Clay Ring Holder

This piece seemed fitting for my first post on this blog... It's one of my more recent "creations" and possibly among my favorites so far. After ten years of marriage I received a wedding ring from my best friend. I wrote about it on my Facebook status the day I received the ring... it went something like this:


"My husband's surprise for me today(our ten year anniversary) was a ring! He took hours and hours picking it out, thinking it over, and getting second opinions... He had it shipped to his workplace, and was sure to threaten the fellas within an inch of their lives if they lost it... All to ensure a successful surprise - which it was! I was surprised 10 years ago when he "popped the question", but not nearly as surprised as I was at how easy it was to answer "yes" and then "I do" a month later. A few days before we got married, we went to a little shoebox of a jewelry store and picked out a couple of used wedding bands for around $100 total. Without much of a "token of affection" to speak of we knew we'd just have to create our own - which we did, day after day, year after year. If this is a representation of the past, it represents a lot of joy, a ton of laughs, accumulative hours of handholding, countless stolen kisses, a million "thank you"s, days of triumphs and praises... There were trials and tears and pains as well, but they're not worth carrying into the future. If the used gold band was the beginning to all those years together, then this beautiful ring is a milestone into the rest of our lives. I could not be more overjoyed by such a thoughtful gift!! It is more beautiful then I ever imagined it would be - and it was well worth the wait!!! Thank you, my love, from the bottom of my heart!!"


With such a beautiful ring now in tow I wanted to take excellent care of it of course... Sliding the ring on and off to do dishes, smear in lotion, etc... was a very welcomed task, but finding a safe place for it wasn't always easy... thus a ring holder had to be made!!:) I scoured pinterest over for clay ring holders which narrowed down what all was necessary in a holder. There were many with elongated appendages and/or concave shapes... "A second water droplet into rings of water from the first" had made its appearance into the creative imagery folder in my brain twice before and had spilled out onto one watercolor painting and then again onto an oil painting canvas... It seems to be making its way through all of my artistic interests as it now finds itself the perfect design for a ring holder in clay form. I hope to share with you the meaning behind my water droplet creations in coming posts, but for now I'll simply give you a few details into it's "how-to" in case you are interested in making one of your own... 




•    The amount of clay you use is entirely dependent upon how large you want the final product to be... I used just a palmful of clay for this piece.

•    Work the clay until it is warm and malleable

•    Work it into a disk shape either in your hand or in a small round, glass relish dish

•    Try to get the clay evenly distributed all along the bottom and then partially up the sides as dramatic as you wish your piece to look. Be sure to watch for air bubbles and press them out as often as they wiggle their way in.

•    Now comes time for your imagination. How many rings do you want? How many droplets on the side will you form? Then put your thumbs to work pressing the rings out, working your way around the dish. Try to get as symmetrical as possible, but the coloring and shading will hide a multitude of  mistakes... so press on.

•    When you get to the water droplets up the side, I found it easiest to form a ball with the clay just a touch bigger than what I intended for the finished piece so that I could then pinch one edge making it longer - giving it a stem to attach to the edges.

•    Smooth all of the cracks and bumps out with a moistened finger... repetition rather than force is the key here...glide right along the surface over and over until it's just the way you want it.

•    The droplet in the middle was made just as the droplets mentioned above... form a ball and then pinch one edge of the piece into the desired shape... it may take a few trys. It will be the focus of your creation so be sure to take your time, and then remember sanding with light sandpaper is always an option.;)

•    I baked it all as one unit as the pliable, sticky clay made a perfect holder for the droplet. (bake as directed on the clay package) 

        

•    I used a few different shades of Copic markers for my coloring. I love the marbled, water look they gave. Copic markers are my favorite method to-date for coloring/drawing/painting on clay. The possibilities are endless and the control is far more favorable than that of a paintbrush for me. I worked a darker shade into the inside of my water rings to get the effect I wanted... Even though the droplet was baked into the rings it popped out easily. You can color it separate, but if you are using the Copic markers be sure to watch for fingerprints... they're a sneaky little hazard until the coloring dries.

•    If the droplet is separated from the rings, superglue fastens it in right as rain for the finished product - pun intended of course.;)

I hope you enjoy this piece and give it a try if you so desire. Remember sandpaper can be your best friend for those unexpected blemishes or air bubbles. I have so enjoyed my new ring holder as well as my beautiful new ring and all the love it represents.