Monica Fischer - Mad About Metal: More Than 50 Embossed Craft Projects for Your Home

Copyright Metz Press 2016

Text copyright Monica Fischer,

Suzan Cumpsty, Lee Vorster

Photography copyright Metz Press

First Skyhorse Publishing Edition 2018

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Publisher: Wilsia Metz

Editor: Pat Barton

Photographer: Ivan Naud

Designer: Liezl Maree

Proofreader: Nikki Metz

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-3015-1

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-3020-5

Printed in China

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

You cant use up creativity; the more you use, the more you have. Maya Angelou

Our deepest thanks go to our publisher and all at Metz Press, especially Wilsia Metz, for believing in our metal-crafting abilities. Our thanks, also, to photographer Ivan Naud for capturing our work in such outstanding visual images.

Much gratitude goes to our families for their patience, understanding and support during our creative journey.

And, most important, a special thanks to all those creativeand soon to be creativepeople who bought this book, and who will, we hope, recommend it to anyone who wants to explore their creativity.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your creative experiences.

The Mad About Metal team

Lee, Suzan and Monica

INTRODUCTION

Writing this book was a first for all of us, and what a great adventure it has been!

Although we decided to take on the challenge as a team, it has been a solitary experience at times; each of us designing and developing new ideas and projects, working alone in our separate studios, in different parts of the city. Often, cellphone messages and photographs were the way we kept in touch and updated each other on progress. Strangely, these messages always seemed to be sent and received at exactly the moment when inspiration and motivation were most needed.

A shared passion for working with metal and textureshelped along by dedication, understanding and enthusiasmmade it possible for us to work together, and for this we are grateful to one another. Although there were some stressful days, for the most part, this was a fun experience.

Color makes life beautiful! Weve always been enthralled by craft metal, and the endless possibilities it provides to create texture and color capable of brightening up the dullest day. As crafters and teachers weve experimented with a wide variety of craft mediums, but we were always drawn back to metal craft. The ability to transform a flat piece of metal into a multi-dimensional end product is truly the finest creative experience anyone can have.

The art of metal embossing (or repouss) has been around for centuries and has traditionally been associated with metals such as pewter and copper. We aim to break the boundaries of traditional embossing work with a colorful and modern new approach that will inspire young and old to be creative and try new ideas.

In this book we will show you how to create lovely embossed pieces by combining craft metal with texture and color. The projects have been designed and created specifically to demonstrate a variety of techniques. They vary from easy projects that can be made in very little time, using inexpensive hand-held tools, to more advanced items that require a bit more skill and the use of a variety of tools and accessories that are readily available and complement craft metal perfectly. Throughout Mad About Metal you will find expert tips and additional ideas to help you along your way.

We hope our book will inspire you to become creative using craft metal, even if you havent tried any craft mediums before. As you learn to master the skills you could well become passionate about metal craft and the creative experience of taking a blank piece of colored metal and turning it into your own uniquely beautiful creation.

Please Note: The instructions and materials, i.e. Creaticca texture plates, Supawood, etc., are merely recommendations. However, you may be able to find other items to substitute.

Please use caution and care when handling craft metal and working on these projects, as the materials or tools may contain sharp edges. Read all safety instructions for tools and/or machinery before operating.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

It would be worth your while to spend some time reading through and familiarizing yourself with the content of the chapters on craft metal, tools and materials, textures and embossing techniques as well as coloring techniques. Doing so will give you a solid base for becoming creative with craft metal.

Start off by tackling some of the easier projects. The first few projects were designed to familiarize you with basic techniques such as cutting, embossing, sanding and glueing.

You only learn through experience and from making mistakes. Dont be discouraged if something doesnt work out as planned on the first attempt. There have been times when weve had to repeat a project two or three times before getting it right; in fact, some projects didnt even make it to the bookbut trial and error is, after all, how you become a master of your craft.

The projects in this book are merely suggestions and examples of what can be achieved. It is important to have fun and at the same time to give your own creative ideas the scope to change them to suit your own style and taste.

As you embark on your metal-crafting journey, remember our motto: If you can move it, you can metal it. Go metalisticgo mad about metal .

CRAFT METAL

Craft metal sheets are made from real metal and are coated with a specialized durable colored layer on one side (front) and brilliant silver on the other (back). They are easy to emboss by hand or using an embossing machine and are also malleable, which allows you to achieve intricate detail and shapes. Craft metal is lead free and extremely versatile. It is also affordable. Because no harsh chemicals are used when decorating and ageing the metal, it is both user friendly and easy to use.

The sheets are several times thicker than household foil, which makes them perfect for long-lasting creations. There is no right or wrong way of embossing the metal; it all depends on the effect you want to achieve and the application you are going to use.