We've expanded!
The newest shop is here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LacersEdge
That's right, we're now selling laser engraved wood jewelry. For now it's just fan content, but I'm going to be adding--very soon--original designs as well as expanded genres. Starting out, however, my content is limited.
We have Star Wars going on:
http://i.imgur.com/zRdQAld.jpg
Starcraft:
http://i.imgur.com/EDhGsVx.jpg
(Ignore the protoss one... that was an oversight I'm fixing)
WoW:
http://i.imgur.com/t1vYU78.jpg
LOTR/The Hobbit:
http://i.imgur.com/tOw71Pt.jpg
and more!
Only earrings are posted at the moment. Pendants are coming next week, so stay tuned!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Many changes, new things coming, and a promising horizon!
Many things have happened since the last blog!
What things you may ask?
My Store, Star Glade Crafts, now has Magnet versions of most listings (Some will remain without magnet versions because they're not made at-request [the gryphons and dragons] and are sold as-is).
Each Necklace listing now has the option of having it send on a charm-strap, like you'd have for a cellphone, to put on anything! The idea is to put them onto keyrings though. (This option is reserved for pieces that are made durable enough to better withstand the wear and tear of being around keys/pocketstuffs)
Both of these options allow anyone who doesn't have interest in wearing my charms as necklaces to still enjoy them.
Additionally, there are three new charm designs! Spiderman, Deadpool, and Ironman! (There are magnet versions of these too, as another listing in my store)
The most current update is that I'm at the moment working on a new charm lineup that I'm VERY excited about, and I hope you will be too--
Dogs!
All different dog breeds. They're slightly larger pendants to my previous works, but that works excellently as magnets.
I'd like to share with you my process of progression. The following image displays on the right hand side my very first attempt at a Labrador.... it didn't go well at all compared to the second attempt on the left!
At first I was happy with it, but then when I moved on to the next dog
breed I realized how horribly I had been going about replicating the
facial details. So I recreated the Labrador in this new-found method and
attention to detail, making for a greatly improved look with higher
realism.
The dog breed designs I have complete so far: Labrador, Corgie, Siberian Husky, and Shibe--Look forward to seeing pictures of those coming soon!
I'd like to take a moment to gush about how much I love that Labrador noses are slightly heart-shaped.... ::Squee::
Second to lastly, I have business cards underway! I've designed them myself, but I'm by no means a graphic designer--in fact I'm not terribly fond of that sort of work.
I'm planning to go to craft shows in my hometown this year and next year, and I needed to have the business cards before doing that.
Finally, I have my own domain for www.stargladecrafts.com. As of this blog post, it only transfers you to my etsy store page, but later down the line it may be my own custom webpage.
What things you may ask?
My Store, Star Glade Crafts, now has Magnet versions of most listings (Some will remain without magnet versions because they're not made at-request [the gryphons and dragons] and are sold as-is).
Each Necklace listing now has the option of having it send on a charm-strap, like you'd have for a cellphone, to put on anything! The idea is to put them onto keyrings though. (This option is reserved for pieces that are made durable enough to better withstand the wear and tear of being around keys/pocketstuffs)
Both of these options allow anyone who doesn't have interest in wearing my charms as necklaces to still enjoy them.
Additionally, there are three new charm designs! Spiderman, Deadpool, and Ironman! (There are magnet versions of these too, as another listing in my store)
The most current update is that I'm at the moment working on a new charm lineup that I'm VERY excited about, and I hope you will be too--
Dogs!
All different dog breeds. They're slightly larger pendants to my previous works, but that works excellently as magnets.
I'd like to share with you my process of progression. The following image displays on the right hand side my very first attempt at a Labrador.... it didn't go well at all compared to the second attempt on the left!
The dog breed designs I have complete so far: Labrador, Corgie, Siberian Husky, and Shibe--Look forward to seeing pictures of those coming soon!
I'd like to take a moment to gush about how much I love that Labrador noses are slightly heart-shaped.... ::Squee::
Second to lastly, I have business cards underway! I've designed them myself, but I'm by no means a graphic designer--in fact I'm not terribly fond of that sort of work.
I'm planning to go to craft shows in my hometown this year and next year, and I needed to have the business cards before doing that.
Finally, I have my own domain for www.stargladecrafts.com. As of this blog post, it only transfers you to my etsy store page, but later down the line it may be my own custom webpage.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Designing: Stage 1
I haven't been terribly productive in generating new charms, though I have been productive in making them more sturdy and resilient to wear; overall better prepped for selling.
Today I did begin designing some new charms! That is to say that a few weeks ago I designed a few of these on paper, but have since lost the notebook I scribbled them into. So instead I translated them from my memory to a digital form.
This is how I generally start out designing my original charm designs! Sketches!
Today I did begin designing some new charms! That is to say that a few weeks ago I designed a few of these on paper, but have since lost the notebook I scribbled them into. So instead I translated them from my memory to a digital form.
This is how I generally start out designing my original charm designs! Sketches!
---------------------
Dragon!
I've been toying with different layouts for the heart-shaped dragons and gryphons, but it's difficult to create a charm that actually looks aesthetically pleasing and is still a heart shape.
---------------------
Some drawings don't make it past the initial design phase.
---------------------
Gryphon! Or Griffin, if you prefer.
Alternatively may be designed with ear-feathers
---------------------
Owl
---------------------
Generic bird, can be altered both in sculpt and paint-job to reflect just about any species with a moderate beak size.
---------------------
And finally a semi-heart-shaped gryphon! to match the dragons of the same size/shape.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Brilliant fail
I came up with the, what I thought was awesome, idea to have my Metroids have recessed "innards" and then a bubble of acrylic on top to give the impression of the clear goopy insides.
Still a great idea, I think. However my first attempt wasn't so great. I need to redesign the structure of the "head" to be more recessed, so the doming acrylic doesn't try to flow over the bottom. I also need to create a dip in the head so the outer edge is slightly more raised--hopefully further preventing the acrylic from flowing over the side (Which was another issue I encountered).
And now, here is the failed attempt!
If you look, you can see the acrylic fell too far down, and went past the raised "lip" of clay that it was meant to stop at. Also, because of the leaked acrylic, it refused to full cover the red part fully, leaving some exposed. Not good.
Here you can see there is a drop where it kept running. Even after cleaning it up multiple times, it kept running so I just left it, knowing this was a failed attempt.
The paintjob should have been a lot better too, so I have no regrets at this being failed. I just know what I need to improve on. It's the process of designing new pieces to sell on Etsy. Slow and sometimes unsatisfying when you mess up, especially so horribly like in this example--but I've learned a LOT of things that I need to change for my next attempt. Which will hopefully be sell-worthy!
I wanted to post this, especially as an example of the process I go through, designing these pieces and learning when I do things badly. Because I don't ever want to create things that are done badly, and look sub-par and have them sold. Why should I sell second rate quality products? I shouldn't. Which is why this process can sometimes take a long time, but I think the end result is rewarding not only for myself, but for anyone who purchases my products.
As an aside, I'm currently working on..... Super heroes! Marvel at the moment, but I do plan to make some DC heads too.
Villains may come at some point also.
Still a great idea, I think. However my first attempt wasn't so great. I need to redesign the structure of the "head" to be more recessed, so the doming acrylic doesn't try to flow over the bottom. I also need to create a dip in the head so the outer edge is slightly more raised--hopefully further preventing the acrylic from flowing over the side (Which was another issue I encountered).
And now, here is the failed attempt!
The paintjob should have been a lot better too, so I have no regrets at this being failed. I just know what I need to improve on. It's the process of designing new pieces to sell on Etsy. Slow and sometimes unsatisfying when you mess up, especially so horribly like in this example--but I've learned a LOT of things that I need to change for my next attempt. Which will hopefully be sell-worthy!
I wanted to post this, especially as an example of the process I go through, designing these pieces and learning when I do things badly. Because I don't ever want to create things that are done badly, and look sub-par and have them sold. Why should I sell second rate quality products? I shouldn't. Which is why this process can sometimes take a long time, but I think the end result is rewarding not only for myself, but for anyone who purchases my products.
As an aside, I'm currently working on..... Super heroes! Marvel at the moment, but I do plan to make some DC heads too.
Villains may come at some point also.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Just starting painting.
Curious what my pieces look like before they're fully painted? Here's a WIP R2-D2 charm with just a base-coat of silver and the start of detailed painting!
These pieces aren't yet up for sale just yet--As soon as I have one of each all done and painted they'll be put up in my etsy store.
(What's that in the background?!)
And here's a bonus picture of a Darth Vader charm before any painting has occured:Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Teaser
Just finished painting my first Stormtrooper, to use as my listing image for my Etsy store.
So here's a teaser image taken from a cruddy phone camera--so most of the detail doesn't come through:
So here's a teaser image taken from a cruddy phone camera--so most of the detail doesn't come through:
Monday, June 2, 2014
Star Wars WIPs
Today is already incredibly productive--a great start for the week. I've just finished designing Yoda, C3PO, and Chewie in clay, ready to be recreated and sold. I haven't gotten an example painted yet, as they're currently baking. Looking to do that either today or tomorrow, just depending on how busy I am/how much time I have. I'd like to get them up in my shop as soon as possible.
I'm currently working on an Ewok design! Or rather, if I weren't writing this blog I'd be designing it.
In somewhat related news, I think I'm going to start putting felt fabric (or some other thin, soft fabric) onto the backs of my clay charms for an extra finishing touch. I'm not fond of the plain clay backs, so I think it will be a great improvement. Adding that to my shopping list.
Darth Vader is officially painted, and so is Majora's Mask. Boba Fett is... mostly painted. Jango Fett, R2D2, and the Stormtrooper have their base paint coats on, but no further detailing yet.
I'm currently working on an Ewok design! Or rather, if I weren't writing this blog I'd be designing it.
In somewhat related news, I think I'm going to start putting felt fabric (or some other thin, soft fabric) onto the backs of my clay charms for an extra finishing touch. I'm not fond of the plain clay backs, so I think it will be a great improvement. Adding that to my shopping list.
Darth Vader is officially painted, and so is Majora's Mask. Boba Fett is... mostly painted. Jango Fett, R2D2, and the Stormtrooper have their base paint coats on, but no further detailing yet.
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