We are indeed fortunate now to have a wide range of fine art available to us on Internet. In just a few short hours, you can browse museums and galleries around world to find fine art painting you love. Reproductions of major artwork are available in several formats, from inexpensive prints to hand-painted oils. All at touch of a button. You can also find original fine art online, often very inexpensively. Artists who have not yet become famed can exhibit their work at online galleries and reach a much wider audience than would be otherwise possible in smaller bricks and mortar galleries. Bringing a new piece of art into your home is always exciting, but imagine how much more intriguing it would be if it was something you'd discovered for yourself through your own research.

List of Supplies:

Small sponge Wooden rolling pin Hole cutter Cutting wire Pottery knife Fine sable watercolour brushes Metal findings (for earrings and brooches) Face mask (for firing)

Be Prepared

You want to make sure you have everything at your finger tips so that you don’t have to run to store midway and come back to a hardened un-useable lump of clay. You can find supplies at most pottery stores. Greenbarn Pottery Supplies in Surrey, BC is one of my favourites.

The Right Clay for Right Job

Porcelain is best type of clay to use for jewellery because of its refined quality. It is smooth, pure and becomes very hard after being fired at 2200 degrees.

Shaping Techniques

It can be a fun exercise to pound away at your clay and throw great lumps to vent your frustrations, but for jewellery, a more delicate touch is required.

After rolling clay to about 1/8 inches thick, use your pre-shaped cutter to press down and create uniform shapes, just like making cookies. Or for more adventurous types, make your own shapes using dry hands, and a small sponge to smooth out edges. Using a picture for reference always helps but remember to make pieces slightly larger to allow for shrinkage. A word of warning: thin shapes can be broken very easily. For example, thin legs of animals should be avoided. For a look at some effective shapes, take a look at animal pins on my website at www.winnietam.ca.

Making Holes

Now that you have your shapes ready, it’s time to put in holes for earrings, necklace chains or brooches. This can be done by using hole cutters of varying sizes, found at any pottery store. Don’t make holes too close to edges, as they can easily break.

Painting