Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Start your Engines!!! Automotive Challenge

Hello Friends, Ryan here.  I want to start out by thanking all who voted in the Men’s Jewelry Challenge.   Having my work chosen to win among so many seasoned, skillful artists was a really a memorable moment for me.    I would also like to extend my appreciation to all who entered; it was great to see such a diverse environment of technique and approach to the common theme.  It is my pleasure to now be presenting everyone with the next challenge which I hope many of you will find interesting and be eager to participate in!

 I thought long and hard about a few ideas, but none seemed to grab me much as the one I chose.   
“Automotive Design”

…Before you dismiss the subject as “macho” or “commonplace”, perhaps give it some honest exploration.  This subject is one that is not only a great passion in my personal life,   but also is a great influence behind a great number of my jewelry designs.  While not everyone shares my interests, give this one a chance- Really give it some thought.  You might be surprised what an incredibly powerful avenue for inspiration this subject can be. 






Take a look back throughout history at automobile design.  Few significant personal objects around the world have been such a perpetual, universal symbol for someone’s lifestyle, personality, sense of taste and wealth.  Few things also, over the course of time, have been capable of so much elegance and mass-appeal for appreciation. If you think about it, it’s not much unlike jewelry! 



Automobile design, since the latter part of the 1920s, started becoming more than a mere utilitarian mode of transportation.  They became sculpture; mechanical works of art.  Straight from the showroom floor, or fresh out of a tinkerer’s garage, the car truly became an individual- To some, an object of pride or even a part of the family.  The outside body lines, the dash board, the wheels; even the upholstery began to take on aesthetics that distinguish one car from another.   American cars or European cars- It’s all the same.  Anything on a car can provide inspiration.  The flare of a fender to the bare, structural artistry of a frame or suspension component, the gauges on the dash board, the headlight shape or even the tread of a tire can get the creative wheels turning. 
 






The ornate dash board of a 1930s Packard; the aircraft-inspired elements of the 1950s; the vertical chrome grille bars of a 1932 Ford; The shape of the wheel centers, the mile-high tail fins of the 1959 Cadillac; the iconic rear trim flair of the 1957 Chevy Bel-Air… and on.






Themes can be examined:  the pure beginnings of automotive evolution of the 1910s-1920s; streamlined designs of the WWII era; stripped-down, utilitarian hot rods and drag racers of the 1950s; boxy, bold muscle cars of the 1960s… again it goes on.    The possibilities are endless!  





This challenge might not appeal to some, but hopefully it will convince others to think outside their normal approach to design and gather stimulation from a source of ideas they might have overlooked before- or might have overlooked the possibilities of.


Your job as the designer and creator is to find something that inspires you that can be physically traced to a car.  Anything is fair game that has to do with a vehicle’s unique aesthetic, structure, or overall intention of use (e.g. Drag racing).  You have to present this piece along with a little mention in the description of what exactly inspired you.   I hope many of you participate, for I am really interested to see what you all can come up with.  Thank you! 














Entries are due May 12th at Midnight! Upload your photo and explain your inspiration to the group FLICKR pool.


Official Team Challenge Rules….
To enter and vote you must meet the following requirements:
- Have an Etsy shop
- Be a member of the Aspiring Metalsmith team on Etsy
- Be able to post your photos to our Flickr pool without blocking them from download, so the blog master has access.
- Follow each challenge’s rules as to submission times, materials and/or techniques, or any other rule for that specific challenge.
- Make something NEW for the challenge….not something that you have in stock that fits the rules. These challenges are to push you to try new things, not just show off things you’ve already done.

We politely ask that if you do not meet these guidelines you do not vote either. These challenges are intended to be an internal, skill-pushing endeavor….not a popularity contest. We like to show off how well we’ve done, but really want our peers on the team to judge our technique and skill growth.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Rules for Team Challenges.....

In the last few challenges we've had questions about the rules..... and we figured out that the rules had been scattered over many places, threads and forums....and that we hadn't been following all of them very well.... so here they are in black and white....

Official Team Challenge Rules….
To enter and vote you must meet the following requirements:
- Have an Etsy shop
- Be a member of the Aspiring Metalsmith team on Etsy
- Be able to post your photos to our Flickr pool without blocking them from download, so the blog master has access.
- Follow each challenge’s rules as to submission times, materials and/or techniques, or any other rule for that specific challenge.
- Make something NEW for the challenge….not something that you have in stock that fits the rules. These challenges are to push you to try new things, not just show off things you’ve already done.

We politely ask that if you do not meet these guidelines you do not vote either. These challenges are intended to be an internal, skill-pushing endeavor….not a popularity contest. We like to show off how well we’ve done, but really want our peers on the team to judge our technique and skill growth.

To Everyone Who Has Participated recently......
From now on we are moving the challenge back over to the Etsy team only....we are going back to basics. Please, if you can, join the team on Etsy.
Though we love the work from other members on FaceBook, we started this challenge process to push the members of our ETSY team in skill level and process. We appreciate all the participation, but feel the need to bring this one aspect of the community back into it's original focus. We hope that this doesn't offend anyone on FaceBook, because everyone here has great insight and can answer questions that have been brain wracking....There won't be anymore posts on the FaceBook page about the challenges proper from here on out, the will be left on the Etsy team page. 
Again, we would love it if you were able to join the official team on Etsy....and hope to see you over there too!

Monday, March 19, 2012

And the winner is........

Ryan Quantz
of RyanQuantzStudio took the prize this time, with 22 votes....I think we can all agree his wood and silver ring is unique and very well executed!
Jason of HappyTortoiseDesigns came in second with 12 votes for his Industrial cuff.... I think the patina on this one was wonderful!

S. Michelle of SMB Studios "Come Play with Me" bracelet took third place this round with 6 votes. A very lovely piece that would be stolen out of my hubby's jewelry box and hidden in mine if it was at our house!

Ryan will be coming up with a challenge for the team soon, so keep your eyes peeled!!

 

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Time to vote on the "MAN JEWELRY CHALLENGE"

Way back in January Sam gave us a challenge to make some not boring men's jewelry. He wanted to see color and some delicacy to the design.....he wanted something to hand down to his future grandson. Here's what we came up with......

Claire of BrightStar109 made this colorful ring, and says:
"A Drop in the Ocean
For the Aspiring Metalsmiths Team Challenge, a ring for a man, Sam mentioned how he would like an heirloom piece so that is what I tried to do, set in a 9ct gold bezel with gold wire inlays around the bezel and in the ring band itself, echoing the patterns in the gorgeous hand cut custom stone. A truly one of a kind piece, made to last forever."
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Autumn of Autumn Bradley Jewelry Designs made these lovely cuff links.... "Finally finished! Sterling silver and ruby cuff links for Mr. Tom Cruise. These nearly killed my hands but it was worth it. I think they turned out pretty good :)"
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S. Michelle of SMB Studios made this neat bracelet.... "Come Play with Me
Cloisonne enamel with basse -taille enameling, engraving, embossing, Handmade Viking chain. Sterling silver, fine silver"
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Jason of HappyTortoiseDesigns made this stunning cuff.... "Sterling silver cuff with a "construction" of brass and copper tubes and wires. The brass and copper are given a patina, of course."
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Ryan of RyanQuantzStudios worked all sorts of magic with this unique ring. "Ebony, Sterling and Mokume Ring- January ASM Challenge...Macassar Ebony ring, fabricated, hand-cut, hand sanded and hand-rubbed finish, inlaid with sterling/copper Mokume Gane, patinated, inner sterling liner hammer-fit and sterling "skid-plate" riveted to the liner. Size is about a 9.5."
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Julie from JulieMauerer made up this sneaky snake ring..... I guess if Cleopatra can have hers, Marc Antony should have a matching one!
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Elizabeth from ResurrectionSilver made a locket to keep loved ones close to his heart..."January Challenge Men's Double Copper Verdigris Locket 1. For the January challenge, I made my first locket! I tried to make something that would be sentimental, yet manly. So I created this double swivel locket from copper and gave it a rustic, uneven patina. I hope this meets Sam's standards!"
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Asa From AsaPearsonDesigns made up these cuff links.... Carved tiger eye shows off military history of the old world.... blue paua shells show a pop of color, only a little hidden from view!!
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Kharisma from Popnicute made this lovely set...."Cupid's Wings - January ASM Challenge
These wings were commissioned by a lovely couple for their 5th anniversary. His and hers pendants. Obviously the wing with flowers was for the girl. Handmade from argentium silver, sterling silver, and copper.
My entry is the pendant on the left for January ASM Challenge - Men jewelry :)"

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There you have it folks..... good luck picking a favorite....but when you do, make sure to vote over on the right side of the post!!!  The winner gets to pick our next challenge, and maybe a few guy customers!!
Voting ends on the 14th.....Good Luck!