KatherinePlumer
07-22-2008, 12:17 AM
Howdy all. I've been pretty quiet on here for a while. I have no excuse or reason, just sort of been in quiet mode. But on the off chance that anyone missed me terribly (wishful thinking?) ;) I'll try to catch up, and be a bit more diligent about posting in the future!
Okay, starting with the most recent:
I can't remember who I have shown what, but a couple months ago a friend of mine found a dead elk while out trail riding, and he sent me the ivory teeth (do I have awesome friends or what?). It was a cow elk, and probably a pretty young one, so they are not very large teeth.
http://katherineplumer.com/blog/images/08April/043008ElkTeeth.jpg
I figured the first time around with an elk tooth just *had* to be an elk. It's an interesting surface to work on. Actually the hardest part was probably getting the image on there! I don't know if this will make any sense to explain in writing but I sketched out an elk on a full sheet of paper, shrunk it down to this size (about a half inch square, egads), stuck that little printout under the scope and re-drew it in graphite (just traced over the printout), stuck a piece of scotch tape on there and peeled up the graphite tracing, and then put the tape on the tooth and dotted the outline with an etching needle. Did I lose you? It's hard to explain.
Anyway, it's a harder surface than elephant ivory and actually varied a little bit from one part of the tooth to the next, but I was able to get some really nice detail, just takes a while to build up the dark areas!
http://katherineplumer.com/blog/images/08June/061608ScrimElkToothPenny.jpg
Bull elk on elk tooth
sterling silver bail, 18 inch black leather cord
Now I have to add here that I'm getting less inclined to do scrimshaw jewelry. I had to re-ink a piece that a client loved so much she wore it daily for six months and it was badly faded. Makes me think that my technique isn't going to handle that sort of wear and tear, and I'd prefer to do "fine art" or display pieces (knives and whatnot)... things that aren't going to be handled all the time.
Okay, back on topic, here's another one. I did this piece as a submission to a juried western/equine art show. And it got in! :whoo: My other submission to the show is a 19x27 inch graphite drawing of the same breed of horse, so they really get the whole gamut from me this year. I will frame it for display (a very small frame, of course, they look great framed!)
http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/images/scrims/piano_keys/060208ScrimSundayMornP.jpg
"Sunday Morning" (Percheron Horse)
7/8 inch x 1-7/8 inch
scrimshaw on pre-ban ivory piano key
And then was this little bear cub, which was done as a "sketch" of sorts for a larger piece because I was wondering about techniques (lines versus dots). While it has the aww cute factor, it's not my favorite piece and was definitely a learning experience (I'm sticking with dots for the next bear project).
http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/images/scrims/jewelry/041108KPlumerBearScrimPP.jpg
black bear cub pendant
18x25mm pre-ban ivory cabochon
And last but not least, another nude. Because there seems to be a pretty ready market for them! Sold this one on ebay quite quickly.
http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/images/scrims/other/042108KPlumerScrimN3P.jpg
"Nude #3"
30mm diameter pre-ban ivory
I'll try to stay caught up in the future, and you can expect bigger pieces...
-Katherine
Okay, starting with the most recent:
I can't remember who I have shown what, but a couple months ago a friend of mine found a dead elk while out trail riding, and he sent me the ivory teeth (do I have awesome friends or what?). It was a cow elk, and probably a pretty young one, so they are not very large teeth.
http://katherineplumer.com/blog/images/08April/043008ElkTeeth.jpg
I figured the first time around with an elk tooth just *had* to be an elk. It's an interesting surface to work on. Actually the hardest part was probably getting the image on there! I don't know if this will make any sense to explain in writing but I sketched out an elk on a full sheet of paper, shrunk it down to this size (about a half inch square, egads), stuck that little printout under the scope and re-drew it in graphite (just traced over the printout), stuck a piece of scotch tape on there and peeled up the graphite tracing, and then put the tape on the tooth and dotted the outline with an etching needle. Did I lose you? It's hard to explain.
Anyway, it's a harder surface than elephant ivory and actually varied a little bit from one part of the tooth to the next, but I was able to get some really nice detail, just takes a while to build up the dark areas!
http://katherineplumer.com/blog/images/08June/061608ScrimElkToothPenny.jpg
Bull elk on elk tooth
sterling silver bail, 18 inch black leather cord
Now I have to add here that I'm getting less inclined to do scrimshaw jewelry. I had to re-ink a piece that a client loved so much she wore it daily for six months and it was badly faded. Makes me think that my technique isn't going to handle that sort of wear and tear, and I'd prefer to do "fine art" or display pieces (knives and whatnot)... things that aren't going to be handled all the time.
Okay, back on topic, here's another one. I did this piece as a submission to a juried western/equine art show. And it got in! :whoo: My other submission to the show is a 19x27 inch graphite drawing of the same breed of horse, so they really get the whole gamut from me this year. I will frame it for display (a very small frame, of course, they look great framed!)
http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/images/scrims/piano_keys/060208ScrimSundayMornP.jpg
"Sunday Morning" (Percheron Horse)
7/8 inch x 1-7/8 inch
scrimshaw on pre-ban ivory piano key
And then was this little bear cub, which was done as a "sketch" of sorts for a larger piece because I was wondering about techniques (lines versus dots). While it has the aww cute factor, it's not my favorite piece and was definitely a learning experience (I'm sticking with dots for the next bear project).
http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/images/scrims/jewelry/041108KPlumerBearScrimPP.jpg
black bear cub pendant
18x25mm pre-ban ivory cabochon
And last but not least, another nude. Because there seems to be a pretty ready market for them! Sold this one on ebay quite quickly.
http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/images/scrims/other/042108KPlumerScrimN3P.jpg
"Nude #3"
30mm diameter pre-ban ivory
I'll try to stay caught up in the future, and you can expect bigger pieces...
-Katherine