by Kelli Pope
I just LOVE a good adventure; spontaneous trips with no particular destination,
hiking with the dogs (ANYTHING with the dogs really!), attempting a new jewelry technique, forging ahead into making ceramic beads............. etc. But as I'm sure we ALL know, not EVERY adventure is smooth sailing. Luckily most of mine are, and I'm delighted every step of the way. My patina adventure, however, has been a bit of a rocky road.
Some of my very favorite components come from "MissFickleMedia", Shannon LeVart. Her pieces are grungy, rustic, earthy and ancient looking. Just my style!! I had purchased 2 patina solutions online last year, but they didn't come with instructions, and I honestly just didn't have time to do the research and mess with them. Then Shannon started selling her patinas AND a tutorial with all her patina knowledge, in her Etsy shop! WOW!!! I was THRILLED. I purchased my favorite colors right away, along with her wonderful tutorial. Then........ they sat a mocked me for months while I worked and worked to make jewelry. I just didn't have the time to play with those lovely patinas that sat and taunted me from the top shelf.
FINALLY, last week I made enough copper components that I could afford to start the patina adventure...... correction.....STEVE could start the patina adventure FOR me!! :) (he's so wonderful!) The 2 I had purchased online were "traditional" patinas, which don't need to be heated. That seemed the easiest route to start. We tried out those 2 and Shannon's verdigris (my favorite!) These were the results this morning, after overnight developing.........................
I just LOVE a good adventure; spontaneous trips with no particular destination,
hiking with the dogs (ANYTHING with the dogs really!), attempting a new jewelry technique, forging ahead into making ceramic beads............. etc. But as I'm sure we ALL know, not EVERY adventure is smooth sailing. Luckily most of mine are, and I'm delighted every step of the way. My patina adventure, however, has been a bit of a rocky road.
Some of my very favorite components come from "MissFickleMedia", Shannon LeVart. Her pieces are grungy, rustic, earthy and ancient looking. Just my style!! I had purchased 2 patina solutions online last year, but they didn't come with instructions, and I honestly just didn't have time to do the research and mess with them. Then Shannon started selling her patinas AND a tutorial with all her patina knowledge, in her Etsy shop! WOW!!! I was THRILLED. I purchased my favorite colors right away, along with her wonderful tutorial. Then........ they sat a mocked me for months while I worked and worked to make jewelry. I just didn't have the time to play with those lovely patinas that sat and taunted me from the top shelf.
FINALLY, last week I made enough copper components that I could afford to start the patina adventure...... correction.....STEVE could start the patina adventure FOR me!! :) (he's so wonderful!) The 2 I had purchased online were "traditional" patinas, which don't need to be heated. That seemed the easiest route to start. We tried out those 2 and Shannon's verdigris (my favorite!) These were the results this morning, after overnight developing.........................
.........sigh....... not quite what I'd hoped for. They were very spotty. The far left is supposed to be brown. The center is Shannon's verdigris, which did very well, and the right is supposed to be dark red. ... .........sigh......... Per some very helpful hints from a dear, dear, wonderfully helpful friend today, I asked Steve to don a mask, sand them down, and try again.
They're actually still a little damp here......... still developing as I type. The left seems to want to be more of a muddy yellow than brown, while the right which is supposed to be red, is starting to get reddish brown. Again, the center verdigris is coming along nicely. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to pull out the best ones, and get them sealed and lacquered.
So, what lesson have I learned thus far? 1)Trust the expert. I highly recommend Shannon's patinas. If she started out experimenting, which I'm sure she did, I'm more than happy to let her experience and expertise guide me. (Her tutorial is a must, if you're new at this!!) Don't want to take the patina adventure? Her components are beautiful, and you don't have to experiment. 2) Patinas take time, and I need more patience.... :) What jewelry adventures do you have to share? 
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