People of Design: Karina Gill

As part of the first project of the second year we had to do a talk on a designer that had done work in the last five years. The person I picked was Karina Gill as she uses acid etching to make the patterns on her bowls and so wanted to know more about the process. Below is a little info on her.

Karina Gill studied at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in Farnham where she gained her BA (Hons) in 3 Dimensional Design in metal work. Since completing her degree she has built up her business from her workshop in Dorset where she designs and makes her etched metal bowls and jewellery.

Karina's work has been influenced by colour, texture and repetition. Her organic and geometric forms are hammered and manipulated by hand in silver, steel, copper and brass. The rich colours and textures are created by etching with acid and surface pagination.

She enjoys creating warm decorative items from cold, hard sheet metal and is currently working on a much larger scale, experimenting with sculptural bowls for the garden.

Acid etching is a process that uses a strong acid to cut into another substance. It is used for both industrial and artistic purposes. To etch sheet metal requires the use of some rather strong acids. The best acid to use in sheet metal etching is muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid.

A Flower for your Button Hole

This is one of my last first year projects where the brief was very open. We had to design something that could hold flowers.


Key words that were used to help with the thinking process were: characteristics, situation, location, and orientation. This led me to thinking of having something that was hanging as most things to do with flower pots are on the ground. However it wouldn’t be until the 2/3 week of the sixth week project that I would think about weddings and making something for the situation. So I started designing a small vase that could be worn like a broach but instead of having dry/fake flowers you had real ones that could last a few days after the wedding.


I came up with the shape from twisting paper into a cone and then did the same thing to some thin plastics to which I could get a plaster mould from. I then made them out of slip in ceramics and played around with different patterns.


Now that I look back to the project I see now that I could have done so much more with it. However it is all part of the learning in the end.



How it all looked on the day

Below are some of what other people did for the project that I really liked.

Above: Sue Newell

Above: Matt Lodge

Above: Sarah Arrowsmith

Above: Vicky Richardson

Above: Rebecca Thomas

Above: Tom Tregaskes

Above: Sara Churchill

An Eight Legged Truth

hiya this is just a little something that i wrote and i hope you like it.

I am more inclined to kill a spider than a mocking bird; however if that bird was to suddenly start to grow an extra six legs, I might have to reconsider. What a strange thing to think you might say, well welcome to the brain wave of me – or any other spider hater. You know who you are.

As I sit here in front of my computer, I have a spider trapped in an upside down glass. Granted it’s not big or of the dangerous type, but I’m telling you now that it was attacking me and had to be stopped. Ok it was only climbing on me but still, people can still die from stock so I can defend my reaction as self defenses.

Now the real question is what do I do with it? Do I kill the thing or throw it from the window with the risk of reoffending the act to which it is subject to now? Yep I can hear you lot out there, “oh don't be silly, it’s only a spider,” “they are more scared of you than you are of it.” Really, is that what all you people think? The thing is you might think that but that is not your fear. Your fear could be of snakes or highs or ... or buttons – seriously button and you think I’m weird with my fear of spiders, (which is called Koumpounophobia, the fear of Buttons, in case you wanted to know for the pub quiz).

Anyway back to the spider. Don’t worry those out there with the love of all animals, maybe this one will run away free; what about if I give the thing a name, Stu for instant; Stu the spider. And maybe if I gave “him” a character would “he” start to feel more real, become a person that I could talk to and get to know maybe a friend. Ok let’s give it a go.

I first met Stu in the pub on a day close to its end. He was friends with one of my mates at the time and I didn’t mind his ample of legs and arms because it’s the person inside that really counts, as they say. He was quite at first like all people who finds themselves stuck with people they are new to, but after a few drinks were had everyone began to talk more. He told a story involving his sisters and brother, which there were many of to my understanding, and when he hit the ending for us to be laughing into our drinks demanding more. For one thing he’s a great guy to have around when there is a big order at the bar, all those hands -

But hang on let’s not get our self carried away now. If Stue was real you would be calling the police right now because someone you don’t know has just entered your home and tried to attack you. Is there such a thing as the spider police? Anyway, if I was to keep in the same context, I would get sued for breaking the man’s arm when I hit him with my big hilled shoe. What is one simply to do?

Your thoughts would be very helpful in my final choice. However don’t take long to answer for the thing might just die on its own wasting the whole point of this rant.

English Summer Rain

Well what do you know its summer and we did have lovely weather only now to be hit by the rain with me really wanting to hit the beach that i've missed. So that means for me to find other things to do (viewing the "to do" list) and there is plenty.

Ok i've given myself the fun task of redecorating my room which is very slowly getting there. well i need to have finished it before i get back to uni for year 2 but i should have by then, (fingers crossed). so far all the wall paper is off and most of the sanding to done, next will be painting everything that is sanded.

I also want to make a start on writing my book but i have been trying to for the last five years so who knows whats going on there and if i can get around the thought that what i'm writing is not rubbish. we shall see.
i've added to this blog some pictures of my metal work that i did after xmas this year. the project was based around containment/storage and i went on to make this. i really enjoyed making this and hope to have some more fun in metal at some point in the future.

... oh and i pitch it as being a coat hanger but now have it in my room with all my long jewellery on it :-)

The Cardboard Chair

For my first ever project we had to design and make a chair completely out of one sheet of A1 cardboard. This Chair also had to be strong enough to be able to be sat on but look good as well.

My chair ended up having 4 parts to it that folded out looked like a butterfly with the top "wings" folding in and the bottom ones folding out and linking up with the one next to it.

To give it another element to it I used string to keep the flaps together and then cross them over. this is one bit of string.

Since this was the first project everyone got abit of bad press; mine was that the string could have been of better standard and that the square top seemed abit of an old add on and would have been better with out. however what they did like was the look and how it all connceted together.

another learning point on this project was learning to work with a material, finding its strenght and learning about shapes that are strong.

Now could i sit on it - just about lol. Just don't do any dancing about on it and you will be fine.

Out with the old in with the New

I had completely forgot about my blog as you can tell since my last post was three years ago. I used to write stories but have kind of put that a side for the moment and now wish to use this web side to put pictures of my work up and see what people (if any) think.

I'm studying 3D Design at Plymouth uni and is currantly in my first year. The course is set out in three areas and I am interested in designing ideas and then making it. It has really been an interesting year and i'm learning a lot. Anyways will be putting photos up and explaining the projects behind then later after I've charge up my camera.