Museum of Craftology: Rocks...The Hard Way...

Rocks are everywhere. The planet Earth is made of rocks, the solid foundation of life on earth, yet as varied and beautiful as life itself. Rocks are made of elements and minerals, and come in all shapes and colors. Some are plain, some are beautiful, but all are hard and heavy. So why replicate a rock? To represent a rock through craft is to embrace both the complete randomness of nature and the hard lines of elemental mineral structure. That, and they're much lighter...

There are three major types of rocks (Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Igneous) and aside from the precious gemstones, the Rock Crystal or Quartz types of Rock have the most eye catching pattern and sparkle. This group includes favorites like the Purple Amethyst, Red Carnelian and Rose Quartz as well as all the Agates, Jaspers, and many others. Their transparent and colorful nature is best expressed through the mediums of glass, resin, polymer and soap.

River rocks also hold a certain appeal in craft. Their smooth, cool exterior and their tumbled beauty is part of the endless flow of water as the rivers wash away the mountain. Their solid and opaque nature lends them interestingly to the opposite mediums of the crystals, as river rocks are often interpreted through the soft fiber arts as well as the mediums above.

I created this ETSY Treasury called Rockology to showcase some of the rockcraft of today! Also check out this eBay collection called Mineral Wealth. It features listings with great photos to inspire your own crystal matrix creations!

Soap that looks like crystal formations and geodes can be found in several beautiful ETSY shops! I love how the layers of colored glycerin soap refracts the light almost like a crystal. Gem Soaps are usually made layered with inclusions, and then molded or cut into a crystal shape. Rockhound Soap makes some great crystal formation and geode soaps. The shop amethystsoap makes an amazingly realistic tumbled Turquoise blend soap, and their Amethyst crystal soaps look just like the real thing! And the mineral, gem and birthstone soaps at AnjoulBliss are so colorful and creative!

Druzy quartz is a popular jewelry making material, but why not make some yourself? Many tutorials involve texture and glitter but this one goes the extra step to make a durable finished product. The DIY Faux Druzy Necklace from Aki at the blog Minted Strawberry.

Photo Copyright Minted Strawberry

Rocks can be imitated as a whole, or a formation of rocks can be constructed using existing rocks, with a touch of craftology for the matrix, as I have done here. Here are a few different styles of stud earrings I created this past year from epoxy clay and various crystals (White Quartz Points, Swarovski Chatons in various colors and sizes, tiny glass beads, pyrite chunks) on 6mm silver posts.

When creating these, try to make the texture as random as possible, using all sides and angles of your chosen texturing tool to mark the epoxy or polymer clay. A light wash of acrylic to finish settles into the cracks and gives a natural patina to the new rock so it looks weathered and aged. Then add a waterproof polymer safe finish to seal everything in.

Photo © Amanda Granstrom 2014

Photo © Amanda Granstrom 2014

To make faux boulders, this cool tutorial by Creativeman on Instructables uses an interior form much like papier mache ~ cardboard, crumpled paper and wire wrapped together to form an irregular shape then coated. This version uses a mix of concrete on the exterior so they can be used outdoors.

This technique has so many neat possibilities for landscaping!

Here is another tutorial from theghostess.com that produces more functional rock-like covers for things in the yard.

Photo Copyright Batchelors Way

Continuing on with home decor, check out this tutorial from Batchelors Way Blog, the DIY Faux Marble Countertop. Using a feather is a classic technique for faux marble designs on all surfaces, even fabric. And the resin coat at the end makes it look shiny & real!

I've begun work on a series of jewelry pieces that mimic stone matrix formations, using tiny gemstones and epoxy clay, as above, but with the addition of a layer of electromformed copper from the new E3 Electroforming Kit I got from Sherri Haab Designs. I think it makes the formations look even better, rougher and more natural like stone. More updates on the electroforming adventures next time at the Museum of Craftology!

Museum of Craftology

January 26, 2015

Rocks...The Hard Way...

Stay Stoned! You Rock!