Here is a picture that describes my artists Journey perfectly by George Takei – brilliant! 

I am really inspired by this ladies work – I absolutely have to share -check it out! Her website and youtube videos – creative! inspirational and artistic! Sketchbooks are very important to an artists development and if you do not have one I highly recommend building your own as it personalizes your work and inspires you to draw!

sketchbook project campaign – Get yours before April an excellent way to improve your skills as an artist.

http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject?utm_source=Art+House+Co-op+List&utm_campaign=1b7befd6bb-November_16&utm_medium=email

FOr more see TrAnsIEnt ArT by Lauren Nash

www.transientart.com

Since the beginning of the year I have had an obsession with creating tile – artistic, creative, elegant, colorful and distinctly different from anything currently available. From my research I have noticed 3 major areas are lacking in today’s tile –  { figurative, large Accent tiles& expressive}. Accent tiles used to be decorative centre pieces in bathrooms and kitchens, with relief ,texture and figures. Sculptural Artwork has been replaced with basic patterns, shapes and colors.
Pistrucci Artworks main goal is to produce a wide variety of bas relief accent tiles from contemporary to figurative offering distinctive flair with color and texture. Jeremy Hileman took the concept Pikaso Kichen and created an expressive colorful line of tile for the contemporary kitchen. Here is the results of our next tile line titled ‘ Pikaso Kichen’.

To view the catalog go here: art-tile-catalog-pikaso-kichen

First the concept drawings were designed and a rought draft completed [see below] :

Then the sculpting of the relief tiles:

 Glaze tests

Old world stain

& more glaze tests….

“]

4"x4" 'vino' [multicolor

 To view the catalog :

URL    http://pistrucciartworks.wordpress.com/catalog-pistrucci-art-tile-swan-lake/

Colors Available in translucent: Swan white & Sage green , Cafe, Lily pad, Aqua mist and Lake blue.[see catalog for details]

Here is a sample of ‘Swan Lake’

Swan Lake

Distributor Contact Information:For answers to specific questions, Pricing, to schedule in-home consultation, or to  make an appointment to visit showroom,
please contact:

      Oak Bay Broadloom & Fine Floors Ltd.
1990 Oak Bay Avenue
Victoria, B.C.,
Canada V8R 1E2
 (corner of Oak Bay Ave. and Foul Bay)

Phone: (250) 592-7672 Fax:       (250) 592-7602      
Email Address: 
       oakbaybroadloom@shaw.ca

Website:    http://www.oakbaybroadloom.com/

Toorak Tile

3496 Dunbar St.
Vancouver,B.C.,
Canada V6S 2C2
ph. 604-739-5966
Website: http://www.tooraktile.com/

Cornerstone Tile
3061 Barons Road
Nanaimo, BC V9T 3Y6
Ph. 250. 756.9996
Fax. 250.756.7772

Website: www.cornerstone-tile.ca

MasterCraft Flooring Canada
2727 James St.
Duncan, BC V9L 2Y1
Duncan:   Ph. 250.748.9977
Nanaimo: Ph. 250.245.0046
fax: 250.748.1525

Website:  www.mastercraftflooring.ca
Contact Interior Designer Hennie Wagner
email: master02@telus.net

If you are a retailer interested in carrying our handbuilt Porcelain Tile please contact: pistrucciartworks@gmail.com  for distributor information.

Reference:
www.smooth-on.com  Has technical information – excellent videos and step by step processes. Also a tech line available to answer questions. I found the advice and support EXCELLENT!
smooth- on technical support phone # (800)762-0744 or at (610)252-5800 or contact them directly on their website and use a digital form for questions.   http://www.smooth-on.com/p100/Product-Technical-Information/pages.html

continue reading or watch the youtube video Here:

Step by step ( using a different product list but the process is the same)

http://www.smooth-on.com/gallery.php?galleryid=235

Materials list:

Brushes (disposable one use)
containers (graduated for easy measurement)
papertowels (cleanup)
Spray on shellac or super seal from smooth-on
Universal mold release
Smooth-on Brush on 40
Box of disposable rubber gloves
disposable stir sticks ( I used paint sticks but advised to use metal)
Thickener Cab-o-sil (mix with brush on 40 for undercuts 3rd layer)
So strong pigment ( color pigment every other layer to determine proper coverage of layers)
Safety Mask:

Step one:
Complete a final review of your sculpture for any necessary changes – once you start you cannot stop until the process is completed. According to the technical product information once the layers have cured completely you cannot add further layers as adhesion will be difficult. You will be adding layers onto ‘tacky’ rubber layers with a 45 minute interval between each layer.
Prepare the Model:
Ensure it is secure onto the surface  (glue with a glue gun)
(my model was leather hard clay stuck to a plastic sheet)
Spray the model with spray shellac

Let this coating of sealant (used to cover any porous areas)  dry thoroughly and ensure you have covered all the undercuts and small spaces.
Once the model is dry to the touch (about 30minutes +)  Spray on a light mist of universal mold release. Lightly cover the entire sculpture with a brush to ensure the mold release has covered the entire sculpture. Otherwise you run the risk of the rubber not lifting clean off of the model once the mold has been finished.
Let this dry for about 5 minutes and then mist another layer of the universal mold release over the entire model.
Let this completely dry for about 15-20 minutes.

Step 2:
Mix thoroughly equal parts A and Part B of the brush on 40 to cover your mold. I was surprised that the amount I actually required was much less than I expected. Consequently I mixed and used more than I needed -I put on a heavy layer and had excessive air bubbles. I had to remove this layer and then do a thinner layer repeating the process. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DO A THIN LAYER FOR THE FIRST LAYER OF RUBBER.

 [  IF you notice in the above picture there is a TIMER - IMPORTANT remember you only have a working time of 20minutes to apply the layers - thin is better than thick - apply and mix in smaller batches if necessary or  more than one person applying the layers helps as well.  My husband and I worked on this together to get the first layer applied within the time frame.  ]

LET THE FIRST LAYER SET UP (GEL ) for 45 minutes PRIOR to next application of the brush on rubber. Test the rubber by touching lightly with rubber gloves the mold should be tacky and release from your finger – if not it is NOT ready for another application.
Third step:
Apply another layer of brush on 40 (mixing equal parts A and B) add pigment [this will assist you in ensuring complete coverage of layers)
add the pigment every other layer.LET SET FOR 45 MINUTES - MUST BE TACKY (TEST)BEFORE ADDING ANOTHER LAYER

IF you are doing a relief you will want to add 'Keys ' to the mold by spraying a ice cube tray with the mold release and filling with the brush on 40 mixture and letting it set up. Release from the tray and place after the third layer around the mold.
Step four: Undercuts and adding keys -
Mix equal parts A & B and add cab- O- sill till the mixture is like a bread dough
Apply to undercuts and under the mold keys from the ice cube trays.

LET SET FOR 45 MINUTES - MUST BE TACKY (TEST)BEFORE ADDING ANOTHER LAYER

After first layer:

After keys have been added and undercut thickener:

Picture below --After last 2 layers of Brush on 40 (NO thickener added to last 2 layers)BETWEEN LAYERS LET SET FOR 45 MINUTES - MUST BE TACKY (TEST)BEFORE ADDING ANOTHER LAYER .

LET THIS CURE (SET /DRY) FULLY FOR 16HRS BEFORE MAKING THE MOTHER MOLD. The rubber mold should be approximately 3/8" thick.
Making the rigid support or 'mother mold':

I have completed to this point and my model is in the curing stage the following is excerpted from the smooth- on website temporarily and will be replaced with my own personal pictures when I complete the following steps:

Using a sharp razor knife, cut excess silicone from the outer edge of the mold. Create straight edges and square off all corners.

Spray the rubber mold and surrounding surface with Ease Release® 200 to separate the support shell from the mold. In some cases, Smooth-On's Sonite® Wax may be necessary to release surrounding surfaces from the support shell.

Creating the rigid support shell: Smooth-On's Plasti-Paste® is a trowelable urethane resin designed to be used for support shells. It is mixed 1 Part A (liquid) to 2 Parts B (paste).

Combine 1A:2B and mix thoroughly.

Apply Plasti-Paste® over cured Mold Max® Stroke®.

Cover the entire mold with Plasti-Paste®. Important: Plasti-Paste® has a working time of 8-10 minutes. Do not mix more material than can be applied in this amount of time.

Mix and apply more Plasti-Paste® as needed. Be sure to apply material beyond the edge of the silicone mold.

Apply at least 3/8'' (1 cm) thickness, making sure rubber mold is thoroughly covered. Large molds may require added thickness for support shell stability.

Wooden blocks are attached to the support shell with additional Plasti-Paste®. These blocks will help level the mold during casting and allow for easier handling.

Once all Plasti-Paste® has fully cured (approximately 90 minutes), carefully remove the support shell from wall.

Edges of the support shell can be sharp. Sand Plasti-Paste® to make handling safer and easier.

Seat the rubber mold into the support shell. The mold keys added in the previous step will make aligning the mold with the shell very easy.

Making a cold cast bronze video:

Here is my recent work & my attempt at Alto Relief – Sonata 30″ x 20″ sculpted with a porcelain clay – still in progress. Current photos and more updates to come. I will be cold cast bronzing this piece so will show the process for cold cast bronzing. Most people do not realize that Alto Relief is a rare form of sculpture and one of the most difficult art forms to master and to my knowledge it is not taught in any of the fine art schools. Low relief is also more difficult followed by 3d , painting and drawing as you do not have to alter the axis for any of the elements. I believe Low relief is taught in the last year of most fine art schools after students have learned painting, drawing, and 3d. I advise every artist I know to work in all of the art forms from low relief – high relief – painting – drawing and 3d. Each builds on the strengths of the others. It is a synergistic relationship. Artists that work in all the mediums in the past became great and I believe it is because they did all of the art forms rather than just focusing in one area – Take Michealangelo for example he sculpted and painted throughout his life and I am thoroughly convinced that this was the key to his success. So I plod on ….. My Alto Relief…

From Patricia Bridges blog [  http://www.blog.bridgespottery.com/  ]:

How to calculate firing costs

Cost to Fire Kiln

Here is some of the videos from ceramics art daily:

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/handbuilding-techniques/bonus-monday-pottery-video-making-pottery-using-slabs-coils-and-textured-paddles/?floater=99

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/handbuilding-techniques/working-with-slabs-a-ceramic-arts-daily-reader-shares-tips-and-techniques-for-slab-built-pottery/

Brideges Pottery website can be found here:

http://www.bridgespottery.com/

Check out her work – Her website and her blog and subscribe to ceramicsartsdaily.org to get valuable clay information emailed to you directly!
Yours in clay

Angela

I recently completed a custom architectural ceramic fireplace surround ( title “SIEMPRE SONADOR”. Above is a picture of it prior to installation.
I will be giving a basic description of the process here in this blog.
First I met with the clients to determine their personal style and get an overview of the project and its layout. This is an important step as it is necessary for the 2 parties to decide if they can work together.  I really love old architecture and figurative movement and use it whenever possible and I was happy that my ideas for the fireplace went well in the home and space.

The fireplace would be built for an old 1900′s period style home and would be the center of attention in the dining room area.  The family is the owners of the Elk lake bed and Breakfast in Victoria BC  Canada and take an immense amount of pride in their home and business.

I did an initial drawing of my concept and ideas, as well as a materials list and quote.  From my drawings I set out to sculpt the parts of the fireplace that would take the longest and would need to be ‘repeated’ or molded for consistency in the design.

I sculpted relief on gessoed canvas out of paperclay let dry and painted on the rubber molding compound. I let it dry between thin layers building up over several days to a week depending on how thick I wanted my moldFor some of the relief tile I used the upholstery on the back of the chairs to match the design elements.

Once I had completed the basic designs I needed a reoccuring theme within the design itself. I chose the iris for its meaning and beauty.

Plus I needed added dimension for a more sculptural and aesthetic appeal. I knew The focal point would be the keystone tile which would be an  original one of a kind sculpted figurative relief to match the left and right figures. Here are pictures of the sculpting of the keystone and iris’s.

Right side original sculpture before molding

Sculpted keystone tile drying

The sculptures were placed on a sheet of drywall and left to dry  – the corners were weighted and dried slowly by covering with plastic.

The clay is a porcelain body and slow drying was necessary to avoid cracking or warping. Cracks that did appear were immediately filled with a mixture of the clay body, toilet paper and water (paperclay). Once the fireplace was bone dry it was bisque fired to cone 018, After it is cooled down and removed from the kiln it was submerged in water to test for cracks which were filled with the paperclay mixture.The fireplace was sanded and dried again. It was refired again to cone 018.

Here is a picture of the unpainted fireplace. Once the fireplace was dried again and sanded it was high fired to cone 4 we had to choose a color. After tooooo toooo many glaze tests the customers finally settled on a bronze patina highlighted with dark brown umber and cobalt green accents. Here is a picture of my signature on the back of the iris tile.

Picture of completed fireplace: click on picture to enlarge  and (+ or – for larger detail)

]]> http://pistrucciartworks.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/how-to-build-and-sculpt-a-custom-architectural-ceramic-fireplace-surround/feed/ 0 pistrucciartworks left side figure- finished and painted Siempre Sonador Siempre Sonador After second firing ready for high fire fireplace surround Sculpted figure Finished mold Upholstery design from dining room chairs Completed sculpture design from upholstery sculpting figurative tile Right side original sculpture before molding Sculpted keystone tile drying Fireplace tiles cut to size allowing for clay shrinkage and set to dry on drywall Pistrucci signature on back of iris custom fireplace installed http://pistrucciartworks.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/high-school-project-board-games/ http://pistrucciartworks.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/high-school-project-board-games/#comments Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:35:34 +0000 Pistrucci http://pistrucciartworks.wordpress.com/?p=1009 ]]> Click to view slideshow.My teenager always arrives home with homework projects that usually require a fast forward button as panic hits and realization dawns that it is the last minute and the due date looms.  This involves the entire household rearrangeing schedules and the dining room table is held hostage until the last layer of paint and glue is applied and dried.

Just recently I was surprise attacked with a ‘Game Board project’. In keeping with the spirit of art I thought that it warranted a blog as many other parents might need a few ‘shortcuts’ to aid their latent teenagers project as it gasps it’s last breath before the deadline hits.

When I was little my brother and I would make up board games for fun. With cardboard, tape, construction paper, dice and money borrowed from another board game it was simple, inexpensive  and fun. My mother could never figure out what happened to the dice from her yahtzee game. ummmm I still think its a mystery to this day.

Nowadays with duct tape you can make anything. In one of the three board games above my teenager constructed the board from  a piece of canvas painted with several layers of gesso and once dried applied black duct tape for roads and yellow duct tape for the yellow lines (this can also be a great back drop for a city or town for toy cars). I helped make little suitcases out of duct tape and she sculpted little tourists out of sculpy for the tokens. The money was found on a website and the template downloaded onto a file that you can edit and alter to add the ‘faces’ in the center oval. You can google ‘play money’ or for a list of sites go here:
 http://www.webcrawler.com/webcrawler303/ws/results/Web/print+out+play+money/1/417/TopNavigation/Relevance/iq=true/zoom=off/_iceUrlFlag=7?_IceUrl=true

or this site was free and worked for our purposes:
http://www.kidsmoneyfarm.com/templates.htm

adding faces to play money tutorial video:
http://www.printablekidsplaymoneytemplates.com/adding-faces-using-realistic-money-images/

and another site with realistic money was here:

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/wsp/playmoney.asp

Here is some tips for Board game projects:

Use 2 pieces of flat cardboard the same size and tape together with duct tape so that it will fold close.
I prefer to use canvas as it rolls up easily and takes up less space. You can use velcro tape to put on the game board to attach the parts –such as a spinner. You can sculpt the tokens with sculpey and oven bake clay and paint with acrylic paint. I made a trophy for the ‘winner’. (see photo above).

For the board game you can use a pizza box or a drawstring bag or shoebox that running shoes are packaged in.
Game Mechanics /specific goals, win conditions, and a set of rules.

Think of the concept :one project was similiar to a book review so the cards were titled chapter cards and you needed to collect the chapters in order from 1 to 14 and the tokens were the characters of the book.  Any idea will work -I often get inspiration from books, history or TV shows for example be a venture capitalist and generally base it on the tv show ‘dragon’s den’. 
keep rules simple and make them good. The board needs to be colorful and interesting. Delete unneccesary accesories such as dice or cards.
Always have a starting point and a place to collect things needed to finish the game such as a pay space if money is included in your game. Decide on the design of the spaces and the trail that your players will take as they play your game. Add events such as collecting, paying, buying, selling, going backwards or forwards, building or adding, for instance in monopoly you collect properties and ‘go to jail’ . You can purchase game parts such as spinners and dice (6-32 sides) at hobby stores.  In one of the school projects my teenager called it ‘Homework’  and the object of the game was to collect necessary things before graduation such as a drivers licence, a job, a car, amount of money, a report card ,1A, 2 b’s and 3 c’s .
We created the card graphics by using family photos and that read : when coming to a 4 way stop who has the right of way? If you get this question correct move ahead 2 spaces if not lose your license (a coveted item that was more easily lost than gained).
or, Ask any opponent any question that would be on a driver’s exam If they are incorrect select any of their items – If they are correct they get $1 and keep all their items.
Your facebook page says you are in a relationship – uh you forgot to let your mom know – go to nearest ‘grounded’ space.
Bad hair day you enlist your friend to fix it – pay every player 1$
You tell your teacher that your dog ate your homework. Lose a turn for lack of creativity.
Wardrobe malfunction (feel free to insert tsk tsk and high pitch tone in voice) everyone laughs at you but the teacher loves it! You hit rock bottom on the popularity scale go back 3 spaces.
You hacked the school computer ‘suspended’ again miss 2 turns
You buy a rap song on itunes with such poor symbolism your english teacher cringes - lose a letter grade or pay $2 x roll of die.
Make the cards funny and interesting.
 (see above photo ‘busted’ and ‘aces’ cards ) 

You can also use things made of paper such as a fortune teller instead of a spinner or dice. Household items such as minute timers, key chains or lego blocks are useful for items used in the game.
Dice dueling where the players can roll to see who wins a competition for $, items to collect, cards, mystery cards, property spaces etc.

Use a creative name for your game project that is catchy and short.

Designing board games involves creativity, organization, critical thinking, puzzle sovling, and illustrative abilities with simple old fashioned duct tape, cardboard and stolen property from mom’s yahtzee game. Add some oven bake sculpy and your good to go.
Oh what my brother and I could of done if only we had had oven bake sculpy!

Here is some examples of Air dry paperclay on Canvas and drywall:

The recipe for Air dry paperclay is as follows:

Paperclay: In a bowl combine
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. salt
warm water  – mix with hands and knead until consistency of clay.
Paperclay recipe #2
1 pkg creative paperclay
2-3 tbsp wallpaper paste
2-3 tbsp water

cut paperclay into chunks  add water and paste. Mix and knead with hands until consistency of toothpaste let dry overnight. seal in ziploc bags

Paperclay Recipe for kiln firing methods:

You can use a variety of different papers and clays to get the effect you want such as stoneware or porcelains. It is by experiment and your favourite clays. The recommended paper to use is newsprint but any paper (with the exception of gloss papers) will do.  Thus ancient paper mixture allows the clay body to open up, lighten the weight and add strength. The recipe for this process is simple and easy – start by shredding the paper ( in a shredder works best and is faster than by hand) Soak overnight at least 24 hours. Next with a blender or drill with a mixing bit attachment mix the soaked paper until a thick paste consistency.  Add your clay in powdered form – 60 parts powdered clay to 40 parts paperclay.

For repairs on bisque or greenware:  Add  1part magic water, 2parts clay  mix until a slip consistency. next add 1 part toilet paper or tissue paper and mix until a smooth paste. glue the broken pieces together or with a small paintbrush paint the cracks with the mixture. let dry and sand with fine sandpaper **carefully***.

Magic Water : used by sculptors and potters to adhere wet clay together after scoring the pieces.
3 tbsp sodium silicate
1-5 tsp soda ash
1 gallon water

Spooze: (use: as above)
1/3 slip
1/3 Karo syrup
1/3 vinegar

Paperclay technique allows ceramists to create large thin forms to achieve translucency or luminous sculpture such as in porcelain. Reference: & for more information See The Art & Craft of Ceramics Techniques, Projects, Inspiration by Maria Dolors Ros i Frigoloa

A video with a great recipe :

Air dry paperclay:

1 roll of toilet paper
3/4 cup of white glue (Elmer’s glue-All)
1 cup of joint compound
1/2 cup white flour
2 tablespoons linseed oil