Mabel's RSN Certificate - goldwork

[fccs]

The “story” of your work on FoF makes me appreciate even more your beautiful work. Well done...you are incredibly talented...and persistent.

[rcperryls]

Reading the detailed description of what you've done to get Bruce as perfect as possible is amazing. I echo Debby's comment about your persistence which is amazing. The whole process sounds overwhelming to me and convinces me even more that you are truly creating a beautiful piece of artwork

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

The chipping section is finished, and with it the whole hind leg

The third picture shows the size of the chips I was working with - and that's not even the smallest they can be

[wendywombat]

Hecky-thump!! Those are Soooo tiny!

Nice photo of the whorls of finger print BTW!

Oh yes, almost forgot...Bruce's back leg looks Fantastic!

[rcperryls]

The leg is perfect (at least by my standards). Do you have to attach each chip individually? I can't think how you could do that. I would glue or paste them on, but that is probably far too easy to do compared to everything involved in this project.

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

Wendy, the police could probably nab me for something just from that photo

Carole, they are hollow so you treat them like beads and sew them on individually.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Here he is after today's class. Not that much to do now - the sun's rays, the two eyes, and the tail. And mounting of course, which is an undertaking in itself. But the deadline looks definitely doable!

[Serinde]

So your tutors were happy with your work, I guess?

[Mabel Figworthy]

On the whole, yes - just the one tutor per class but she was generally happy with him; she said she'd be happy to have him on her wall, but then she is Australian and biased . I did decide to re-do the left ear which she thought was a good idea, and there are still some issues with buckling but she agreed that after one major unpick-and-restitch I should leave it. We discussed the piece in quite a bit of detail, looking at the weak points and the strong points, so a very helpful class.

[Squirrel]

Great to see almost all of him. A very good update.

[wendywombat]

Definitely sounds like a productive session.
Bruce is super!

[rcperryls]

Sounds like you are well on your way to getting an A+ (or higher?)on tis piece. I will be sorry when it is completed (but happy for you) because I have so enjoyed watching your progress . Are there more courses for your Certificate?

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

Are there more courses for your Certificate?

Yes, two more after this one, Canvaswork and Silk Shading (which is actually done in cotton and more accurately called needle painting). If i go on to do the Diploma there's another 6....
The grading is percentage-wise, i.e. you can get a number of points for the various sections of the assessment (design, technical execution, mounting etc.), they tot them all up then calculate what percentage your score is of the maximum score. Anything over 50% is a pass, with 70-89% being a Merit and 90-100% a Distinction. I gained a Distinction for my Jacobean, but I'll be very pleased with a Merit on this one as I can see its defects (as well as its good points ). My ambition on this module is to get 80% or more.

[Mabel Figworthy]

It's slow work, but so far I'm happy with how the tail is going; the outlines are even, and although there are gaps where the chips (the cut bits that I'm sewing over the padding) change direction, I think they're as small as I can make them. There is going to be a little more smooth purl (what I've been using so far) from the middle upwards, then I'll transition into bright check, a more angular, sparkly coil, which will be used right up to his backside. I'm hoping to finish that tomorrow!

[Squirrel]

He is getting more complete with each update. His tail looks awesome.

[rcperryls]

I continue to be awestruck by this piece. The precision and patience it requires is beyond anything I could imagine doing. Beautiful!

Carole

[wendywombat]

I have to echo what Sally and Carole have already said....

I cannot think of any of my own superlatives!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Am having rather a frustrating time with the top half of his tail at the moment - you may see me in the S&G soon, drowning my sorrows!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Yay, we have a tail . With two types of gold, smooth and facetted, and rounding by means of shorter chips at the base of the tail.

[Serinde]

A most bounce-able tail!