Ahoy, I have been meaning to post this tutorial for ages. Unfortunately things are somewhat brassic at Purky towers so I am working two jobs and my time has been consumed by mundanity.
However, this tutorial is a photographic explanation of my attempts to use left over surface treatments to create lovely Mokume Nendo pieces.
Mokume Nendo - wood eye clay - is a technique adapted from the Japanese Mokume Gane - wood eye metal- a method for producing beautiful layered metalwork.
Step 1 condition some translucent clay, here I am using fimo brand and have rolled it to setting 9 on my eberhard faber fimo machine.
When experimenting I prefer to use a cookie cutter to do my mokume nendo, this way its just easier and quicker.
These pieces form the basis of your layered stack.
Take a piece of left over surface treatment, here ink and powder technique.
Begin layering your stack. Do not worry about the gaps.
Keep going until the stack is as high as you wanted. As this is an experiment, this is a pretty small stack.
One primordial mokume nendo stack! Time to get squashing...
Compact the stack to create a united piece. You may find that what is inside affects the unity of the stack. For example as this is an ink and powder piece, the powder natuarally prevents clay adhering to itself. Just keep manipulating the piece until it obeys you.
Continue compressing the stack until it can be rolled through the thickest setting on your clay machine.
Then restack. You can do this as many times as you like but be aware that the finer the strata between layers the more inticate and less bold the mokume patterns will be.
At this point I trim my stack and place the trimmings to one side. Then begin torturing the stack by impressing it with textures. The purpose of this is to cause internal distortions that create the mokume nendo pattern.
While the main stack rested I had a play with the trimmings. Those wooden stamps are chinese seal 'chops'
This is a ginkyo leaf texture from the discontinued studio by sculpey tool line.
Once the stack has rested, take a tissue blade and finely slice across the top. Imagine you are taking slithers in order to produce a veneer.
Like so.
Apply the slices to a base sheet of polymer clay. Here I am using a slightly muddy piece of white clay.
Use a brayer to ensure your slices are adhered. Then roll the sheet through the clay machine. Be aware that depending on the setting you use, there will be distortions in the sheet of veneer.
Trim the sheet. I would normally back this veneer and turn it into jewellery components but I want the experimental sheet for my archive.
After baking and sanding. Interestingly the inks tinted the translucent which gave the lovely reddish hues. However, the dark polymer also over shadowed the translucent layers. It has an interesting finish and I think with further sanding and buffing something very exciting would ermerge.
The other two experiments prior to sanding
And afterwards. I am not really patient enough to sand these experiments down hard enough to explore the full potential but I will pop them in a box and get round to it eventually.
this is the most intrigueing piece for me, the fine levels of detail in the closely layered textured lines provide the most scope for future pieces.
I have another four tutorials using leftover surface treatments planned. Most of the pictures have been taken its just finding the time to edit them and get the tutorials up.
My apologies for being slow, I hope this inspires you to experiment with Mokume Nendo
Captain Purky
xx
