Painted MDF brooches

As a part of my research journey I have been interviewing contemporary jewellery makers. I have also featured two of them on this blog.  What links all these makers is the fact that they all make picture jewellery. The most common technique of picture jewellery in India is hand painting. Done on wood, stone or metal, makers can produce any level of work based on their skill sets. Inspired by the works of the makers whom I interviewed and the insights shared by them, I created a few pieces of Painted MDF brooches.

Using MDF cutouts for jewellery

DF is the short form of Medium-Density Fiberboard. It is a wood based composite material used in shelving, interior decorations and backing art work. Due to its lightweight nature, it can be used for a variety of arts and crafts.  Upon a quick survey online, I realised that there are a lot of MDF cut outs that are readily available in the market. They suited my purpose since I was only experimenting. However, the makers whom I interviewed typically get MDF cut to their specific requirements based on original designs.

In the first round I experimented with the whole host of cutouts from divine and human forms. However, I lost the entire bunch due to a bad batch of epoxy resin that I used to dome them. But that is another story for another day. In the second round, I used cutouts of human figures – silhouettes of dancers and birds and painted with acrylic paints.  I varnished and then glazed them later (the pictures shown here were taken prior to the glazing stge.)

The cutouts that I have used or originally meant for key chains and fridge magnets. But you know me and I like wearing large statement making pieces. They can be worn as both brooches and pendants.

Dance themed Painted MDF brooches

I used two cutouts that resemble Bharatanatyam dancers, one that resembles a mohiniyaatam dancer (the one in white) and the fourth that looks like an Oddissi dancer. Out of my first lot, one dancing baby Shiva remains as you can see below. Working on these brooches also reminded me of the blog series of dance jewellery that I had started but never got an around to writing beyond the first two posts. I hope this helps me get back to it.

Making MDF jewellery

I found MDF a relatively easy material to work with. It does not require primer or gesso like other types of wood. However, you can use a white base to make colours pop. Acrylic and metallic paints, 3D liners and even markers can be used. Alternatively, you can decoupage it or add embellishments. Once the paint is dry, you can apply a clear sealer or varnish to protect the design. Additionally, you can use resin to dome the pieces.

It has been a really long time since I showed any of my work on this blog hence this post on Painted MDF brooches.

I hope you find it interesting

Cheers