Arabian Nights and some Zardozi

Spin me a story and I may never sleep again............or kill you, for that matter.......

THAT was the origin of the 1001 tale of Arabian Nights and well, the Emperor did fall in love with his quick witted and smart Queen eventually........

This necklace has an almost equally enchanting story behind it.......while we were going through Victorian beads at an alarming rate, Preethi expressed a desire to have a set made using those beads. We had made so many Tanjore pieces for her already (Tanjore being the design we were pairing Victorian beads with) that it was foolhardy to attempt yet another one and look/sound repetitive. We begged Preethi to allow us to experiment with a new technique and after a spread of choices was laid out for her, she went for Zardozi! When you mentin Zardozi, the first thought that comes to your head is flowy silks, rich golden embroidery, pearls, precious stones and Princesses!

We have tried to bring that grand vision to 3-dimensions, incorporating the "richest" elements we possessed - Swarovski pearls, Swarovski crystals, high gloss mica powders and of course, our finest skills........The "fish-like" entangled piece takes inspiration from the Japanese shibori ribbons, sans the ribbed texture. We've gone for a more 'fluid silk' texture and given faux-sequinned look using polymer clay and a smattering of aztec gold mica. When it comes to the zardozi look, we can only describe it as self-inflicted pain that we quite enjoyed :D Line by line, the 'threads' were precisely cut, assembled and highlighted. Some serious swarovski crystal embedding later, this has surely become THE creation of all creations for us!

And, of course, when he's asked to "dress properly" he dresses like a band-baaje wala :D AND loves photobombing Mumma's photos :D

Why describe? - Here's why

Hello All,

I often come across this question - Why (and how) do you write product descriptions of the smallest of creation at Art'zire. So, I set about answering this question today......

The beginning of the post is with a quote I can relate to, recommend and utilize all the time: People may forget what you did for them, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.

Writing about a product is probably an Art or maybe, Science (I often abide more by Science than I do by Art). So, let me take you through what goes on in my mind when I write about products (I'm no business Guru, this is just how I do things)........

1. Process of making: Most times, my posts outline the struggles/challenges/victories/improvements I go through while making a particular piece. Most times, people have no idea what goes into handmade because, come to think of it, how many people have actually SEEN anything handmade being made in front of their eyes? When automated process are doling out cheaper (and identical) products by the dozens a minute, you have an uphill task, as it is, in competing with them. Where you lose is exactly where you win too. A mass manufactured product can never replace the eye for detail, the conversations with the client for personalization and a keen interest in doing one's best. Tell the people how you made it (even if you want to keep the details secret, do outline the process) to give them an idea of what makes your work a work of Art......

2. "Feel your product": What feeling does your work invoke in you? Does it make you think of something? Or someone? Does it bring some memories back? Everything you look at makes you think, just think a bit harder when it comes to your products. For example,

When we made this set, there were hardly any specifics. We focused for a long time (nearly 1 hour long discussion) on technicalities, but the final design was highly arbitrarily put together. Once the piece was made, the only thing that came to my mind was - I would love to pass it along as a heritage to my child (along with the story of what it took to make this). And the name of this creation is the Hindi word for legacy/heritage.

3. Naming: You'd have noticed that I often use other languages to name products. It's not that I don't like Hindi or English, it's just that sometimes, the words in other languages make me feel that I've done justice to what we've made. The notable exception being peacocks. We've made so many that I ran out of words for peacock in Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Bengali, French, Italian, German :D There is no end to the number of peacocks we seem to make! And the additional burden of doing justice to the majesty of a peacock poses its own set of problems!

4. Creative imagery: Now, this last one is a bit tricky.........creative imagery is highly subjective. This is where reading helps. When I name a product, I try to conjure up circumstances where I'd wear/flaunt a particular creation or what it makes me feel. It could be anything from a kids' playground (with creations customized for children) to a wedding (with all its pomp and show). Using the right words can make all the difference! It's like taking your readers on a journey and choosing the right vehicle. You can't take a limousine to an animal safari and you can't can't take a mini truck to visit a queen. The discretion there is priceless and the more you write, the more you get a hang of it. A helpful suggestion is: READ! There's no substitute to reading, to work on your vocabulary, your grammar and your expression. Some of the authors I admire for their creative imagery are: Prem Chand (Oh yes, I LOVE his writing and how vivid a picture he paints of what he intends to convey), Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Sir A. C. Doyle (I have lived many a day in the world of Sherlock Holmes), Robert Frost, Thomas Hardy and Ruskin Bond. I could go on and on but well, in short, READ! Read a lot!

Hope the post helps artists who wish to write about their products. Just remember, you're a guide to your customers into the world of creativity.........make it joyful for them :)

- Pritesh

The daunting - Dr. Hawking

Hello All,

What does one do when one gets a request to sketch a persona to towering that he dwarfs everyone around him? And when that personality is none other than Dr. Stephen Hawking, one trembles, quite literally.........

We don't know what we were thinking when we accepted the order (a while ago though) but once accepted, there's no backing out. Merely bracing up for this sketch was a tiring exercise! After weeks of 'one thing after another', we got started and well, nearly gave up mid way. When the man was so familiar to everyone (right down to the last wrinkle on his face), we were taking a BIG risk. Anything going wrong would make the sketch 'not look like him'......and unacceptable defeat for us.

Thankfully, we managed to retain the essential features in the sketch and our friends convinced us that he really does look like himself here. We shall re-attempt, it's a promise. For now, here's a 3D polymer clay sketch of Dr. Hawking. Completely hand-sketched on Sculpey Premo clay. The skin colour clay (as a base for the face) has been mixed specially to match his skin tone. The sketching has been done used Hartmuth Soft Pastels and finishing touches have been given by acrylic paints....

Some more images of the pen-stand where the great man's sketch sat.......

And the only 2 work-in-progress photos we took.......

Thank you for dropping by :)

Team Art'zire

India goes to Spain

Hello All,

How many times does it happen that you just meet people you resonate with? Very rarely, right? We were fortunate enough to bump into a beautiful soul like that recently and the connection felt instant.....

When she called us and told us she wanted to come over, we were a bit hesitant. Anyone who ever lived in Bangalore would understand why we don't want anyone to wade through tar-like traffic of Bangalore, but then, she was insistent. Once she stepped over our threshold, we understood the reason for the insistence. It was the most unusual request ever made of us.........she wanted an ear cuff for one ear and a stud for another. While most people flinch at the idea of wacky, we grabbed the opportunity with both hands. It took a while to break out of the asymmetry mold we were so firmly cast in, it was a delight once we started work on it.

The order was delivered and well, we kinda pushed it out of our minds. Then happened a cake for the 2nd anniversary of Eat Street, Koramangala and she was there! Chance meeting and a quick catch-up revealed that she was heading for a wedding to Spain and that the Spanish bride was going for Indian attire for her wedding.......

Upon further discussion, it was revealed that our dear friend had convinced the bride out of buying Pakistani attire, boasting of how beautiful Indian attire also is :D Now, THIS became a matter of prestige! The stakes felt higher than ever........we had to deliver the best we could, and in a limited time frame (we got just a week to make the set).......and the criteria were more than one

• Light weight
• Intricate
• Not too big
• Dull Gold
• No peach/red colour (as the entire dress was peach, and red was a big no no)
• The stud stick had to be really thin
• Plenty of bling, without being overpowering

Now, you can imagine how many techniques could give us happy results with this many criteria at play! In times of crisis, we always fall back on filigree, because it comes to us so naturally and to enhance the look, we chose Peridot Swarovskis to give a "jadau" effect......

The earring dangler are all of 2.8 cm long and the stud is 1.4 cm......by all our usual work surface standards, this was miniscule, but this was no time for second thoughts........

So, here we present for Emma's wedding, our take on extremely Indian tradition - Indo-España.......with all our love, wishing you a very happy, adventurous and memorable married life....

The dress it was to match with

And some more WIP photos :)

Our Razia Sultana dons the maan tikka :D

And, of course, the set that started this unique relationship..........

Love - Art'zire Team.......

Piece of heart, living outside - polymer clay sketch

Hello All,

Any of us who've ever loved  child (whether our own or someone else's), would relate to this saying - "Children are a piece of our heart - just living outside". We know we have to let go of them some day! But the heart wouldn't let go! They remain our babies, no matter how big they get. Our minds freeze in those times when they crawled up on us and sat on our lap..........

When Dipti approached us for this keychain, we weren't quite sure we could pull it off, and diffidence can be a strong demotivator! We needed to sharped our knives and sharpen we did.......Sushma placed THE other for Dr. Strange and Sherlock Holmes (both played by Benedict Cumberbatch). Once we had tried faces of that level of complexity, our confidence grew a little bit and we attempted some more 'real' people......and then, an infant's sketch followed. Kids are always particularly difficult to sketch, owing to very indistinct features on their faces.

One has to convey as much of an expression as possible through those minimal lines and smooth (read chubby) shades. As artists, children's sketches present the opportunity to learn and grow.....

We quite enjoyed this particular keychain as the little child is so gleeful! His cheerful hat added to the joy of the image.....so, here it is, Dipti's son (a keychain off to Singapore soon)..........

What had started as a casual ketch on a bottle eventually landed up as full fledged 3D polymer clay sketches......and we quite enjoy making them.........

A small compilation of our evolution...........

A compilation like never before.....

Hello All,

Every once in a while, we feel challenged! And surprisingly, we welcome such opportunities. Challenges are an excellent time to feel isky about oneself. And they are the ideal time to convert a difficulty into a golden chance......it is all about perspective! Whenever we get an order from Preethi, our collective hearts take a leap! A leap of fear and a leap of faith...........fear because we know that whatever we knew so far is about to be put to test. And faith because we delve into the unknown.

Right from the nascent stages of paper jewellery development, we've had Preethi's unwavering support. She's trusted us where few others have! She's given us so much free-hand that our nearly aesthetic selves are willing to believe in angels guarding over us.........and we could pay no higher compliment to her.

In this order, we have a compilation of 3 completely 'untried' styles........

When we had picked up Naulakha, we had vague knowledge of painting (and securing) Tanjore on polymer clay. We knew about the difficulties of using red (and its cousin colours, orange, maroon, magenta) on polymer clay. What we did not know was how we were going to overcome this problem. After a great deal of brainstorming, we did figure the process out and it took two people two full days to get this piece working (that's nearly 40 work hours), apart from planning and testing, that took a few days before we even touched this piece. A systematic and detailed analysis of various components was done before this piece was made and well, the results of the thoroughness is for all to see :)

Now, if you've been following us, you'd know that we make a LOT of peacocks (many many more than we'd ever like to!). It so happens that most of these peacocks were made for Preethi! So, once her collection had peacocks in all fathomable shapes, sizes and techniques, it was a time to break off from the routine. What the break was going to be, we didn't know.......and it turned out to be Kerala Mural style painting. The "half-stuck" Swarovski pearl style was a first for us and we dare say we like it, a great deal too.....

And ah! The star of our innovation of late......

We have been practicing our wire weaving just to culminate to this moment where we can bring wire weaving together with polymer clay. The design began with the sunset colour blend in clay. Then we worked on the shape and size of the design so as to incorporate the wires. We didn’t intend it to look like a beetle , but more like a tulip :). When we brought the wires in, some hammered to give a slight aged look and some wrapped to give it strength, it ended up being very bugsy wugsy. Our first and fairly uncomplicated design with a strong string to give it an urbane look.   

And WHAT a colourful compilation it became when it finally headed off to Preethi!

Thank you for dropping by! 

Love, Art'zire

Fifth Anniversary Contest Winner

Hello All,

At the outset, thank you all, for your kind messages........it is because of you all that we have come this far, and that we have the enthusiasm and energy to surge ahead full steam......

We had announced the fifth anniversary contest, celebrating our five years and kindling the creativity of our readers......

The original post is here:

Art'zire Contest Alert.............

This is a BIG big year for us! We are turning 5 years old this April 1st (no no, no April Fool's Joke, we truly are!!!).......

So, we announce the 5th Anniversary contest for Art'zire....

Create something using FIVE different elements...........

What are these 5 elements, you ask? They can be anything, five different materials, 5 different techniques......anything you feel like combining together.........and now, for some rules:

1. Art'zire Team members (past and present) and their families are not allowed to participate, but they can post inspiration posts.

2. The jewellery making material, e.g. head & eye pins, clasps, jump rings, tiger tail etc are not counted as 'material'. By material, we mean 5 different things, e.g. rhinestone chains, paint, pen, tassle, crystals, rhinestones etc. Similarly, if you're making a non-jewellery project, the 'base' used (e.g. wood/paper) is to be counted only as ONE material. So, if you're pasting paper on paper, it'll count only once. Edible or inedible, anything with 5 elements is perfectly eligible.......in case of any confusion, pls message us on 8884643192.

3. The images are to be sent to artzire@gmail.com. We need TWO hi-resolution images. And please write a small 'story' of the project. We love to hear your thoughts behind your creations...

4. The last date for sending in the images is March 24, 2018 (11:59 pm IST). The winner will be announced on April 1st, 2018...

5. The decision of the Art'zire Team will be final and binding, please respect that.

6. The prize for the winner will be announced on April 1st itself and we will ONLY ship the prize domestically. Any international winners will have to coordinate for getting their prize to them from their Indian contact......

7. In case of any questions, please ask us for clarification. We will not want to get into any altercations at a later date.

So! Get creating!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a tough time selecting the winner because every single one of the participants went on a limb to think of 5 different things to incorporate in a single creation! And that too, when basic elements of jewellery making were not to be counted as components. After much deliberation, we have chosen our winner -

Nisha Gupta!

And the winning creation is:

What aced it for Nisha is the incorporation of an unexpected element - Carved Ivory - along with an extremely unlikely companion - Crocheted Elephants............it was like home-coming for the elephants, who're reunited with their own body part.........

As Nisha's children pointed out to her - She can convert anything to jewellery and she did indeed convert a bookmark into one! So, congratulations Nisha, stay innovative, keep creating!

We would like to specially mention that we loved these creations too........

• Christy's, for such a serene look......
• Mohana's, for the lovely use of foil
• Diya's Tanjore Tree of Life, for neatness
• Kalai Vani's Koi fishes, for the lovely sentiments behind it
• Aum Creations' creation, for its clean and simple look
• Dhanashri, for choosing such a lovely stone to work around with

The participating creations:

Congratulations Nisha and all the other participants too! You guys make us feel so very special :)

Team Art'zire