Graded Unit: Final Piece

Just a few pages from my Graded Unit sketchbook of my Final Piece.

Includes plenty of real samples of my handmade organic paper throughout, lots of clear images as source material and comprehensive annotations.

Here shows my lost wax silver castings and my soldered components on a background of my handmade sheets of paper emphasising the unique combination of techniques and materials.

The organic paper and the man-made polished silver.

Here is my final design close-up on the component pieces.

My final piece put together.

Silver soldered. Paper stacked together. 'Paper' settings/castings filled.

geebee.

Final Design!

I found that the best way to play about and find the best final design was to use my components already made but place them on paper and capture them in various ways.

This was my first final design.

Still very rough and not put together yet but the design has lots of potential as a final piece.

This next placement here, is more finished as all components that are supposed to be soldered together are, my silver is filed and polished, my paper is cut or manipulated and placed waiting to be put together.

These images are close-ups of my paper stacks: one stack consisting of handmade white paper including the cabachon stone setting in-between, another is a mixture of paper varying in colour, quality and weight and the last stack made up of laser cut book pages.

Reasons for choosing this design:

• The sheer size of my piece creates such a strong statement as a necklace.

• It has a beautiful combination of materials: silver, paper and handmade paper. Mix of organic/ natural and man-made. Brushed and polished silver with textured and organic handmade paper.

• Relates to my previous unit work as I've taken inspiration from the same source.

My final piece meets the brief as:

• It includes new techniques that I have learned for this unit and techniques I've developed all year and refined.

• Includes lots of advanced manufacturing techniques: laser cutting, paper manipulation, cutting/piercing and doming, enamelling, stone setting, lost wax casting, wire work and paper making.

• The use of ethical and sustainable materials such as my handmade paper was created by recycling scrap paper collected over past projects, sketchbooks and book pages from my late papas collection. Part recycled silver scrap for the use in lost wax casting process.

• My final piece demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship and is finished to a professional standard.

• Separate components that make up the final design are technically without flaws and are beautifully unique.

geebee.

Technical Notebook

For my Graded Unit we had to keep thorough technical notes of things such as our chosen techniques that we plan to focus on and develop throughout this project and any specific problems as well as their solutions.

Pages from my technical notebook below

Mainly documenting my refinement of techniques and focusing on my favourite techniques to take forward into my final piece for this unit. Including the consideration of current and new materials.

Techniques used throughout this project;

-laser cutting paper

-paper manipulation (ripping, stacking etc.)

-cutting/piercing and doming (cutting and doming blocks)

-enamelling

-stone setting

-lost wax casting

-wire work

-paper making

Materials used;

-old book pages (my late papas books)

-white natural handmade paper

-my own thick handmade paper

-silver sheet

-white enamel (powder)

-silver grain for lost wax casting

-bezel wire

-Hematite cabachon stone 8mm

-round silver wire 1mm, 1.5mm

-flat silver wire width 4mm

-square silver wire 1mm, 2mm

All of my techniques and processes are documented in my technical notebook, I fully explained my main techniques in this project for complete clarity and reference. Such as: making my own paper, laser cutting paper and lost wax casting.

These processes from my sketchbook are shown below.

geebee.