Online at Craftcast
Julia is a guest tutor at Craftcast, the online class provider based in the USA. The video classes go out live and are then available for download so you can watch them whenever you like. If you can’t make the live class, you can still access the recording, all the resources and documents at any time. Browse the great classes available at Craftcast.
Join metal clay master artist Julia Rai and dive into the art of crafting three distinctive rings that break away from the traditional continuous band shank, featuring an open shank design.
Mostly built on the mandrel and using snakes of clay to create round profile shanks, Julia will demonstrate exciting techniques to build rings that range from simple and classic to far from ordinary!
These innovative methods and designs are adaptable to fine silver clay, but Julia recommends using 950 or 960 Sterling clay for added durability. Julia will share her kiln setup and firing schedules, ensuring a successful firing process. Discover how to test stones before firing, safeguarding against complications at the temperatures required for firing Sterling Clays.
Then, watch close-up and see how to construct three unique design concepts, including stone setting and 3D embellishment techniques.
Elevate your jewelry-making skills through the art of open-shank ring construction. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your skills and create exceptional pieces under the guidance of a master artist.
Please note that the basics for ring sizing, preparing the ring mandrel, and testing stones will be covered in Parts 1 and 2, making each part a stand alone class.
Included with your purchase is a PDF with notes and online resources and the video to watch again and again.
Join metal clay master artist Julia Rai in the second session of this two-part exploration of open shank ring construction. In part two of this series, Julia will guide you step by step through the process of crafting three rings that depart from the conventional continuous band shank, opting for the unique open shank design.
Each ring will be adorned in a creatively distinct manner, pushing the boundaries of design.
In this session, Julia will use clay snakes to embellish ring shanks creatively. Two rings will be built on a mandrel, and the third will feature a carved shank and incorporate a mixed media element added after the firing.
BONUS Video: Julia will show a fourth ring with a wider textured flat band that can also incorporate a mixed media element after firing.
Then, learn how to add color to your piece, incorporating alcohol inks to finish your design.
Using 950 or 960 Sterling clay, these rings have superior strength compared to those crafted with fine silver (999) metal clay. While the techniques and designs are adaptable to fine silver clay, it’s worth noting that they present a heightened challenge and result in less durable rings.
Learn the art of stone testing before firing, ensuring a flawless outcome at higher temperatures.
Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your skills and explore the limitless possibilities of open shank ring construction.
Please note that the basics for ring sizing, preparing the ring mandrel, and testing stones will be covered in Parts 1 and 2, making each part a stand alone class.
Included with your purchase is a PDF with notes and online resources and the video to watch again and again.
Watch metal clay artist Julia Rai, and learn how to take your bail-making skills to the next level.
Most beginners learn to punch or drill a hole in a flat pendant, add a
jump ring and thread a chain to wear their piece with pride. It’s the
quickest and easiest way to finish a fired pendant and works well on an
assortment of pieces.
As your experience with metal clay grows, you’ll want more choices on how you finish your pendants.
In this video, Julia outlines various bail types; hidden, visible, fixed, floating, plain, fancy, and even a bit quirky! Starting with the same flat pendant piece, she will show you how to vary the design just by changing the bail in multiple ways. She demonstrates how to make bail samples that you can keep in the dry stage to try out on your designs to help you decide what works best. And when using a jump ring – or more than one – can elevate your work beyond the basic into the brilliant.
In the bonus video, Julia shows you how to add different bail types to dimensional pieces and how to make rollover bails. Other bail options will be shown, plus some of her heavier pendant pieces and the bails she created for them.
Included with your purchase is a PDF with notes and online resources and the video to watch again and again.
Join master metal clay artist, Julia Rai, and learn a number of ways to successfully combine sparkling glass cabochons into your metal clay pieces.
Julia will show you step-by-step three design ideas for earrings using smaller glass cabochons as well as how to incorporate larger pieces of glass into pendants.
Learn Julia’s techniques for securing the glass cabochons using a variety of embellishment designs. Julia will explain how they differ, whether they are purely decorative or are required to hold the glass in place.
When co-firing glass and metal clay, you need to have a kiln so you can control the heating and cooling of the piece. It also requires a very specific time and temperature to ensure the glass doesn’t begin to melt.
BONUS Video Julia demonstrates how to make some basic fused glass cabochons of your own. It’s pretty easy to make your own simple cabochons if you have a kiln, but if you are working in your home there are significant safety considerations. The bonus video will cover these as well as the basic equipment needed, as well choosing the correct glass to fuse and how to cut glass safely. Firing schedules will also be covered.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with online resources plus a class video to watch as many times as you like.
Join master metal clay artist Julia Rai, and learn how you can make a “penannular” form from metal clay to use as a brooch or pendant.
The penannular form is an open ring, normally with decorative terminals, and is often seen in Celtic brooches from the early Medieval period (the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century AD) in the British Isles. They were used by men and women to fasten clothes and some examples are very large and ornate.
In this class, you’ll learn two techniques for making penannular form jewelry.
Penannular brooches feature a long pin attached to the open ring which freely moves around the ring as far as the terminals. The terminals are close together and the gap between the terminals is wide enough for the pin to pass through. They are particularly good for wearing on heavy woolens or woven fabrics.
Julia will show you how to make two hollow penannular brooches and two solid crescent ring-shaped pendants in this class. Both brooches will have decorative terminals that allow the artist to theme the pieces and really have some fun. The brooches require a strong clay, especially for the pin, so a Sterling clay or one of the enriched clays is recommended. This will require kiln firing.
The pendants can be made in any type of metal clay and can be torch or kiln fired, depending on the size, the clay used, and the manufacturer’s instructions. One pendant will have a fixed bail and one will have a floating bail.
BONUS Julia will demonstrate how to add color to the terminals using acrylic paint that is then sealed with UV resin.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with online resources plus a class video to watch as many times as you like.
Join Alison Lee and master Metal Clay artist Julia Rai and learn how to make unique dimensional forms using metal clay.
This intermediate to advanced level metal clay class moves beyond rolled out and textured designs into hand-built dimensional forms. It allows artists to realize complex designs that are truly unique and elevate their work to create a style of their own.
The class will cover how to create an armature on which to build unique metal clay designs. Julia will show techniques to add interesting surface features when building the metal clay pieces. She will demonstrate a technique to create partial bezel settings to hold stones or found objects that cannot be fired. Partial bezel settings create specific challenges for metal clay artists due to the shrinkage of the clay during firing. Julia will demonstrate a method to ensure your stone fits every time.
The main project will be a hollow brooch with handmade findings. Making your own brooch findings allows you to create work with more complex shapes and forms and go beyond the scale normally supported by commercial brooch fittings. Julia will also show how to use an armature to create a free-form pendant with a bail that is keeping with the overall design.
BONUS VIDEO is a pair of earrings using the same basic technique with fire-in-place stones and handmade ear wires.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with online resources plus a class video to watch as many times as you like.
Join Alison Lee and master metal clay artist Julia Rai, and learn how to make the ever-popular and versatile Lentil Bead from metal clay.
This is a great class for beginner metal clay artists or for those who have struggled with making the perfect lentil shape.
Lentil beads are timeless and make beautiful earrings or focal beads for pendants. Often people struggle to get the two sides even and neatly connected due to a variety of factors.
In this beginner-level metal clay class, Julia shows you a simple way to ensure your lentil bead will join perfectly. She also demonstrates how to create effortless lentil beads with a connection between the two parts that do not require the precision normally needed for a successful end product.
The class starts with showing the issues involved with making a lentil in the traditional way, then goes into making a lentil with a simpler method. The first project is a lentil with a sharp edge, double-sided, and with a bail that has a different profile on each side. Julia goes through different ways of embellishing the bead surface giving you infinite possibilities.
The class includes making your own ear wires for a pair of lentil bead earrings as well as easy ways to hang them using commercial findings. Julia also shows you how to make an open, flower-shaped hollow pendant with a simple bail, opening up many more possibilities for making interesting hollow forms in your jewelry. These projects are suitable for kiln or torch firing so really accessible for complete metal clay beginners.
Using simple tools most people have around the house, you will make elegant jewelry that will have your friends green with envy!
BONUS Julia shows you how to create a double-sided lentil bead pendant with an alternative joining technique and set on both sides with a flush set fire-in-place stone.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with online resources plus a class video to watch as many times as you like.
No experience necessary.
Join Alison Lee and master metal clay artist, Julia Rai and learn how to create these unique summertime metal clay charms.
Metal clay is a great medium to make your own unique jewelry. In this class, metal clay expert Julia Rai will introduce complete beginners to the wonderful world of metal clay.
This class assumes no prior metal clay knowledge so the basics of storing, handling, rehydrating and working with metal clay will be covered. Julia will also show you cheap and easy ways to work with metal clay without buying expensive tools.
The class will focus on making moulds of small items – like shells and buttons – and then using metal clay to create unique charm sized solid silver pieces. You’ll also learn to set a simple fire-in-place faceted stone. You’ll find out how many moulded pieces you can get from a 7g package of fine silver metal clay so you can try it out with minimal cost. Make your own charms to hang on a bracelet or make wonderful earrings, small pendants or beautiful gifts for friends and family.
BONUS Learn how to add half drilled pearls or beads to moulded elements.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with online resources plus a class video to watch as many times as you like.
No experience necessary.
Join Alison Lee and metal clay master artist, Julia Rai and learn how to make a variety of metal clay settings for fire-in-place stones that can be kept in the dry stage for use whenever you need a little bit of sparkle on something. You’ll learn to make settings using syringe clay, metal clay tubes and discs, leaf and flower shaped settings and much more.
Julia will start with the basics of stone setting in metal clay, how to use the shrinkage during firing to your advantage and how to ensure your stone stays put. She’ll show you how to create asymmetric, organic forms into settings for stones of all shapes and sizes, giving you a whole range of new ideas. These are especially useful if you like to produce three-dimensional work that isn’t neat and uniform. Like things to be organic and unique? This class is for you!
There are three projects included in this class; a pair of spiral cone earrings, a light and open pendant with a swing bail and a pendant based on the branches of a tree. They all feature stone settings that will add another skill set to your metal clay work.
This class will fire up your imagination and give you lots of techniques for setting stones to set your work apart.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with photos, notes, and online resources plus a class video to watch as many times as you like.
No experience necessary.
Join Alison Lee, and award winning metal clay artist Julia Rai and learn to create a hollow form metal clay vessel with a screw top lid.
These make pretty little perfume bottles, or you can hang them on a chain or cord to wear as a pendant.
Julia will show you how to quickly and easily make a threaded mechanism that can be added to any type of hollow form. Learn how to make simple round vessels as well as a ring with a hollow bead topper that features a stone set, screw top lid.
A variety of lid designs will be discussed, and Julia will demonstrate how to make three different types. You will learn how to make your vessel unique by creating an embellished lid, adding random textures and forming different types of bails and handles.
Once you know the basics of making a threaded screw mechanism, the possibilities are endless.
Boxes and vessels in a wide variety of styles can have a screw top added using the techniques learned in this class.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with photos, notes and online resources, PLUS the class video to watch as many times as you like.
Join Alison Lee, your host at Craftcast, along with award-winning metal clay artist Julia Rai and learn how to make these colorful hand-molded metal clay pods that you can use as a stand-alone piece or as a component to add to other jewelry pieces.
“Silver clay is a great material for making hand-molded forms. In this class, you’ll learn how to create organic pod forms quickly and easily. Even complete beginners can use silver clay to create these forms which make great components for jewelry.”
Watch close-up as Julia shows step-by-step all the tips and tricks you need to know to make your own unique pods. And don’t stop there! Julia reveals her easy techniques to add COLOR to complete the look.
BONUS Learn how to incorporate these skills to create a beautiful complimentary ring.
Included in your purchase is a PDF with photos, notes and online resources, PLUS the class video to watch as many times as you like.
No experience necessary.
Join Alison Lee, your host at Craftcast, and international, award winning metal clay artist, Julia Rai, and learn how to add beautiful color to metal.
In this packed class, Julia covers adding colour to metal using a wide variety of methods. Learn to create different results using glass, ceramic, acrylic and effect paints. Want to try enamel? Julia will show you how to work safely with enamel and fire it with a torch making this ancient technique accessible to everyone. No kiln needed!
Learn about pastes to add patina like effects, alcohol inks in a wide range of colours and resin both as colour and sealer. Lots of possibilities to have fun with colour.
BONUS Julia will show you how to add a heat patina to copper and bronze and how to use resists with Liver of Sulphur to get the patina just where you want it!
Included in your purchase is a PDF with photos, notes and online resources, PLUS the class video to watch as many times as you like.
No experience necessary.