VIDEO LESSONS IN THIS COURSE
All pieces shown in the images above were made by beginners during my silver workshops
In this course you'll learn how to take fresh leaves, seedheads and flowers you may have found on nature walks or in your garden, and make them into truly beautiful pendants. The process of using artclay silver is like modern-day alchemy. You will also learn how the processes you'll take your silver clay through to make your pieces affect your brain chemistry and in turn improve your mental health.
The content for this course will be released onJune 24th 2023. I'll teach you via a combination of videos, live zoom sessions (one per week for each enrolment group) and an online group chat based herein my online school which I'll be checking and contributing to regularly, for each enrolment group to share questions, concerns and things they've made.
Here's a list of the videos that will be included in this course and what I'll teach you in each...
Introduction and how this course will alter how you feel
Who I am and why I'm teaching you this, the changes that take place in our brains when we spend time in a green space and spend time creatively, focussed on making, and what happens when we combine the two. I'll explain how even short walks or just a brief period of creative activity really can improve our mental health.
At each relevant stage in the process of making your silver piece I'll tell you how that particular activity can alter brain chemistry and/or levels of stress hormone and in doing so improve mental health.
The history and chemistry of and how to handle silver clay
How and why silver clay was invented, what it's made of, what happens when it's fired and how best to handle and use it efficiently to ensure your pieces turn out beautifully and have as much detail as possible.
The kit
I'll run through everything you need, from tools to kilns in order to make pendants on this course and in the text accompanying this lesson. I'll also tell you where you can buy your kit...
Making your pendants
How to roll out your clay, cast your nature finds and ensure your piece can be used to make a necklace.
The secret to making several of the same design...
I share the secret to making more than one copy of a design you love, so you can give one to a pal.
Drying, smoothing and firing
How to finesse your pieces to make them pleasing to the eye and comfortable to wear and...how to set them on fire...
Polishing, oxidising and burnishing
Creating beautiful patina on your fired silver piece: an almost magical and very satisfying part of the process.
Constructing your necklace
Basic jewellery construction techniques to turn your beautiful silver pendant into a wearable necklace.

Extra lessons
Along with knowledge about the mental health changes that both craft and nature can elicit and the skills and techniques needed to make beautifully intricate silver jewellery that I have taught in my face to face lessons for a decade, I've also recorded the following extra lessons for this course, which will allow you to expand the range of pieces that you make and mend your pendants prior to firing if there are cracks or breakages:
Summer nature finds and plants that are perfect for casting in silverA seasonal guide to the botanical finds that can be found betweenJune and August and that work perfectly with the silver casting technique I teach you in this course. You'll see me gathering specimens, identifying them for you in the field and showing you examples of them made into sample pieces back in the warmth of my cottage.
Troubleshooting and recycling
I'll show you how to mend a broken piece and use every scrap of unused clay left over from making your pendants. Silvery thrift and dolly hospital for handmade accidents that can sometimes occur.
How to make silver feathers
An extra tutorial for you: how to turn small feathers you may find in your garden or on walks into truly beautiful earrings and pendants.
If you have any questions about this course, please send an email to: [emma at minniedog.co.uk]