Metal Armadillos and Other Assorted Art @metalarmadillos - Tumblr Blog

Pssst, I may have a commission for you. But also a question. Dost thou knoweth how to do a hammered-esque patina on any said metalwork piece?

awesome! and yes, I can put a hammered texture on it (its not technically a patina; patina's are colors and dyes)

what kind of piece were you thinking of commissioning?

origamiarmadillos

As per the usual, I’m avoiding homework. Today’s form of procrastination is a The Fault in our Stars pillow making extravaganza

metalarmadillos

I'm looking for commissions at this time. Anyone interested in buying a metals piece (ring, bracelet, pendant, etc.) or a textiles piece (wall hanging, pillow, blanket, etc) I can make anything you'd like :)

#metalarmadillos #origamiarmadillos #commissions #the fault in our stars #tfios #john green

Box of Faith

This is a reliquary I made for class. The piece is about faith. I find different faiths and religions really interesting. Doctor Who has become somewhat like a faith to me; I believe the Doctor will always be there to save the human race when we will inevitably screw up. My reliquary piece is a simple box design, but it is modeled to look like the Doctor’s spaceship/time-machine, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space). The TARDIS resembles an old police telephone box from the outside, but, through sci-fi show pseudo-science, is bigger on the inside. Thus, the piece looks like a police box on the outside, and because of the mirrors placed along the inside walls and bottom, the miniature TARDIS is bigger on the inside like its counterpart. These mirrors cover all of the windows except those on the front of the TARDIS, so when the viewer looks inside they see themselves along with the interior. This makes the piece very personal- every viewer has a completely unique view of the piece which mimics the unique perspective of each individuals’ spiritual beliefs.

Hanging inside the TARDIS is a cube that represents what I view as the 4 possible symbols that an individual would have faith in. The first side has a cross on it, which represents traditional organized religions. The second side are the Greek letters Alpha (Α) and Omega (Ω). The letters, often associated with gods, signify past religions which have, in current society, become mythology (I was specifically referring to greek mythology, but it alludes to all past religions). I find the contrast between current religions and past religions incredibly interesting because they all are essentially the same material with minor differences, yet some are viewed as myth and legend instead of truth. The third side is the logo for doctor who, representing non-traditional faiths, such my faith in the Doctor. Lastly, the fourth side depicts a tree, representing three faiths: in the natural world and science, one’s family, and other human beings.

As for the technical aspects, the body of the TARDIS is hollow constructed and the lines on the walls, the details on the door, the "Police Public Call Box" signs, and the 4 sides to the box inside are etched using ferric chloride (acid). After completely assembled, I used a blue patina on the piece and then softened the color of the entire piece with steel wool.

Also, there is a light on the inside at the bottom and when turned on, the light is magnified by the mirrors and shines out the front windows very brightly (the light picks up the color of the patina on the inside and the light looks blue)

#Christopher Smyka #Christopher #Smyka #metalarmadillos #class #classwork #copper #mirrors #TARDIS #Doctor who #time #faith #religion #patina

St. Christopher

This is the finished version of the brooch for class. This piece is inspired by my cousin Christopher; when he was born, my cousin was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease called Rod-Cone Dystrophy/Retinitis Pigmentosa and he is gradually going blind. I was really inspired by the whole situation and the parallels between our lives: We are both named Christopher, his father (also named Chris) is my godfather, and being an artist I obviously rely very heavily on my sight so I had a strong reaction to the whole situation.

This piece is made from bronze and copper, and both are etched with drawings done by my cousin Christopher (and other cousins in the family). The back layer (copper) has a black patina (liver of sulfur) on it and I then scratched away the layer on the drawings so they shine brighter. In the center of the piece I attached a pendant of Saint Christopher that was given to me by my godfather when I was born. In front of that is a lens from a pair of kids glasses (my first pair, to be exact) which is scuffed up to represent his loss of sight. Behind the brooch itself is the frame from the same pair of glasses, and I straightened one of the arms and sharpened it to be used as the pin backing (the part that attaches the brooch to your clothing). Again, sorry for the awful pictures-I promise I’ll update it with better pictures soon.

For a picture of my cousin Christopher and to donate to finding a cure for Rod-Cone Dystrophy/Retinitis Pigmentosa, you can check out this link:

Vision walk

#Christopher Smyka #Christopher #Smyka #metalarmadillos #brooch #metal arts #copper #bronze #etching #family #blindness #glasses #st. christopher #petina #liver of sulfer #class #classwork #metals class

Puzzle Piece

a chain making exercise for class made of silver.

#puzzle #puzzle piece #peace #silver #metalarmadillos #chain #christopher #smyka #Christopher Smyka #Chris smyka

My Paypal is finally up and running so I am officially taking commissions!

#commissions #open #paypal

Earth Kingdom

This is a commission that I made for one of my really close friends, Manonquinn. She is a huge fan of Avatar the Last Airbender, and this is a pendant for the Earth Kingdom. Its made of two pieces of copper, a buffed piece (the front details) and a piece that is dyed black in the back.

#Avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar tla #tla #airbender #bender #nickelodeon #earth kingdom #fire nation #air nomads #water tribes #past commissions #Christopher Smyka #Chris Smyka #Smyka #metalarmadillos #necklace #pendant

Triforce Pendant

Here is another recent commission of the Triforce from Legend of Zelda, made of a singe piece of copper that is buffed so it shines.

#triforce #zelda #legend of zelda #link #nintendo #past commissions #copper #Christopher Smyka #Chris Smyka #Smyka #necklace #pendant #metalarmadillos

Deathly Hallows

Another recent commission, a Deathly Hallows pendant from Harry Potter. Its one piece of copper that I cut and then put several layers of patinas over to get an older look to it.

#harry potter #harry potter and the deathly hallows #deathly hallows #hp #copper #past commissions #patina #Christopher Smyka #Chris Smyka #Smyka #metalarmadillos #pendant #necklace

Finn Pendant

This is a recent commission of Finn the human from the Cartoon Network show "Adventure Time." Its made from two pieces of copper that are riveted together (which are the eyes) and then i used a patina and a stencil to make the mouth.

#finn #finn the human #jake the dog #finn and jake #adventure time #cartoon network #copper #past commissions #patina #pendant #necklace #Christopher Smyka #Chris Smyka #Smyka #metalarmadillos

St. Christopher This is a WIP brooch that is for class (sorry for the poor picture quality-better pictures to come). This piece is inspired by my cousin Christopher; when he was born, my cousin was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease called Rod-Cone Dystrophy/Retinitis Pigmentosa and he is gradually going blind. I was really inspired by the whole situation and the parallels between our lives: We are both named Christopher, his father (also named Chris) is my godfather, and being an artist I obviously rely very heavily on my sight so I had a strong reaction to the whole situation.

This piece is made from bronze and copper, and both are etched with drawings done by my cousin Christopher (and other cousins in the family). The back layer (copper) has a black patina (liver of sulfur) on it and I then scratched away the layer on the drawings so they shine brighter. In the center of the piece I attached a pendant of Saint Christopher that was given to me by my godfather when I was born. In front of that is a lens from a pair of kids glasses (my first pair, to be exact) which is scuffed up to represent his loss of sight. Behind the brooch itself is the frame from the same pair of glasses, and I straightened one of the arms and sharpened it to be used as the pin backing (the part that attaches the brooch to your clothing). Again, sorry for the awful pictures-I promise I'll update it with better pictures soon.

For a picture of my cousin Christopher and to donate to finding a cure for Rod-Cone Dystrophy/Retinitis Pigmentosa, you can check out this link: Foundation Fighting Blindness