Cons

Space

Your ability to work from home, of course, depends on the amount of space you have and whether that space can be dedicated to your work

Life/work balance

There’s no separation of life and work and that can be difficult to manage. This was the main one for me that prompted me to get my desk space. I was finding it increasingly difficult to separate things out and it wasn't working.

Concentration

There’s always something else to do at home, it is difficult to concentrate solely on making and designing

Renting a studio

Pros

Dedicated space

You have a dedicated space for your jewellery making, not a room that sometimes needs to be used if guests come to stay! In my case my desk was in the living room so there wasn't a way to shut the door and just focus on leisure time.
Networking

You have the opportunity to network with and learn from other designer-makers at the studio, to work together and collaborate. It's also great not to be alone, to be able to pop along to another person's studio and say hi. We also have nights out and pizza Friday!

Selling events

Many studios have open studio events where the public are invited in to buy. I recently visited Cockpit Arts in London and was told that many artists make their year’s rent back through sales at their two annual open studio events

Equipment

You may be able to share expensive equipment that you wouldn’t buy otherwise e.g. rolling mill, polisher etc

Cons

Cost

Financially, renting a studio is a big commitment, an additional monthly cost, especially if your income is sporadic. You also need to factor in the cost of travel between home and your studio.

Travel time

Depending on where your studio is, you will spend time travelling to and fro

So, how do I decide?

I think there are two important things to look at when deciding whether to rent a studio or continue to work from home. Firstly, the logistics. I can see that my business will develop if I rent a studio space. The key for me is to have a space that is convenient to get to. When I lived in London there wasn't a viable option that didn't take about an hour to travel to. I live in Edinburgh now and my studio is a ten-minute walk. For me, if it isn't convenient I just won't go there!

The second thing to consider is to know yourself. Really think about whether you will be able to make the most of the opportunity of having that dedicated space for the next 12 months.

How do I find out what’s available in my area?

Keep an eye out in the local press as well as on Gumtree. In addition, Benchpeg, a weekly email newsletter and website for the UK jewellery industry, regularly features jewellery workshops for rent in their classified adverts section. Look out for other local options, here in Scotland Creative Scotland is a great resource.

Do you rent a studio or work from home? How did you decide what would be best for you? Please do share your thoughts by making a comment on this post

Online ring making tutorials

2019-01-09T15:56:00.002+00:00

I started the Make a Ring a Month 2019 challenge at new year (there's still time to join in, you can find the group here >). We have members at all levels of experience in jewellery making so I thought I'd write this blog post sharing some online ring making classes for those that are beginners, those that want to make more advanced designs or those that fancy trying a new technique.

I am only covering classes I can personally recommend here (with the exception of Hattie Sanderson I know all the teachers listed below). I have no doubt that there are loads of resources out there but this will hopefully give a start to those that are interested. If something catches your eye then do click on the link to find out more.
(Just to be clear, I do work for Jewellers Academy but have not been asked to promote their courses and these are not affiliate links).

For beginners in making silver rings

Make a silver ring with Rosie Sanders - £45
Jewellers Academy
link >

Make a stone set ring with Sophie Arnott (using pre-made settings) FREE
Jewellers Academy
link >

For beginners in wax carving a ring

Make a wax carved ring with Sophie Arnott - FREE
Jewellers Academy
link >

Metal clay ring tutorials

Focus on rings with Tracey Spurgin
Craftworx
link >

Leaf-like metal clay rings with Lis-el Crowley $44.95
Craftcast
link >

Claw set ring with Tracey Spurgin £60
Craftworx
link >

Metal clay enamelled rings with Joy Funnell
Craftcast
link >

Infinity rings with Tracey Spurgin $44.95
Craftcast
link >

Sterling silver clay domed rings Hattie Sanderson $24.95
Craftcast
link >

Can you recommend any online courses or tutorials in ring making? Do add them to the comments below so I can check them out!

Make a ring a month challenge for January 2019

2019-01-05T13:35:00.001+00:00

The theme for January for the Make a Ring a Month 2019 challenge is texture (find out more about the Ring a Month challenge here > if you don't already know about it)

Here are some prompts and ideas:

stamping
engraving
rolling mill
found textures
bought textures
carving
woven
hammered
drilling

The main aim of the ring a month challenge is to make a ring a month. If you already have some design ideas in mind then feel free to carry on, you don't have to stick to the theme. I know I find themes helpful so I will continue to have one each month.

I started the ring a month 2019 challenge and it went viral!

2019-01-04T16:28:00.000+00:00

There have been lots of jewellery challenges going around for the last couple of years including make a pendant a day, a ring a week, a bird a week etc. I do love these kind of thing but know that committing to making something every day or even every week is just too much for me. So I've been thinking for a while about a monthly challenge, something that would be some work but would still feel do-able.
On new years eve I decided to go for it and set up a Facebook group called Make a Ring a Month 2019. I posted about this group on one jewellery forum on the evening of 31st December and before the new year arrived 30 people signed up! By the next day, we'd hit 100 and we are currently on 189 members from all over the world.
When I first set it up I really didn't know how it would go. I thought that it might be me and about 20 other people that I know. I'm so glad that others have joined in too, it goes to show that it wasn't just me wanting a challenge for 2019.

The challenge is this:

Make a ring every month in 2019.
That's it really! It can be made of any material. You can be a beginner or a professional jeweller or someone in between.
A theme for each month will be suggested but you are welcome to ignore it if you have some design ideas in mind.

You are welcome to join in! You can find the Facebook group here >. There is one question to answer when you join the group because I wanted to make sure we got genuine people and not spam!
I have also set up an Instagram account @ringamonth for those that prefer Instagram so do follow that and use the hashtag #ringamonth2019 to share your work in progress and final rings.

I'm grateful to all those that have joined and am really looking forward to seeing what everyone makes. And now that I've started the challenge I've got to get making too!
I will update you on the blog with the progress over the year.

Article in the latest issue of Making Jewellery magazine

2018-12-21T15:41:00.000+00:00

I'm excited to have an article in the latest issue of Making Jewellery magazine.
Issue 125 is a business and professional issue and my article is on Craft fairs - should you take part?
I was fortunate to have help from fellow jewellers Nina Mason, Jackie Moore and Susan Rowley who gave me their opinions and experiences too.
It's a great issue so do check it out.
You can buy a digital copy here >

Special christmas shopping events in Edinburgh

2018-11-29T07:00:00.000+00:00

I am just getting ready for two special shopping events that are coming up so I'm busy busy busy!

Arienas Collective open day
Saturday 1st December, 12-7pm
Free entry
2 Dublin Meuse, Edinburgh, EH3

I'd love to see you at the Arienas Collective this Saturday (1st December). Drop in any time between 12 and 7pm. I'll be alongside other artists for the Collective chatting about workshops and sampling some mulled wine. I'll also be doing a silver clay jewellery making demo (before I start on the mulled wine!) and I'll have some of my jewellery available to buy. There will be other demos including soap making and lino printing and I think it'll be a great way to spend a Saturday! We're just 5 minutes walk from St Andrews Square so really centrally located.
You can find out more here >

Independent Zebra
Thursday 6th December
Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Many shops in Stockbridge are opening until 8pm for a special shopping evening. I have some jewellery for sale there, you can find it in the cabinet next to the till. I am away teaching in London unfortunately so won't be there but I'm sure it will be a lovely evening and there are lots of great gifts made by Scottish designer/makers for you to choose from!
Find out more here >

Did you know that I have gift vouchers for sale?
If you would like to give the gift of jewellery making I'd love you to get a gift voucher (or ask for one for yourself!)
Vouchers are valid for a year and can be used as full our part payment for one of my workshops.
I can post vouchers out in the UK or email e-vouchers for last minute gifts.
Find out more here >

2018 Black Friday deals for metal clay jewellers

2018-11-23T10:32:00.000+00:00

Fancy bezels, prongs and bails online course, Jewellers Academy

It's Black Friday again and even before the day arrived there were lots of deals around (and surely more to come). Black Friday is fairly new to the UK but it's always good to look out for a deal! Here are some of the best I've seen for metal clay artists. Do share any I've missed in the comments and I'll add them in

Clay, materials and tools
Cookson Gold has discounts on clay and tools
I haven't seen any other discounts on metal clay but there are a lot of discounts on gemstones and beads out there including Beads Direct and Kernowcraft. Elsilver also have discounts, it's worth checking out their 25% off offer on dies.

Online courses
Jewellers Academy has 50% off their courses including 3 metal clay courses. Tip: buy the bundle with Julia Rai's metal clay charms course and my stone setting torch fired course as it's the same cost as my course on its own! There's also the new Fancy bezels, prongs and bails course by Julia Rai which is great. Use code CREATIVE2019 at check out to get the discounted price.

Tracey Spurgin has 50% off her distance learning courses at Craftworx

Craftcast have 35% off their online courses including metal clay using code thankyou35 at check out.

Classes in the UK
The London Jewellery School has 10% off day and evening classes which includes 11 metal clay classes. These include the more advanced classes like adding gold to metal clay, stone setting in metal clay, fingerprint jewellery and paper silver clay. Use code ONYXFRIDAY at checkout.

Julia Rai is offering 20% off her courses at the Cornwall School of Arts Craft and Jewellery with discount code Black18 for one day only! Offer ends on 23rd November at midnight

Lisa Cain is offering 15% off her classes at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery booked by 1st December

Get your handmade christmas sorted with the Arienas Collective 🎄 🎁

2018-11-15T17:00:00.000+00:00

Make your own silver christmas pudding charms at Arienas Collective

It’s exciting to see a change in the way we look at Christmas and how much we consume. So I wanted to share with you some of the fun things you can do to prepare for a handmade Christmas at the Arienas Collective in Edinburgh. I am one of the artists that is part of the collective and we run creative workshops in Edinburgh. We love sharing our art and craft with you so here’s what you can learn to do to make your Christmas unique!

Make decorations 🎁
Join Panna to learn some calligraphy skills and then hand decorate your own glass baubles. What a lovely thing to create for your own tree or as a gift.

Christmas cards 🎄
Make your own unique lino print christmas cards and gift tags with local artist Suzanne.

Handmade presents 🎁
There are a few options for handmaking thoughtful gifts with us this christmas

Festive soap and skincare 🎄
Join Jenny from the Scottish Soapworks for two heavenly scented workshops! On the soap course you’ll learn to make your own glycerine soaps, choosing from the very festive scents of whiskey and oatmeal or orange and cinnamon.
On the skincare course learn to make your own hand and body cream and lip balm.

Silver jewellery making 🎁
You could join me for a silver jewellery making taster class. Learn how to make silver wine/gin glass charms, Christmas cracker or table gifts or stocking fillers.
Alternatively, you could just make something for yourself and not tell anyone!

Gift vouchers 🎄
We have so many great workshops on offer that one of our gift vouchers is perfect for someone who is hard to buy for. They can be used for full or part payment on any course at the Arienas Collective

Click here > to check our dates for November and December workshops but don't delay - places are going quickly. We'd love to see you!

How to have a sale without having a sale

2018-11-14T17:13:00.001+00:00

I wrote a blog post for Jewellers Academy on how to have a sale without having a sale. I am not a fan of discounting handmade jewellery, particularly if you can make to order. However, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up I've looked at 5 ways to have a sale without devaluing your brand and ways you can clear out old stock.
Take a look at the full post here

50% off new online stone setting in silver clay course

2018-11-11T19:36:00.002+00:00

50% off this brand new online metal clay class

In the last couple of weeks, I've been fortunate enough to have had a preview of this new stone setting course by metal clay artist Julia Rai.
Fancy bezels, prongs and bails is an online course from Jewellers Academy. I've watched the whole thing as I was working on making sure Julia's excellent notes lined up with the order of the videos (there are 11 individual videos in the course). The downloadable notes are now done and the course is currently in pre-sale and will go live on 13th November 2018.
AND if you buy before then, you can get 50% off! When it goes live it will be £79 but right now you can buy it for £39.50 (and I really recommend that you do).

What will I learn?
This course covers stone setting in silver clay. It is for those that have some experience of working with silver clay. If you've done one of my taster or beginners classes then it will be good for you.
You will learn

How to set an irregular shaped natural stone by making your own bezel (the silver strip that holds the stone in place). I have seen many methods of setting a natural stone and I think this one makes the most sense
How to prong set a fireable stone
How to make and attach embellishments to your pieces

And lots of tips and tricks along the way.

Note that kiln fire is suggested for these pieces but they could be torch fired too

Check out the trailer below to find out more but don't wait - the 50% presale ends on 13th November so use this link to buy now for £39.50.

Silver clay workshops at the Creative Craft Show, Glasgow in October

2018-10-01T07:30:00.000+01:00

I'm excited to announce that tickets are now on sale for the Creative Craft Show at Glasgow SEC in October. This was such a fun event last year, I'm really glad I'm doing it again this year! There are so many fab exhibitors and lots of retail therapy especially for crafters - definitely bring a shopping trolley!
I will be exhibiting some of my jewellery work, doing some demonstrations and answering questions on my stand.
I will also be teaching a silver clay workshop each day in the Creative Den. Tickets for the workshop are purchased separately from the entrance tickets and do need to be purchased in advance. My silver clay classes sold out early last year so don't delay!

Workshop at last years Show

Here are all the details

What? The Creative Craft Show
When? Thursday 25th October - Sunday 28th October 2018
Where? Glasgow SEC
Tickets Click here to buy a ticket > Currently £10 per person (early bird price)

90-minute silver clay workshop with Anna Campbell at the Creative Craft Show
When? 12-1.30pm daily, 25th - 28th October
Cost? £20 (includes silver clay and findings) This cost is subsidised by the Creative Craft Show so it's a great opportunity to give silver clay jewellery making a go!
Note, you also need to purchase a ticket for the show for the day of your workshop
Where? Creative Den, Glasgow SEC
What will I learn? The session is 90 minutes so doesn't take away too much of your shopping and browsing time at the Show! You will make a silver clay pendant and choose either the hummingbird, button, butterfly or owl. You'll choose your own shape and texture for your pendant.
You will learn how to

make a silicone mould and use it with silver clay
roll and texture silver clay to make a pendant
add embellishments to your pendant
file and prepare your piece for firing
fire your piece with a jewellers torch
polish your jewellery and add a jump ring ready to wear

Purchase your workshop ticket/s here >

Note: For safety reasons, under 16s must be supervised by an adult

If you're visiting the exhibition do come along and say hi!

The latest issue of Making Jewellery magazine is a metal clay special edition

2018-09-28T10:45:00.000+01:00

The lastest issue of Making Jewellery magazine is out now and it’s a metal clay special. I’m really pleased to share that the editor Sian commissioned me to write an article for it on hallmarking metal clay. It is a topic I have spoken on at the You Can Make It residential conference organised by Metal Clay Ltd. To research it I visited the London Assay Office to take a tour (definitely worth getting a tour of your Assay Office if you get the chance, it’s very interesting). My article is on pages 30 and 31 so I hope you have a read!

This special issue of Making Jewellery magazine is absolutely fantastic for metal clay artists so do get a copy of it if you can. It’s available from the larger WH Smiths and some supermarkets. If you're not in the UK you can still purchase a digital copy.

Artists featured include Anna Mazon, Joy Funnell, Julia Rai, Lisa Cain and Tracey Spurgin and they share some fantastic techniques and projects. Well worth a read.

Learn to solder silver clay jewellery in this new class in Edinburgh

2018-09-26T11:52:00.001+01:00

It’s been nearly a year since I started teaching silver clay jewellery classes in Edinburgh (time flies!). I’ve been so fortunate this year to meet and teach lots of enthusiastic learners. As well as my taster class and the beginners class I have already added a ring making in silver clay class to my schedule.

And now I am pleased to share that booking is now open for my new intermediate class for those that are keen to learn more. Based on feedback from my students I have designed a class called Soldering silver clay jewellery. I’m not sure the name is that exciting but the class is as it covers what people have told me they want to learn next.

It's a class I've taught for the London Jewellery School and at the You Can Make It Metal Clay residential conference.

The class is suitable for those who have used silver clay before either at home, in a taster or beginners class.

Silver clay stud earrings, Jewellery School Scotland

What will I learn?

I’ve designed the class to teach a new skill - soldering. Soldering is something that traditional silversmiths learn early on in their education but is often missed out for metal clay artists. This class fills in this gap and allows you to make a wider variety of jewellery.

On the class we will first design and make stud earrings, cufflinks and a pendant out of silver clay. This part serves as a good recap on what you’ve learnt previously.

We will then spend the majority of our time focussing on the skill of soldering. You will learn

How to solder earring posts on to earrings to make studs
How to solder silver cufflink backs onto your silver clay pieces
How to solder a jump ring onto a pendant (instead of drilling a hole)
Many more hints and tips including how to make your own pickle

Silver clay cufflinks, Jewellery School Scotland

We will cover two different types of soldering, the equipment and materials you need (not much more than for working with silver clay), troubleshooting and more. You will have plenty of supervised practice and by the end of the day you should have the confidence and skill to start making things from home.

The cost of the course includes materials worth over £30 including 10g of silver clay, a pair of sterling silver cufflinks, a pair of stud earrings and butterflies.

The classes are held at the Arienas Collective in Edinburgh and refreshments and lunch are included in the course price featuring locally sourced products. For those who have been to a one day class at the Arienas before you will know that we are well catered for!

Silver clay pendants, Jewellery School Scotland

We currently have two dates to choose from

Wednesday 31st October 10-5pm

Saturday 15th December 10-5pm (perfect for making some christmas gifts or goodies for yourself!)

Click here > for more information and to book a place

I am working on getting some dates in for 2019 so sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know when those dates have been released.

I am also designing more new classes for 2019 so if you have something you would really like to learn get in touch and let me know

anna@jewelleryschoolscotland.co.uk

The podcasts I listen to every week

2018-08-07T18:00:00.000+01:00

This is a very indulgent blog post! But I really enjoy listening to podcasts and I love hearing about the podcasts people listen to so I thought I would run down some of my favourites. I have previously blogged on this, coincidentally it was almost exactly 3 years ago today! And I also did a post on my favourite podcasts for creativity. But these are the ones I listen to right now for fun!

Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast

Happier with Gretchen Rubin
I love Gretchen's books so I've been listening to this since it started.
Happier is a weekly podcast that Gretchen Rubin makes with her sister Liz Craft. They talk about how to be a little happier in everyday life. I've particularly found the discussion about different tendencies and how they affect our happiness very helpful.

You can find out more and listen to the Happier podcast here >

Binge Mode podcast

Binge Mode Harry Potter
This is my current favourite but it is definitely not for everyone. However, if you love the Harry Potter books and re-read them regularly you'll probably love this too. Mallory and Jason talk in depth about each of the books and the films. They tend to talk about 5 chapters at a time and can talk for over an hour! I find them funny and I enjoy the insights that come from this. The podcast is currently published every weekday and I found that I was upset when they had a summer break! They have also done a binge mode for Game of Thrones too.

You can find out more and listen to the Binge Mode Harry Potter podcast here >

In the Dark podcast

In the Dark
I started listening to podcasts with crime podcasts and could do a whole blog post on them. Some of my favourites are Undisclosed, Off Shore and BreakDown. In the Dark has just recently finished the second series and it's excellent. It looks at the story of Curtis Flowers, a man convicted of murder. He's been tried 6 times because he's had his conviction overturned multiple times. The story is well told and explained and it's worth a listen.

You can find out more and listen to the In the Dark podcast here >

Happier in Hollywood podcast

Happier in Hollywood
This podcast releases an episode weekly and is presented by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain who are TV writers living in Los Angeles. They talk about happiness in the context of the workplace. It is interesting because Liz and Sarah have been writing partners for 18 years so it is good to hear how they discuss and debate issues. They also talk a bit about living and working in Los Angeles which is fun to hear about.

You can find out more and listen to the Happier in Hollywood podcast here >

Vibe Ride podcast

Vibe Ride
This is a music podcast created by my husband and it's been going for nine years now. It's great if you like 70s and 80s funk and soul music and releases about every three weeks.

You can find out more an listen to the Vibe Ride podcast here >

I'm always on the lookout for more podcasts to add to my list so do recommend your favourites in the comments below

Sketching class at the Arienas Collective

2018-07-31T22:06:00.000+01:00

Sketches I did on the course with the Edinburgh sketcher at Arienas Collective

As a tutor at the Arienas Collective I’ve been looking at the other courses available and deciding which to do first! Although I do a little sketching as a jeweller to get ideas down on paper I haven’t done any drawing or painting for quite a while so I decided to do the speed sketching taster class with Mark Kirkham aka the Edinburgh Sketcher. I really love his sketching style and the ability to do quick sketches of different scenes appealed to me.

First things first - tea! I had a lovely cup of tea and a chance to chat and get to know the other members of our group. Our host Lynn was very welcoming and the creative space is gorgeous so it was a very relaxed start to the day. When everyone had arrived Mark did a brief introduction and passed around some of his sketchbooks to give us an idea of what was to come. We then went straight out for a walk and did three short sketch projects in Edinburgh’s gorgeous New Town. Mark drew our attention to little details that I might not have noticed - the shape of a lamp post, a striking front door.

Each sketch project helped us practice something different - shading, perspective and shape. Mark spent time with each of us in turn at every one of our sketches, giving practical and encouraging advice on our progress. It is lovely to be in a small group and although It’s nervy having a teacher looking over your shoulder, Mark was very helpful and constructive and I do feel I learnt a lot in this short course.

Sketching in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery with the Edinburgh Sketcher

It was a hot day so I was glad when we ended up at the nearby Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Here we did two sketches, one based on a sculpture and another of the very impressive entrance space.

The walk was short and, for those with worries about mobility issues, there was the opportunity to sit down and sketch at the Portrait Gallery. We did not need to walk far to get to some excellent locations to sketch.

We did one last sketch on the street to work on perspective and then went back to Arienas for very yummy soup and cheese and then some watercolour. I hadn’t tried watercolour before because I always thought it would be difficult but I really enjoyed adding the colour washes to the sketches and building up the colour intensity - so fun! All too quickly the morning was over. We were given a frame each and the opportunity to choose which image was our favourite.
Mark is a great teacher. He demystifies his sketching and painting process and although it is challenging and takes practice it is also fun. I learnt a lot and would love to do the full day speed sketching class as well as I would enjoy spending more time on the watercolour painting process. I’m definitely hooked and my husband was also keen to give it a try when I showed him my finished sketches so I’m off to buy some watercolours now!

Top hashtags for your jewellery business

2018-07-14T14:22:00.000+01:00

I've been writing some guest blog posts for Jewellers Academy. If you'd like to read my post on top hastags for your jewellery business you can find it here >

Funding and grants for jewellers

2018-06-26T14:27:00.000+01:00

I've been blogging for Jewellers Academy and wrote this post on funding and grants for jewellers. If you'd like to read it you can find it here >

Case study - getting press for your jewellery business

2018-06-21T14:34:00.000+01:00

I've been blogging for Jewellers Academy and wrote this case study on my experiences of getting featured in the press. If you'd like to read it you can find it here >

Writing for Craft Business magazine

2018-05-10T15:19:00.000+01:00

I was commissioned to write an article for Craft Business magazine on using silver clay for business and it's been published! My article is in the April 2018 issue, page 30. You can download a copy for free here >

Make! Craft Britain on BBC Four featuring silver clay jewellery making

2018-03-31T11:23:00.000+01:00

It was fantastic to see silver clay being featured on Make! Craft Britain on BBC Four this week. In case you missed it, the series showcases two main crafts per episode and this week it included cross stitch and silver clay. Silver clay is a great craft to feature as it is an easy way to make silver jewellery from home with little need for equipment. Jewellery artist Lisa Cain taught the silver clay class from a gorgeous location in Newcastle and it was lovely to see beginners so excited about their work.

If you missed it and you're in the UK you can watch the replay on BBC iplayer here until 27th April 2018. Unfortunately, it isn't available to watch outside the UK (the BBC is paid for by a licence fee and you have to be a fee payer to watch).

However, they have released this clip of the polishing and burnishing of the final pieces which is available worldwide and you can watch it here (click the link below).

How to burnish silver clay

I hope that seeing silver clay in action on the programme has whetted your appetite!

If you'd like to join me to learn how to make your own silver clay jewellery (including a croissant, a bee, sunflower earrings or a rose as seen in the programme!) then do have a look at my available teaching dates and book a place. I teach mostly in Edinburgh and you can find my dates for classes here. I also teach periodically in London and you can find my teaching dates here.

Making silver charms for a charm swap

2018-03-02T11:51:00.000+00:00

I'm looking forward to attending the You Can Make It residential metal clay conference in just a few weeks time. Although I'll admit I'm not looking forward to the train journey! This time last year I still lived in London and so the journey was only a few hours. This time I live in Scotland and it's likely to be at least 7 hours on the train. I looked at the option of flying but I'm teaching soldering and need to bring all my equipment. I didn't fancy getting there to find my butane torches had been confiscated at the airport! I'll do a blog post on my epic journey! I've just checked, it's 470 miles away. Last year I only had to travel 130 miles.
Anyway, I've been getting ready for the conference, writing some notes for my workshop sessions, making sure I have all the materials and samples I need etc. One of the fun things I've been preparing for is the charm swap. We make charms and then swap them with others at the conference and make a charm bracelet (or necklace). It's a really lovely idea and I have lots of charms from last year. This year I've made 30 tartan-inspired charms. Here's a quick snap of them.
I've seen on facebook some of the gorgeous charms that others have made so it should be a fun swap

Silver clay on the BBC

2018-02-08T11:23:00.000+00:00

If you are reading this blog then you probably already know that I make jewellery with a material called metal clay. It's not a well known material so I was really pleased to see it featuring on a programme on BBC1. The programme is called Countryfile and a metal clay artist called Emma Mitchell was featured, interviewed by Anita Rani. Emma talked about the mental health benefits of getting out into the countryside and getting inspiration from nature and natural surroundings. They picked leaves and other natural materials and used them to make moulds and silver jewellery.
It's fantastic that silver clay was featured on TV as it raises awareness of the material. The metal clay world is quite small but I haven't met Emma yet although she is also teaching at the You Can Make It metal clay conference in March so I am looking forward to meeting her there.
You can watch the programme here on the BBC iplayer until 6th March 2018 (but only if you're in the UK unfortunately). The piece on metal clay starts around 45 minutes in.

If you're inspired to make silver clay jewellery with leaves and natural materials then you're in luck! I am teaching a special beginners class with a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh where we will make moulds and collect fallen leaves. We will then make silver clay jewellery with our unique moulds inspired by nature. If you'd like to know more about this course and see some more inspiring photos then check out the information on my website here.

Samples for my Silver Botanics: inspired by nature class

Business matters article for Making Jewellery magazine

2018-02-03T11:04:00.000+00:00

As part of my role for the London Jewellery School I've been writing the Business Matters column in Making Jewellery magazine for six months now. We've been doing an interview series with jewellers on different aspects of jewellery business. However, this month I am actually featured! I wrote an article on getting press coverage which would be relevant for all small businesses.
The magazine is available from Smiths and larger supermarkets so do check it out! It's issue 116, March 2018.

This image is shared with permission, copyright GMC publications