Featuring Fine Workmanship by Artisans

This is the first in a series of feature articles that brings attention to works by artisans that I feature daily in one of my journal modules. I add one each day and each is featured for 48 hours and then will be featured at the beginning of the next month as a group. These artisan works are found through my casual browsing and they could be very recently uploaded or they could be older pieces. They could have been made by very well-known artisans, by someone as yet unknown, or by someone very new to dA. They are random finds so one gallery might be represented more than another and one artist might get featured more than once in the same month. I hope to make this a continuing series. My picks are totally random finds and which struck me as something wonderful... I hope you think so, too, and that you enjoy this new series!

Forest friends lolita skirt by =Chihuahua-Yip (Textiles > Clothing)
The idea for this feature series started on February 5th when =Chihuahua-Yip uploaded this ensemble. I was so charmed by its cheery color, design, and presentation that I knew I had to do something more than just fave it, so this is the one that started this whole series!


The FU Lounge Chair Pt.1 by ~Rocketeam (Metal Work)
One of those obvious ideas that when you see it, you slap yourself silly for not thinking of it yourself! An ingenious design and I hope that tailored and custom-fitted cushions come with it!


Fire Vessel by ~trickie82 (Sculpture & Glass > Pots & Vases)
I told ~trickie82 that I thought her vase was lyrical. Ever since then I've been tempted to use that word a lot, but am restraining myself and reserving it only for the most graceful and flowing of designs, such as this one.


Marquetry Boulle 2 and Marquetry Boulle detail of 2 by ~decojo (Woodworking)
~decojo is a master restorer, trompe l'œil painter, and as a marquetrist, inlays motifs in precious wood, tin, brass, and mother-of-pearl.


Trillion by ~biltongboy (Jewelry)
Three diamonds and a group of smaller diamonds pavé-set into yellow gold.


Assynt Chess Set by ~emily-strange (Metal Work)
This chess set is made from sterling silver, American white oak, and amazakoue, an exotic wood. Beautifully sleek and simple and that is a helluva lot of silver!


Zombeh Kitteh 2 by ~Thylacine-Hunter (Plushies)
Loosely stuffed, so this is surely a very cuddly plushie and I bet it would be really great in chenille, too. ~Thylacine-Hunter donates 50% of her Etsy sales to the animal shelter that she works in. I wish there was a print because it never fails to make me smile.


Picture with a bird by ~tatianka-ru (Woodworking)
A single piece of carved linden wood. ~tatianka-ru is a group of Russian woodcarvers who also produce the magazine TATIANKA and who are looking for help in translating it to English to help even more woodcarvers around the world.


Beetroot cold soup by ~neongeisha (Culinary Arts)
One of the very first DDs I ever gave was to ~neongeisha because, well heck... look at her amazing dishes, how wonderfully they're presented, and how the photography really draws you in. You could get lost in her gallery and the wide and varied array of her culinary abilities will keep you there a long time!


Aerona 3 by *chasingrainbows (Textiles > Clothing)
A stunning gown in an equally stunning color and its neckline is edged with Swarovski crystals. And even more impressive is that *chasingrainbows also drafted its pattern.


sleepy face vase by ~CLAYSURFER (Sculpture and Glass > Pots & Vases)
A truly curious piece because it keeps you wondering how did he ever achieve this?


carvings - detail by ~ayhantomak (Woodworking)
~ayhantomak's masterful hand at woodworking brings such life and perfection to his organic designs and the asymetry in this one is not just striking and wondrously fluid, but downright stunning. This piece of furniture was made from beech and is about 200cm high.


Gothic Gauntlet by *Ageofarmour (Metal Work)
Based on a suit of armor in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna by Lorenz Helmschmied, this one by *Ageofarmour is now in the UK Royal Armouries.


Ming's Almond 1 by ~UncleMou (Jewelry)
~UncleMou truly has a deft hand making fine jewelry, including this exquisite sapphire, which appears to be magically suspended and looks so delicate despite its size... set in white gold with diamonds.


Assorted Bonbons 1 by ~Sliceofcake (Culinary Arts)
Intensely dark and luscious are these perfectly molded chocolates.


Dark Lady by ~karolinatojza (Textiles > Clothing)
Perfectly fitted, tailored, and presented.


Zipper Egg - Egg for Barbara by ~DreamCrafters (Woodworking)
Made only of sycamore wood, a zipper, and some thread and turned on a lathe.


heeels over head by ~da-bu-di-bu-da (Custom Dolls)
If you had a print of this, you just know that everytime it caught your eye, you'd crack a smile. Most all of ~da-bu-di-bu-da's plushies and custom dolls have that effect!


reticello goblets by ~LaughingTree (Sculpture and Glass > Tableware)
Blown glass in clear and black with green accents and called reticello because it is the technique used to produce all of the intersecting lines.


Celtic War Shield,detail by ~ou8nrtist2 (Metal Work)
A close-up of a shield made of 1/8" steel plate and weighing about 100 lbs.


BULL by ~papafork (Metal Work)
Made from all sorts of bits of metal saved and collected over the years and I love the uniqueness of the bits snapped off a metal steamer basket. Why do I have a steamer anyway? I don't even like steamed food and a couple pieces have gone missing from my steamer basket... and all this time I could have turned it into art instead of letting it take up room in my cupboard!


trotter by ~tarsici (Woodworking)
A very lovely design in wood using the intarsia technique, which is fitting and inlaying precision-cut pieces of wood together to make a design and using only the natural colors of a variety of woods.


clothespin dress-final3 by ~irondread (Textiles > Clothing)
An honest-to-goodness unique material used here... clothespins and clothesline!


If I only had a heart... by ~Utinni (Jewelry)
A wonderfully fresh take on both the "broken heart" and the "tin heart," except that this one is sterling silver (.925 pure silver) and fine silver (.999 pure silver) and consists of 27 different pieces.