My brilliant wall by Nicky Milner

Star Carr Mesolithic pendant lemon shortbread

2019-07-05 14:27:35 UTC

The Star Carr Mesolithic bake off is up and running with lemon shortbread pedants. They taste good and making the lines and hole was fun.

2019-07-11 14:27:05 UTC

2019-07-11 14:28:07 UTC

Cheated a bit

2019-07-11 14:28:41 UTC

I already had this naturally pierced stone (found on a beach on Crete - the reverse of the hole shows traces of what I suppose was once a fossilised marine worm). It's a hard stone so instead of the whole sharp-object- protective-gloves-first-aid-kit routine, I made the lines with a piece of graphite hafted in wood (i.e. a pencil). Carola Murray-Seegert

2019-07-11 20:36:41 UTC

The result of some painting I did with my boys on stones collected from the beach with natural holes in them. Ruth Feather

I used a bit of decorative garden slate and a steel centre punch. It was difficult to make marks so small and stop it from falling off the stone's face. It clearly does make more pronounced marks when first etched. I daren't try to drill a hole !

2019-07-12 19:46:30 UTC

Nyx Andrew Isidora Bean

2019-07-12 23:55:50 UTC

Here's my lavender chamomile shortbread biscuit replica. It was pretty difficult to get right, but it baked better than expected. As I was putting down the lines, I couldn't help remembering how much this looks like a map to me.

Home

2019-07-20 17:52:09 UTC

I imagined I was Mesolithic and drew a map. Unlike them, I drew using the Paint program but I reckoned that would be as difficult as engraving on a stone and wasn't wrong. It's a map of where my home is. North (up) is the coast. The blue is the river, joined by another. My village is the triangle bit at bottom left (south west) (lines are rows of dwellings). The long parallel-to-the-river lines show the long hill tops of the valley, where there are comunnication routes to the coast (also one that follows the river). The crossed lines are "entering" or perpendicular valleys (if you come from the sea, count them and then go up the valley side to my village. Little cross sticks, I put as easy-to-see houses/landmarks but could represent places to get water. It looks as faint as the pendant so you'll hve to click to see it better.

2019-07-21 20:45:13 UTC

Found in my garden; as it was so fragile and brittle I had to draw on it rather than carve.

My attempt at the pendant

timelady — 2019-08-02 21:44:43 UTC

so I'm an artist so figured this was right up my street. :) I found a flat round piece of slate (about 5x3.5cm) and a piece of flint on the beach at Scarborough. Cheated and used my geology hammer to knapp the flint (badly!) into a very sharp point. 'Drilled' the hole by holding the point over the slate and turning the slate piece in circles. Then carved lines with the same point. Found the minor cross marks were easiest to do by pushing the point from the main line then away.

My drawing

bren_elaine94 — 2019-08-03 20:00:28 UTC

A failed attempt at shale and flint so opted for this simple drawing. Brendan Flynn

On my Mesolithic Note Book

2019-09-27 16:05:22 UTC

Now I know more I'm going to make another on flint.

Drew this for my Mesolithic Notebook

2019-09-27 16:17:28 UTC

Now I know more about he pendent will make another of flint.

Archaeology Sketchbook

evemm499 — 2020-04-29 22:17:05 UTC

I'm making a collection of sketches on artefacts. Here's a little doodle, I've imagined the pendant has been dropped into the lake, for a ceremony!

A rough carving

2020-05-01 20:22:22 UTC

This isn't shale, but it's a beach pebble, I think from Filey, North Yorkshire. And it's not as easy as it looks, and this is a soft bit of rock!

Pendant

2020-05-03 00:11:18 UTC

I made this pendant from clay

Very rough version when I first saw a pic of it. From shale on a Cornish beach.

aeduin — 2020-05-04 11:11:08 UTC

pendant

2020-05-05 13:26:21 UTC

bit of slate from the garden. Somehow doing this made the original seem a very personal object. Jim Macartney

Star Carr Pendant - Drawing done with "Microsoft Paint " using Computer mouse for the paint brush, I don't have a very steady hand but enjoyed attempting it. Karen Smith.

2020-05-06 05:25:16 UTC

2020-05-07 12:26:26 UTC

I used thick paper, gesso and a bit of acrylic ...scored the lines and applied charcoal sepia powder then dusted it off. The lines did become clearer. Interesting ... as was the thought it was very like an axis, with interval marks or graded marks which could be significant as in other early or indigenous art.

Sketchbook Drawing with Gesso Base

trendeviancouture — 2020-05-07 15:58:50 UTC

I added gesso thickly with diaper-rag material, refined with finger spreading, incised with a safety pin (this would work better on canvas or foam core), incorporated charcoal, conte, and Rembrandt soft pastel for stone color and to pick up incisions, and then added white color pencil to depict the lines where needed. I wish I still lived in Maine, in a rocky area so that I could complete this as a sculpture.

HB and 5B pencils on paper.

2020-05-08 08:46:50 UTC

Ray T

Trial and error

2020-05-08 12:43:29 UTC

I usually skim the disc-shapes for my dogs to chase when walking along the beach! So I had to go search the shore for some specimens to work on.
Shale's fairly easy to work compared to sandstone (which doesn't show up). I also tried some anthracite but needed to use an electric drill.

my attempt for a pendant

pauljvanzoest — 2020-05-08 17:52:42 UTC

Because of the Pandemic I couldn't go outside to look for something, so I used stuff from my kitchen.
Paul van Zoest

2020-05-09 18:15:45 UTC

My attempt at the pendant

2020-05-11 17:03:02 UTC

I found this piece of shale a few years ago on the beach at West Bay, Dorset, (I'm a pebble magpie) and the 2 flints are pieces I've picked up field-walking with the dog, not on an actual field-walk, I think the one on the left is a worked flint and the other is just a nice piece. I used that one as I couldn't bear to risk damaging the worked one. I didn't drill it all the way through as my right thumb is arthritic & it'd hurt too much. My eyesight isn't up to getting the point of the flint exactly into the previous lines, but I don't think it's too bad for about 15 minutes... Alison Lewis

Star Carr pendant, blog discussion and method

2020-05-12 21:48:04 UTC

https://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2020/05/044-recreating-star-carr-mesolithic.html

Quick rough sketch with pencil

2020-05-20 21:15:12 UTC

2020-07-05 07:21:53 UTC

Piece of slate inscribed with tiny screwdriver. Inscribing took 2 minutes.

2020-07-07 08:55:06 UTC

Pen for scale.

2020-07-07 08:55:59 UTC

joyanne1 — 2020-07-07 10:11:26 UTC

I used embroidery to reproduce the lines on the pendant. Joyanne

Cheated here, took the photo of the original, photo processed it a bit more and got this! Chris

2020-07-08 10:45:16 UTC

Sorry cheating here. I found this on the shore. I live right beside the beach so we often go hunting stones. Haven't tried to etch on it yet but perhaps will have a go with the boys after they are finished with their schoolwork tomorrow.

2020-07-08 23:39:04 UTC

2020-07-09 15:31:21 UTC

A piece of garden slate. The hole and lines were made with a gimmlet.

3D printing a pendant

wykesjc — 2020-07-10 13:23:00 UTC

I tried this but it does not come out well - there is too much surface structure. However. I then made a die to stamp the pattern in clay, and can now mass produce them (but need to improve my pottery skills)

Drawing in my course notes!

2020-07-13 00:23:13 UTC

I just wanted to bring the lines out a bit more so I could always go back to it!

2020-07-22 19:08:22 UTC

My StarCar pendant drawing

Pastel pendant

2020-08-03 15:55:59 UTC

safer than etching but rather messy. Rosemary Walker

My Star Car pendant. It was made with Acrilic Resin, It was carved with a hot cauterium and It was hand-polished with fine sand and water. I think, it reminds me a fish when it hangs.

monmaria — 2020-08-27 22:04:07 UTC

White tack pendant

2020-09-11 12:04:05 UTC

I thought it would be safer to use white tack as I am too clumsy to use a drill.
Quite pleased with the effect!

Using flint on shale to experiment drawing some lines.

2020-09-11 22:14:46 UTC

Farm

2021-01-30 21:32:12 UTC

the lines represent roads in the field

Loved doing this. Not a true attempt at a copy but was amazed how quick and easy it was. I used a pointed kitchen knife for the hole and etching, worked a treat. I feel the lines mean something and are not just random. It felt like a personal message.

2021-02-08 13:34:46 UTC

2021-02-08 13:43:13 UTC

Slate drilled and etched with flint

2021-03-14 17:56:43 UTC

I drilled a slate chip with a piece of flint and scratched lines on it. I picked the thinnest piece I had. We aren't in flint country but we tend to collect stones wherever we go. I think this would be a good survival instinct! The drilling took about 30 minutes. I was so pleased when it broke through. The verticals on the drilled piece are deep because I went over them multiple times. But the horizontals are superficial -- I quickly chalked my flint across to get some interesting texture. I thought it would be useful for quickly recording something in the field by chalking; and then later the chalk lines could be incised more deeply.

Carole S

2021-07-06 14:05:56 UTC

I only had time for a quick sketch, but it gave me the feel for the design.

Kate W

2021-07-07 08:53:11 UTC

I'm not very arty so this is my rough go!

Purple plasticine pendant

2021-07-07 12:00:41 UTC

It took a few attempts to find the best way of making marks on a very soft material (pressing rather than scoring). I don't think I have the patience or fine motor skills of the original creator especially when it came to the smallest lines!

Wee pendant

2021-07-08 20:28:22 UTC

I often pick up stones on the riverbank where I live. The area is rich in bluestone, a feldspathic sandstone, and quartz. I used some found quartz to etch and drill into peculiarly rectangular piece of bluestone. After about 20 minutes I realised how difficult it was going to be to make a hole all the way through and fetched my tiniest drillbit which I then used by hand to finish the job. So I technically cheated, but here she is. Peter Rabbit 50p for scale, and the tools I used. -R. W.

The Pendant

2021-07-08 23:53:27 UTC

I enjoyed doing this little drawing

2021-07-09 15:31:30 UTC

Pendant trials

2021-07-10 21:40:37 UTC

I decided to walk on the beach where I live and look for things that a Mesolithic person might find interesting to decorate. I found an old shell, sand dollar and rock. It was so hard to make lines on the rock so I illustrated lines instead. The sand dollar was soft and so easy to mar and the shell was right in the middle. However, the lines were very faint on both. Similar to the one found by you. I had to use onion skins to give the shell a natural color and then the white lines could be seen easier. No holes as I’m missing my bow. I think the black stones I found are flint???

My pendant sketch

2021-07-26 15:56:08 UTC

Perhaps the lines represented the tracks on a field for farming.

coolgothicjane — 2021-08-07 14:47:35 UTC

I made this pattern on a pebble using a jewelers screwdriver. (I didn't have shale or flint to hand). It was remarkably difficult to make the fine lines where I would have liked, but had a go anyway!

coolgothicjane — 2021-08-07 14:51:14 UTC

This time I had a trial go using sandstone. The rough surface mad it quite tricky to keep the fine lines in place. I need to go hunting for that shale and flint!

2021-08-14 16:25:12 UTC

Sorry photo not very sharp Blue and white stitched felt Great fun! I think the original artist just enjoyed making the marks, because he could, just like I did

Experimental Pendant

2022-08-11 13:33:16 UTC

Such fun to make!
Natural, local seaworn shell which I happened to have. I used an awl to hand drill the hole, and to scratch the marks on the shell. I then highlighted the marks with natural pigment.
I think that it would look just right strung on a piece of seagrass.

Banana pendant

2023-07-20 15:38:48 UTC

I made this using a banana peel and a pen to make the grooves. In execution the grooves didn't turn out as well as expected but it was good fun.

My Starr Carr pendant “replica”

2023-09-03 08:31:33 UTC

Shows the talent of the Mesolithic people living at Starr Carr

Pendant I made previously at a mesolithic crafts event using a makeshift bow drill

2023-09-06 13:04:30 UTC

My pendant made at a mesolithic experimental archaeology event at Lunt meadow. Used a makeshift bow drill.

2023-09-06 13:05:22 UTC

2023-10-10 10:16:02 UTC

My quick attempt at creating the pendant. I used these flint pieces (carefully!) to scratch into the beach pebble (possibly shale?) It was quite tiny and the most difficult thing I found was recreating the lines in the right place and proportion. It did make me think about how Mesolithic people must have done this, and I realise there is repetition in the design, to the left of the hole, either side of the main line with the little cross lines. I also noticed what looks like an M and an A on the left side!? And realise the skill involved with making this, and particularly with making the lines deep enough.

My drawing of the pendant

2024-05-13 02:29:46 UTC

I have drawn the pendant as all of my craft stuff is packed away, while I am having granny flat built. Art is not my best subject.

My attempt at the pendant.

2024-07-08 12:58:26 UTC

2024-11-04 21:54:20 UTC

Not particularly artistic so heres my attempt at a recreational sketch (paint). :)

My pendant picture

2025-05-26 20:07:34 UTC

It was hard getting the lines right! I like the idea of the pendant being like a locket with a hidden meaning. I do wonder if it has something to do with families or location.

Shale and Amber pendants

2025-08-19 12:00:53 UTC

Bit of a cheat when I made these at the YEAR centre :) but I found shale lovely to work with and it polished up beautifully when buffed with a bit of leather.

Plectrum pendant

2026-04-12 01:23:04 UTC

Trying to paint this on a guitar pick gave me a new appreciation of how intricate this design is.