So on December 1st last year (2016) Lonely Soldier Designs released his biggest project yet. In the Studio 01. It was the culmination of nearly a years worth of hard work from inception to publishing. Lonely Soldier aka James had decided to tear up the 'rule book' when it came to creating a wire tutorial, he wanted to create the most complete, detailed and thorough tutorial he could think of. Nothing would be off limits and nothing would be left out. The result was an epic project but one that's aims were to help wire jewellery designers to understand the way he works and to learn some of the design secrets that make Lonely Soldier such a popular designer to enable them to apply those techniques to their own work.
In the Studio 01 is more than just a step by step project to create a single piece. All the way through are additional hints and tips to help with work flow, creating those fine details and to improve the quality of finish. All these come from the designer himself, these are his secrets and discoveries that he has made along the way. The project takes you through a design but the knowledge contained with in that design should open the doors to anyone who completes it to create their own designs, to use what they have learn to really push their skills.
The out comes of the project have been amazing! And we have been delighted to be able to share in the journeys of some of you designers.
The out comes of the project have been amazing! And we have been delighted to be able to share in the journeys of some of you designers.
All of Lonely Soldier's projects are designed, made, shot, written, laid out and published by the man himself. Not bad for a dyslexic?! And there is a new one on its way....
The Results!
I have compiled a collection of the results of students who have either come and done an In the Studio 01 workshop or those who have bought the tutorial and have shared their work with us through our Facebook groups. I hope no one minds me sharing their work, if there is an issue then please send me a message and ill remove or adjust if need be.
How to lay this gallery out is proving to be a challenge as there is so much work its brilliant! I have tried to group them as best I can into first goes, workshop pieces and the follow ups. This is not meant to be anything other than a celebration of all the amazing pieces and hopefully as a source as inspiration for those who are thinking about attempting the tutorial. It is worth noting that many of the pieces are made by newbies to wire, especially in the workshops, there were many beginners who came and made an In The Studio 01 piece, with help.
The tutorial is designed and lay out in such away that all you really need is the ability to weave and wrap to a reasonable degree. Being able to follow instructions helps too but I think that goes with out saying...
How to lay this gallery out is proving to be a challenge as there is so much work its brilliant! I have tried to group them as best I can into first goes, workshop pieces and the follow ups. This is not meant to be anything other than a celebration of all the amazing pieces and hopefully as a source as inspiration for those who are thinking about attempting the tutorial. It is worth noting that many of the pieces are made by newbies to wire, especially in the workshops, there were many beginners who came and made an In The Studio 01 piece, with help.
The tutorial is designed and lay out in such away that all you really need is the ability to weave and wrap to a reasonable degree. Being able to follow instructions helps too but I think that goes with out saying...
The First Pieces....
These are some of the first pieces to be made following the In the Studio 01 tutorial. This is not an exhaustive list, there was a class in December who were the first to make it but I have lost their photos. So if anyone wants to add to this gallery then please send me the photos and I will be very happy to make this gallery complete! I have tried to add captions and links to the designers pages if I have missed anything then please let me know and i'll up date where needed.
These 3 are l-r Stacy Smith, Missy Lou and Maria Gedo. They were amongst the first people to complete the tutorial after the release and have gone on to develop the design in their own way, more on that later... I have pulled their designs out particularly because they were the confidence boost that Jim and I needed when we released the project. They were proof that we had done something right. Its not that any of the others weren't proof but these were completed and shared and loved and liked etc as and then we knew that all the hard work had been worth it.
The tutorial was a big hit and as more people downloaded and bought the book we were asked to create a special group where people could share their pieces and get help if needed. In The Glastonbury Wire Studio group was formed. This is a closed group so if you haven't already joined then click the link and submit your request, you will need to answer 2 simple questions before your membership is approved but once in you will have the opportunity to share your work, ask questions and see a wealth of inspirational pieces too. The group is run by me (Tabatha James aka Mrs Lonely Soldier), Jim jai jam Ferris (aka Mr Lonely Soldier) and our good friend Stacy Smith the maker of one of the first In the Studio 01 pendant, boy she is fast! (pictured above 1st left)
So the finished pieces kept pouring in and being able to collate them together has proved and interesting exercise. Just to see the variety of work and approaches is fab. They are in no particular order except maybe a slight chronological order. Each image should be captioned with the name of the designer, when you click on them.
So the finished pieces kept pouring in and being able to collate them together has proved and interesting exercise. Just to see the variety of work and approaches is fab. They are in no particular order except maybe a slight chronological order. Each image should be captioned with the name of the designer, when you click on them.
The next images are from a large group that Lonely Soldier taught in Feb 2017. Some of the students have worked with Jim before and some had started to make jewellery but on student was a complete beginner! Lonely Soldier has always prided himself on the fact that he is able to help students of all abilities to create his jewellery. Although it is a tough undertaking for a beginner the results speak for themselves.
On of the most enjoyable ways to learn from Lonely Soldier is in a workshop whether its a 1 to 1, a small group or at one of our retreats. Lonely Soldier is a passionate teacher and has a LOT of patience and a good sense of humour! Check out the workshops page of the website or get in touch for dates.
The Developments....
As I said before many of the designers shared their first pieces and then went on to share the pieces they developed with the new skills they had learnt. This is a fabulous collection of work and one that really helped Jim and I realise what the project meant to designers. We were blown away by the creativity and individual skill and as with all the people who took the time to share their work we are eternally grateful that we can share in these journeys.
What enthuses Jim and I are the multitude of outcomes each really showcasing the particular designers flare and individuality. I am not sure this is the exhaustive list I have probably missed some out so if you want to submit your design I will happily add it here. When designers are happy to share their persona work and are proud to say it comes from the tutorial Jim and I are very humbled by the support, we love what we do and we love seeing what you do!
I thought I would leave you with a few of the designs that Lonely Soldier has done as part of the development of In the Studio 01.
Thank you to all those makers and designers who have shared their work and I hope they don't mind me collating the work here too.
If you are serious about wire jewellery design then we at the Studio are serious about you, we will endeavour to continue to create tutorials and to teach wire jewellery design to the best of our ability, creating clear, high quality tutorials that anyone should be able to have a go at and we are here if you need us to help too. Join us in the Glastonbury Wire Studio either in a workshop or in our group In the Glastonbury Wire Studio.
If you are serious about wire jewellery design then we at the Studio are serious about you, we will endeavour to continue to create tutorials and to teach wire jewellery design to the best of our ability, creating clear, high quality tutorials that anyone should be able to have a go at and we are here if you need us to help too. Join us in the Glastonbury Wire Studio either in a workshop or in our group In the Glastonbury Wire Studio.