Learning Curve

Here's a few things I've been making over the last few days. A big learning curve especially when you're only source of information is from books and whatever you can glean from the net. I'm one those people who needs lessons from a flesh and blood teacher, I like to observe someone in the act of creating and chatting about the process.
Anyway these pieces below were an experiment in making connectors, a bit larger than I wanted and also I haven't cleaned them up yet. I'm hoping to antique them with paint or rub and buff or maybe even some walnut ink.

These are my attempts at faux cermaics. Cut out the clay, textured it, baked it then painted them with a mixture of Translucent Liquid Clay and alcohol inks and re-baked them. I'm using Premo clay and it's quite stiff and I'm having a devil of time getting a deep enough impression when texturing them, I'm quite possibly doing something wrong. Also the TLC is a very thick honey like consistency and not so easy to apply.
The black and white ones are just white PC that I've stamped with black archival ink and then baked. I'm more in my comfort zone with stamping and these have possibilities I think.
So after my experiment with the TLS I wondered if I could get a similar effect just using diluted paint. These a some copper bezels that have been sitting in my drawer for quite some time waiting for me to think of some way of using them. So I just used translucent clay and squished it into the bezels, textured them with a stamp and baked. After they'd cooled down I diluted Burnt Sienna paint with some water and sloshed it on them and wiped if off so the recessed areas are darker. I really like these.
So it's back to the drawing board for me. The weekend looms with all sorts of creative possibilities (in between the laundry, cooking, cleaning etc.). Have a good one!