Making Steampunk Jewellery E-Book

Nikki Druce

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Steampunk has captured the imagination of thousands who are searching for a unique style symbolic of a richly inspired, post-apocalyptic world drawn from the heavy machinery of the Victorian age. With clear instruction, step-by-step sequences, and over twenty-five projects, this practical book shows you how to access that world and make unique jewellery and accessories that will complete an outfit and transport you to another era, full of excitement, potential and extravagance. Includees an introduction to the world of Steampunk and its origins, advice on designing unique pieces and creating your own Steampunk style with over twenty-five projects ranging from simple cog necklaces to more intricate goggles and ray guns, accessories and outfits for both men and women. With 216 Inspirational photos and advice to help put an outfit together.

Leseprobe

MakingSteampunkJewellery

NIKKI DRUCE

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

© Nikki Druce 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 215 1

Frontispiece: Seeking adventure

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank those that have helped me, through the kindness of their hearts, in creating this book: Becca and Sean at Twisted Pix Studios and Chilli Chapel, the beautiful model, who worked tirelessly on shooting, editing and producing some of the most beautiful photographs in the book. Katt Johnson for the loan of her DSLR camera - without you, there would have been no tutorial photos! My mum for sending me lots of helpful pieces of Victorian jewellery she had stashed away. My partner Neil for putting up with my moaning throughout the writing process and requests for chocolate and trips to the seaside. Kelly Marie Saunders for her help with Cosplay research. Tim Colivet for being my best friend and accompanying me on trips to the library when he’d much rather be doing something else and, finally, my two cats Newt and Daisy, who provided cuddles, headbutts and paper organization.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my family, friends and my partner Neil but in particular my Gran, Vera Bennett, and my Mum, Avril Druce. Without you both I wouldn’t have learned how to make plenty of somethings from a lot of nothings.

Contents

Introduction

1 Steampunk and its Origins

2 Materials and Equipment

3 Design and Mood Boards

4 Necklaces

5 Brooches, Rings and Pins

6 Headgear

7 Other Accessories

8 The Captain of the Airship

9 Putting an Outfit Together on the Cheap

Conclusion

Further Information

List of Suppliers

Index

Introduction

Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you’ve been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you want to be. The person you are.

– H.G.WELLS

Necklace design by Devine Delinquents. (Charis Talbot Photography)

Jewellery is a timeless aesthetic. It’s no wonder that you have probably had a few pieces of Granny’s beloved jewels handed down to you or that you coveted the gorgeous gold-plated shell cameo that your great-grandmother used to wear. Have you ever found yourself staring in wonder through the window of a dusty antique shop at the glittering glass beads that sparkle in the light? Or perhaps rummaging to find the best pieces at the local jumble sale?

Jewellery is for the magpies of the world. It is for those who like to feel adorned and for those who know that the making of an outfit is down to the small touches and not the clothes themselves. Jewellery can be simple, understated, delicate and humble.

It can be grandiose and extravagant, sometimes opulent to the point of vulgarity.

In times where everyone is feeling the pinch, thrift and craft have become readily used buzzwords. Being able to make something yourself, however small or simple it may be, carries a new weight of pride. I found myself making jewellery and accessories for this very reason.

I was finding that I was spending an increasing amount of money on accessories instead of clothing, as it was a way of breathing a new lease of life into my wardrobe for a smaller amount of money. A simple t-shirt with a large necklace can make the t-shirt look brand new. So, with this in mind and having been inspired by video blogs, online craft forums and social networks, I decided to order a few supplies to get started.

When I first sat in front of my desk, I hit a wall. I had no idea what the fiddly bits to join jewellery together were called. I had to do some research and take time to learn a few basics before taking the leap. I ordered a basic kit online of what I thought I would need and sat down one night to start making. It was challenging and I truly had no idea what I was doing.

With a lot of mistakes, swearing and perspiring, my first necklace was made – a very simple chain with an antique-style fan charm on the end. I cannot describe the elation that followed once it was done. I felt as if I had won a battle!

I am, by nature, a very stubborn and determined character. I don’t let things beat me easily. I felt that I had won this time and it left me wanting to try more projects.

So with my recent crafty conquest under my belt and after considering the type of jewellery I wanted to make, I started to think about the jewellery I really liked to wear. I have always been fascinated with miniatures, making dioramas and small dolls house food and furniture: a theme I still appropriate in some of my current work. This led me to think about designs that would allow me to create dioramas suspended in time. I ordered some crystal clear resin, did a lot more research into how best to work with the material, and started making resin pendants. I discovered that using silicone moulds was the easiest and simplest way to form the resin.

I came up against a wall when trying to figure out how to attach the jump rings onto the pendants. Placing them into the resin made them sink, gluing them onto the pieces often led to them falling off, and drilling through the pendants led to the pendants cracking and breaking. So eventually, after even more research, I discovered glue-on bails and strong jewellery adhesive, which made it incredibly simple and quick for me to finish the pendants to a high standard. Without this period of learning and trial and error, I wouldn’t have developed the skills I have today. I am now an accomplished maker because I took the time to try things out and enjoyed the experience of them failing, even though it was frustrating at the time.

Necklace design by Devine Delinquents.

Resin is a very difficult medium to use, and I’m not afraid to tell you that there were a few accidents and a lot of wasted product. However, I look back at that time now and see it as a very valuable learning experience. I grabbed hold of the technique and ran with it, not afraid to try out all manner of experimental techniques to achieve the results I was looking for.

Looking back, perhaps a potentially dangerous substance was not the best thing to start learning with, but it helped to shape my future in jewellery design and I had to learn fast or give up – and I won’t let myself quit! Eventually the time came when I grew out of resin. I decided that the process was too time-consuming and it was time to find something more suited to the amount of time I had to dedicate to jewellery-making. At this point I was still running my jewellery business alongside a full-time job. All my spare time was taken up with discovering my new craft, and most evenings and weekends were spent sweating or freezing in a poorly insulated garage which doubled as my workshop.

I continued to branch out into simpler forms of design and I found that the more fluid the design was, the better it was received by friends and the more timeless and versatile the creation was. At this time, I didn’t have a customer base and I started to explore niche markets. I have always been drawn to alternative culture since my early teens, so it felt natural to delve into that realm as it was something I knew about. I started researching into goth, punk, rock and any culture that had a strong musical influence. I then stumbled across Steampunk.

Steampunk is a genre that’s out on its own as it doesn’t really have a heavy musical influence – more of an influence from the love of comics, sci-fi, Victoriana and all-round geekery. It appealed to me as it has a wonderful sense of community and a unique expressionism that I could really sink my teeth into. I began making a few Steampunk-inspired pieces, arranging photoshoots with models to showcase and market them. I found that people really liked my designs so my shop, Devine Delinquents, was created and I’ve not looked back since.

When someone asks where you got your necklace, brooch, bracelet or fascinator from, ‘Oh, this? I made it myself’ has to be one of the most satisfying responses that can ever tumble from your lips. The more compliments you receive on your handmade items, the more you will feel inspired to try your newly learnt techniques and begin exploring the craft of jewellery-making.

However you like to wear your jewellery and accessories, there will be a project in this book which can be adapted to your own personal style. You will learn how to use techniques and methods to create your own items of Steampunk-inspired jewellery through a variety of projects.

The book is set out as a series of projects, which are written in a step-by-step format to make them easy to follow and easy to progress through. Some projects are simple and will take under an hour to make; others are more complex and, depending on how intricate you’d like to make your items, may take you a few days to complete.

Each project lists all the items and materials you need, covers all the necessary steps, and guides you gently through those first important steps into the creative realm. Some of you will already be accomplished crafters and makers, but I hope that even in some of these basic projects there will be a few tips you can pick up. The more difficult projects will require some of the skills learnt in the easier projects, and I advise you to have a quick glance through each project to begin with and familiarize yourself with some of the techniques.

Good luck, and don’t get disheartened if things don’t work for you the first time. The best advice I can give you is to make it fun. If you stop having fun, put down the pliers and step away. You want your project to be infused with the right energy and an angry hat does not make for a pretty hat! Having said that, persevere and don’t let yourself be beaten.

Chapter 1

Steampunk and its Origins

1

It is possible to believe that all the past is but the beginning of a beginning, and that all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn. It is possible to believe that all the human mind has ever accomplished is but the dream before the awakening.

– H.G. WELLS

Steampunk style. (Photograph by Twisted Pix; model, Chilli Chapel)

‘Steampunk’ was first used as a term in 1987. This genre-busting movement encompasses many different elements, its main focus being Victoriana and steam-powered, post-apocalyptic machinery. The love affair with Victorian fashions has produced opulent and extravagant designs and has created some of the most innovative fashions of the 21st century. Steampunk was born from an evolution of style. It has been coined as ‘Goths growing up’ and ‘Goths discovering the colour brown’. I feel this is unfair, as Steampunk is an amalgamation of fashions but also a style of its own. Steampunk’s new influences hail from the worlds of comics, cosplay, computer games and other forms of affectionate obsessive geekery. The form and fashion of Steampunk has elements of the form-fitting Victorian style – corsets, bustles, maxi hooped skirts and intricate extravagant jewellery and millinery – but also encompasses the rag-tag style of post-apocalyptic survivors in a fantasized war-torn, ravaged world.