365/2013 - Day 59

I need just one more thing for the upcoming show

I need a way to display the stuffed spikey creature.  I think I figured it out -- I will use a tomato cage -- but I need to embellish (or at least decorate) it.  I have several ideas in mind but wrapping the wires with the tape-style yarn that I use for the "hair" on Tookies finger puppets is the first step.

I already have quite a stockpile of the yarn and because it is variegated, I won't need to try to create a "random" look...the yarn is doing it all by itself...yay.

whoa -- this is a LOT more work than I realized!

I am not even going to tell you how long it took to wrap just the first tier 

I think that the yarn will soften the look of the tomato cage's wire.  I like it but I definitely want/need to do more to it besides simply covering up ALL of the wire.

365/2013 - Day 58

done, done, done, and done!

I managed to pull together four pieces for the upcoming show.  The plaster cloth snake, the Atomic Fireball Happy Hour guy, the manikin, and the stuffed spikey creature.  Until they are in place at the gallery, they are feeling a wee bit shy.

Whew -- I need a break!

365/2013 - Day 57

finally!!!

YAY -- the blue paint on the snake finally turned BLUE!!!  Now I can finish him!

365/2013 - Day 56

uneventful day

More of the same today/tonight...applying little pieces of paper to the manikin and trying to turn the snake from purple to blue.  I think the manikin is done.  The snake is getting closer...hopefully tomorrow!

365/2013 - Day 55

awwwww, nuts

I had a feeling I wouldn't be using all seven of the plaster cloth guys.  Some just aren't far enough along.  Some aren't turning out as I'd hoped.  A couple are beyond painting in the amount of time I have left.  But I am still hoping for a few.

You wouldn't think so, but tearing paper takes a LOT of time.  And then adhering the little pieces to curvy surfaces takes time.  Man.

I am really falling in love with this guy now.  I want to do a really good job on him...and that means he will not be going into the upcoming show...just not enough time.

Another plaster cloth guy that will not make it into the show is the marsupial.  One of the several reasons why I am having trouble with his painting is the complicated task I set for myself.  Another is that I have never tried to do this before.  And yet one more reason is the uneven surface of the plaster cloth.  This painting design/style is hard enough but the bumpy surface(s) make it very hard to:

• get the edges on the layered circles sharp
• the gazillion tiny dots that go in between the larger layered circles are becoming textured when I try to put them on with the other end of the brush or with an eraser on a pencil -- I found a tiny sponge brush that will probably work but I need more time

I discovered last night that the millions of small dots I want to add (to represent Australian aboriginal-type art) are going to be painstakingly difficult due to the nature of the plaster cloth surface -- I don't mind putting in a lot of time, I just don't have that kind of time for the upcoming show.

More tearing of paper for the manikin guy.

I can't add any more paper bits right now -- he is too wet -- needs to dry a bit so I don't tear the pieces I already applied.

And another thing I learned tonight about painting/using colors...if you have a carbon black snake and you try to add phthalocyanine blue to the dry surface to make it look blue, it actually goes waaaaaay dark purple.  WTF?  

It LOOKS like a beautiful dark blue when it is wet on top of the very dry black paint, but it goes purple as it dries.  Even a second and third coat stay purple.

So -- another stab at going blue taught me that turquoise deep will stay blue...at least on top of the other blue (now dry as well).

They are both very appealing blues...it's just taking longer than I anticipated to get to the next step!  Gah!

I will finish all of these guys...but at a more reasonable pace.

Ah well -- live and learn. 

365/2013 - Day 54

still working...it'll be a l-o-n-g weekend

I got a lot done on the marsupial...okay, one more little peek.

And the bear-ish creature got a couple of layers of paper from the underarms down.

I realize it doesn't look like it, but a lot of work got done (so far) today and tonight.

365/2013 - Day 53

shopping in my basement and the last sneak peek at the marsupial

I was "shopping" in my basement this afternoon and look what I found -- I really needed some more light on my work table in the temporary plaster cloth studio!

Okay -- I finally chose some patterns and ideas for the marsupial guy.  These are the last sneak peeks at him and his paint job until he goes into the upcoming show (or not).  Tonight he got a raw sienna wash over the burnt umber base coat...then I started on the pattern(s).

Do you hold your breath when you are painting?  Especially smaller spaces and straight-ish edges?  I do and I am quite exhausted now...LOL.

365/2013 - Day 52

changes to one of the plaster cloth guys

The bear-ish creature got ball feet and a base tonight.  It makes him much more stable and he looks a little less toy-like.

Believe it or not -- it was much more difficult drilling through the base and screwing into the wooden ball feet than you'd think.  I sure didn't plan on it taking as long as it did.  This is all for tonight -- all I'm showing at least.  The rest is painting.

365/2013 - Day 51

what a lovely, lovely morning

I love Wednesday Mornings so much.  Joan and Leann are just the best and we have such a marvelous time together.  Today Leann had an activity for us to work on while we talked and shared -- we made little accordion fold books and drew in them with ink and toothpicks.

items for today's project...accordion folded paper pages, ink, and toothpicks

I showed my newly finished spikey creature to Joan and Leann and he sat with us while we worked/played

oh my gosh...

my spikey guy was included in Leann's book

Joan made TWO books...the first one was like a haiku about the weather and patience in waiting for Spring

this is the first side of my book

I discovered I could make little dots and connect them to come up with creatures

what the heck is this???

so true

Leann working on her second side

Joan's second book turned into a "thank you" gift to her boot camp instructor

very cool

that Leann and her ideas -- thank YOU!!!

Joan happy with her book

And yes...I am working on painting the plaster cloth guys -- I am just not showing them until they are done because they may be going into an upcoming show I was invited to participate in...remember?  Also -- after consultation with two people whose opinions I hold in high esteem -- I will be making changes to one of the plaster cloth guys and including one I hadn't really considered before last night.  I guess I am just not "satisfied" unless I am making even more last-minute work for myself -- LOL.

365/2013 - Day 50

his head is on!

I am having a very physically and emotionally challenging day today.  I got this guy's head sewn on at around 3 this morning (so technically it was done today) and I am using it for today's blog post.  

I need to go around the entire head/neck seam and make it super solid and tight like the seam around his head spikes insert.  I am slowly working on that today/tonight off and on.

As happy as I am with this guy, I think I am done sewing for a while.

365/2013 - Day 49

sewing and painting...painting and sewing

Still plugging away.  A little painting here, switch to sewing, fingers get sore from needle pokes -- switch back to painting...out of ideas -- back to sewing.  Man!

The underside of the snake was still not base coated -- I totally forgot about it!

In my head I have a solid idea of how the snake will look -- this is my favorite piece to work on right now.

The spikey creature gets attention next.

I had some batting that I decided to try with the ears instead of stuffing

hey -- not bad -- and this is color-changing fabric again...this goes from purple to blue

odd perspective, but I am happy with the mouth and nose...it looks better in person

And back to painting...

And back to sewing...

I am really struggling with attaching the head to the body.  When I started out tonight I had a drawstring sort of thing going on with the body at the neck.  I ended up taking that out and making a smaller fold over to sew with.  Then I had to try to stuff the head all the way and contain the stuffing with a few threads.  He is getting shoulders (sort of) after all.

It is getting harder and harder to work with this guy now.  The stuffing is fighting me and is getting all over the place in little wisps.  I am trying not to sew through it because tiny amounts of it come through the hole with the needle.  I will be very glad when this guy is completed.  I love him loads, but I am really done with the sewing -- so many new holes in my fingertips...sheesh!

next to no room to stitch...I am afraid the neck is going to look like the head insert -- at least they will match

I am not going to bed until I get this head on!  For the life of me, I do not understand why I am driven to make things that require me to paint (or apply paint) and "sew"!