Not So Frida

I started work on what I hoped would be my pièce de résistance for the upcoming craft show: a bib-style, intricately-tooled statement necklace featuring a portrait of a notable Mexican artist whose life and work I find intriguing. Although I'm well-versed in drawing the human face, this is only my second attempt at carving and tooling a semi-realistic one in leather (I would consider my first attempt to be the La Catrina necklace). I thought it was going fairly well but when I started on the painting stage I realized that the likeness was only rather vague at best. The jawline should be more square, the arc of the eyebrows is off, the nose is too broad, etc. The image itself is turning out well, but not if I expect people to immediately recognize it as a portrait of a particular person.

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Unless you're drawing a caricature, achieving a likeness is an exercise in subtlety. Even a small shift in the contours of the features or a minor, unintentional change that affects the proportions throws it all off. When designing and creating a piece like this in leather, there are so many stages from the original sketch to the finished piece that sometimes things get lost in translation.

(1) First is the pencil sketch which is then inked to determine the final lines (2). Then I take tracing film and trace the drawing onto it (3) to make the re-usable pattern. From here, the pattern is transferred to the cased leather with a stylus (4) after which it is carved with the swivel-knife (5) and then tooled (6).

Normally a slight change from drawing to tooled piece isn't a big deal. It happens all the time so even if I use the same pattern on multiple occasions, each version is bound to be one-of-a-kind, but in this case accuracy is vital to a likeness and I lost it along the way.

I was really saddened by the lack of likeness and I almost abandoned the project. My boyfriend said that I should just continue with it and disregard the original plan: be content with a necklace featuring a vignette of a regal Mayan woman. What do you think?

La Catrina · Leather, Sterling Silver Necklace

Catrina is a representation of Lady Death at her most elegant. Originally depicted in a 1913 etching by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, she has become an icon and an archetype.

Her face is adorned with designs similar to those found on sugar skulls which are given to both the living and the dead in celebration of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday. A six-pointed star sits at her crown, a shining anatomical heart floats before her chest, and she is flanked with the outspread wings of a bird of prey. La Catrina hangs delicately from a series of faceted, jet black, glass beads reminiscent of a rosary which are then attached to lengths of soft suede lace. The necklace closes with a handmade hook clasp adorned with the same glass beads.

The main pendant was was hand carved and tooled from vegetable-tanned leather and then dyed and painted. Her eyes and heart have a high gloss finish so they glisten in the light. The front of the pendant is sealed with an acrylic coating to ensure that it stays vibrant for a long time to come, but please keep it dry and out of prolonged exposure to direct sunlight to ensure its longevity. It is signed by the artist on the reverse.

measurements • necklace is about 21"(53.3cm) in length; pendant is approximately 3.5"(8.4cm) wide by 3"(7.6cm) long at its broadest points
materials • hand-carved & painted leather, sterling silver wire, glass beads
price • SOLD!