Reflection on the first project

So I finally got some pictures of the pieces from the first project. Please Excuse the quality... the dorms do not provide the best lighting.
All in all I really enjoyed this project. When I picked my topic I chose something that I knew I would have fun with. Since the Beatles are my favorite band, I had many ideas for what to portray. Although each sample is clear to me what song it represents, they are really up to interpretation. They are what ever you think they are. At points in the project I was frustrated when pieces didn't turn out how I wanted them to. Thats when I learned to bite my tongue and try again...in the end..after a few attempts...it would turn out the way I wanted. It took longer to finish than I originally thought. Even though I tried to start right away, it still came down to the wire the night before. I made 3 the last night and finished one. 2 out of the last three I liked but I was not particularly happy with the other one even though it did what I wanted it to. Overall I am pleased with the way they turned out. I wanted them to have a lot of bright colors with an overall more upbeat appearance so I played around with the patinas. I did a lot of heat patinas in order to get the reds and more metallicy colors I was aiming for.
I have to say, I am not really a fan of etching. I know that it is a very useful tool to use but overall I find the process sort of annoying. I enjoy working hands on with the metal and I feel like the etching takes that away. A lot can be accomplished with it so I guess I should give it another chance.
Although it took a long time, I really like how my lamentation inlay piece turned out. That was one that caused a lot of frustration and cursing on my part, but in the end it was worth it. I portrayed an octopus tentacle in brass with copper underneath. I loved the way the patina turned out. I simply dipped it in liver of sulfur.
I am looking forward to trying my hand at chasing and repousse and finishing my last sample. Then all that is left is deciding how to display them! Hope you like the pictures! Again sorry for the quality. Time for project # 2...