Complex Nautical Pendant In Progress Photos

Here is what I have on my work table today.  I'm working on a couple of new fine silver metal clay pendant designs for a gift shop.   One is a sea turtle and the other is a complex nautical pendant.  They are going to be really large and the nautical one is going to be very complex.  The nautical pendant is complex because it contains sea horses, star fish, and sea shells.  I've got it built and I am starting to work on the fine sanding.  Here it is without the bail.  The bail is drying and I will attach it once all the sanding is done.  I don't want to worry about it breaking while I'm doing the sanding, so I'll attach it last.

This pendant has been a lot of work to create.  I had to make each piece separately and attach them to the base one at a time.  Before I even began the construction, I made all the individual pieces in polymer clay so that I could practice out my idea first.  I knew the pendant would take a lot of silver to make.  I wanted to be sure about my design before I opened my first pack of silver clay.  I'm glad that I did that.  I must have changed the design and placement a million times! 

If you look close at the photo below, you will see some tissue paper stuffed under the belly of the second starfish.  I had a gap there and I was afraid of his body would sink during the drying.  So I used the paper to prop him up until he dried.  I am going to leave it in when I fire the pendant.  I hope it works!

Here is the other large pendant that I am constructing.  It's a sea turtle.  It's hard to tell much about it just yet.  I'm still working on him, and I still have to make the base.  There is also a sand dollar in the works next to the sea turtle that I'm making for a custom order.  Above the turtle's head is the bail for the nautical pendant.  It's drying on a piece of cured polymer clay.

  

Well, that's what's on my work table today.  I can't wait to see how it all turns out.  I'm really excited about the complex nautical pendant.

Have a great day!

Janie

P.S.  Here's the final post on the nautical pendant update and where it ended up: