After I have the stones and metal I need for a project, my next step is sketching. I don't try to force the stone into a preconceived notion. I let the shape, color and size of the stone tell me what to do. This usually means I have to sketch out ideas.
Here's a sketch that's in my book right now. I was trying to work out what to do with an ocean jasper that has a big, open druzy on the side. I didn't like my first sketch and crossed it out, but the second sketch was a winner. When I have to fight for a design like that, I then write down all my thoughts. I don't necessarily make that particular piece right away, so I want to make sure I don't lose all the details.
I also like to sketch on graph paper, because it gives me a good idea of scale. When I'm coming up with sketches out of the blue and to be used at a later time, it's good to make sure everything is accurately sized. That way, I know I'm not inventing a little detail that's too small to actually do, or something that's impossible to do in relation to the characteristics of the stone.
But I don't always have to work from scratch. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to do with a stone once I've seen the picture of it the seller has posted. I usually don't sketch the idea down until the stone arrives. There's nothing more disappointing then getting a rock and realizing you were wrong about its size or coloration and it therefore won't work with the idea you had. But that doesn't happen to me as much anymore. I have lapidaries I trust and I can be sure what I'm getting. In those cases, I just sketch my idea down quickly. It's solidly in my head, being built up while I waited for the stone to arrive in the mail, but for some reason I usually still have to quickly sketch it down. You never know when you're gonna wonk your head and get amnesia, right? No, I don't watch too much Lifetime Television for Women. Here's a quick sketch sheet I made to lay out a number of pieces I was starting all at the same time. Those of you who are familiar with my Etsy shop will recognize these pieces -- the Undulate green kyanite earrings, the Banded agate ring, and the Cartoon Cindy ring.
And, very occasionally, I don't make a sketch at all. Sometimes I'm so clear on what it is I want to do -- and it's a piece that doesn't need any troublesome areas worked out -- that I just start creating with no blueprint. I have two necklaces I just started that are like that. One is a found objects necklace, and one is a double necklace. It's so clear to me how these two necklaces need to come together that I just got to work on them as soon as all the components arrived. That leads us nicely into Part III -- true work begins! Stay tuned.
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