Metal Embossing

I think that learning new things every now and then makes life very interesting. Learning new forms of art has always been something of an inner calling for me. Whenever I have come across a new form of art I wanted to know how it was done, what was its history, where did it come from, how did it evolve and how is it being practiced today?

I have dabbled in different types of art forms but mostly I have worked with fabric, thread, wool, felt, suede, wax, beads, knits, colors, dyes etc. but never with metal. It had always bugged me that I didn’t know how to work on metal or stone or wood. The closest I have been to wood is when framing my artwork and that’s about it. I used to ask myself that question all the time but not anymore. I got the opportunity to learn and practice an art form that uses metal, light sheet metal (not steel or fabricated metals which falls under industrial category) to be precise.

This time on my trip to India I learned the art of Metal Embossing at an  art school “Nirmal Kala Mandir” in the city of Lucknow. Initially the whole process looked difficult but in the last few months I have learned that the key to this art form is in the “tools”. This form of art is all done by hand. This is not pressure embossing which has industrial uses. I wasn’t able to get much done in the first week but after few days of practice I just took off. Playing with different kinds of metals like copper, aluminum, brass felt great under my hands. The art is in how to emboss (push out) the metal sheets in different designs and forms, using simple tools. The effect of embossing give a luster to the metal and adds a textured dimension to the design. There is a lot more to Metal Embossing and I would like to write more about it. But For now enough about the art form let’s get to creating some work using this wonderful art form. The one piece I have created (pictured here) will be on sale on Etsy very soon.

In addition to Metal Embossing I also learned two more awesome art forms during my trip to India. Yes two more, isn’t that great? I will share more about them in the next blog posts.

Till next time… take care and happy crafting!