Monday stuff

Yes, you guessed it right, I did wake up early and started on some claying. I had set up something last evening to dry out a little so I could attempt a Royston turquoise. It came up ok, but boy, was it a messy process. Maybe I'll share it with you one day.

The reason for the Royston turquoise is because I want to make a tutorial on making authentic-looking Native American (especially Navajo) silver+turquoise jewelry. I mean, ok, you can always put up some silver clay on a texture, slap a faux (or real) turquoise on it, slap another texture for the bezel or just make a straight line one, get a few feathers and a few spirals, and you're done. Yes, you're done, but it doesn't look authentic. Remember I always go by my old teacher's saying "in order to imitate something, one must see it; in order to SUCCESSFULY imitate something, one must study it and understand it".

Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to make this more complicated than it is. It's actually very simple. There are just a few rules to follow, and they aren't hard at all. But it will make a difference between your creation looking like just another attempt to imitate Navajo jewelry or it looking in such a way that someone will say "omg that is gorgeous! It must have cost you hundreds of dollars, where did you get it?"

So, if I manage to get it done before 11, it will be today's tutorial. If I see that it isn't getting done before 11, then I will shoot real quick a "testing home-made alcohol inks" for today and the Navajo jewelry one will happen tomorrow. I can tell you that the inks are gorgeous. The cost? Well, 2 sets of 8 colors permanent markers at the dollar store = $2; 91% alcohol bottle=$1.48. Each henna applicator bottle is $1. So a total for 8 colors would be $11.48. I guess this says it all.

The 11 am deadline is because I need to go buy food lol. And then clean the house.

So I'll update later as usual.

Update 8:30 pm.

I declare myself defeated by the Youtube Gods. I did finish both pieces, edited both parts of the tutorial, but I just can't stay up and about anymore I'm so tired - yes, went shopping cleaned house too. I will finish uploading tomorrow  Not going to wait for the "4 hours 50 minutes remaining" besides, I think I need to change my schedule. Start doing tutorial stuff in the afternoon and upload in the morning. It seems to go way faster than in the afternoon/evening.

Anyway, here's the teaser. The pendant is with a faux Tortoise mine turquoise and the second witth the faux Royston turquoise.