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Posts Tagged ‘Cool stuff’

Steampunk deer ears

16 May

Adding the defining elements to the steampunk deer is where the fun begins! Since the deer will have a steampunk cyborg aesthetic, part of it will be “natural” and part will be mechanical. I’ll start with the natural ear. I looked at my reference material and sculpted the base shape with corrugated cardboard.

Cardboard ear cut out

Cardboard ear cut out

As you can see, I had to cut the cardboard so that when folded and taped, it has a curve and dimension to it, as you can see below.

Taped together

Taped together

I then covered the whole thing with tape to seal and waterproof it before applying papier-mâché.

Covered with tape to waterproof

Covered with tape to waterproof

And now, I close the bottom and fit it with a wooden knob, drilled to accept a screw. This will allow it to be attached to the side of the deer head sculpture.

Taped to shape

Taped to shape

Added wooden knob

Added wooden knob

And now…covered in mache…

Covered in mache

Covered in mache

And now, the attachment to the deer head sculpture…

Ear attached to deer head

Ear attached to deer head

Next, I’ll show how I pulled together random repurposed, recycled pieces and parts to assemble the cyborg ear for the steampunk deer head sculpture. It’s really fun to reuse those things that otherwise get thrown in the trash!

Thank you for your continued interest in my work and stay tuned for my next post!

 

 

 

 

 

 
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Posted in Paper Sculpture, Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Repurposed and Upcycled, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

Adding nostrils and mouth

29 Apr

As I add the papier-mâché to the outside of the steampunk deer head, I need to detail the nostrils and mouth on the steampunk deer head. As I said before, using masking tape to shape something in is fast and stable, then going over that with papier-mâché strengthens it. I use folded newspaper to get a shape, then tape it to the sculpture. I know newspapers are on the decline. I don’t know what I’m going to do for raw materials for amazing art when the newspapers go away. Recycling and repurposing them has been great for my art!

Forming mouth & nostrils

Forming mouth & nostrils

Now the taped mouth and nostrils.

Taped nostrils

Taped nostrils

Taped nostrils

Taped nostrils

Then we start to add the mâché over the top…

Mâché over the mouth and nostrils

Mâché over the mouth and nostrils

Mâché over nostrils

Mâché over nostrils

Next time, I’ll start building onto the deer head. Ears, steampunk accessories, etc.

 

 

 

 
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Posted in Paper Sculpture, Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Repurposed and Upcycled, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

More facial detail

18 Apr

Now that I’ve fleshed out the “real” antler, I need to add the rest of the flesh thickness to the deer head before I apply the papier-mâché.

Fleshing out the face

Fleshing out the face

The nose still hasn’t been defined yet, but that is a surface detail I’ll add later. I just wanted to get the thickness added and then I go over it with masking tape. I do this for a couple reasons. First, it secures everything in place instantly. Second, it sort of water/moisture proofs the paper below for when I add mâché over the top in the next step. I used to feel guilty about using masking tape. I guess I felt some sort of need to be a purist and masking tape seemed like cheating. Well, I got over that once I realized the benefits of using it and it also dawned on me that masking tape IS paper, only it already has adhesive on it…DUH!

As I added tape to cover the form, I continued to add detail to the antler…

Taping the antler

Taping the antler

As I add tape to the face and neck, it’s also time to put definition around the eye in the form of eyelids.

 

Masking tape eyelids

Masking tape eyelids

Eyelid close-up

Eyelid close-up

Now we begin to add the papier-mâché over the masking tape, including the antler.

Beginning the mâché process

Beginning the mâché process

As you can see, the left side of the steampunk deer head sculpture does not have an eye. This is because this will be the side that has the steampunk cyborg “appliance” for an eye. It will also have a cyborg ear and other hardware.

Another thing you will notice from the picture above is the white tub with the paint brush on top. This container has a 50-50 blend of water and white PVA glue. Again, I’m not a purist…or at least I try not to be. Art is about improvisation and innovation as much as anything else. I’ve always found the typical flour/water or wallpaper paste recipes for papier-mâché “glue” to be messy, lumpy, cumbersome and slow to dry. Instead, I use the glue mixture, brush it on, lay down a newspaper strip and brush on more glue to smooth things out. It’s fast, less messy and it dries a lot faster than flour paste. It costs a little more, but it’s way WORTH IT!!

Papier-mâché around the eye

Papier-mâché around the eye

Next time, I’ll show how I added the details of the nostrils and mouth. Hope you stay tuned for that…and while you’re at it, please share this blog with your friends, on Pinterest and like my Facebook page!

 
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Posted in Paper Sculpture, Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Repurposed and Upcycled, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

Facial detail on steampunk deer head

11 Apr

Starting to add facial details like building up the shape for eyes and nose is what I’ll talk about now. Before I added paper to “flesh out” the neck of the deer, I had put some recycled wood cross pieces in the head to widen the base. Part of the reason for this was to provide an anchor place for the eye(s). Now that I’m adding eyes, the base puts them in approximately the right place.

Cross piece for eye mounting

Cross piece for eye mounting

I had to cut a bit off the top to get the angle right, then I drilled a hole in the cross piece for a wooden dowel, glued that in, then did the same on a wooden half-sphere I had lying around. When I say “lying around”, I mean it. My wife kinda gets ticked off because I have so much “stuff” I collect for parts. The sphere piece was in a bag of random wooden shapes I bought quite awhile ago, on sale at a craft store for a couple bucks. You never know when stuff is going to come in handy! I base coated the sphere black and glued it in place.

Base coated "hemisphere" in place

Base coated “hemisphere” in place

Later, I can build the structure around the “eye” that will be the brow and cheek of the deer on this side. Right now, I want to add thickness and substance to the “real” antler. Once I do that, I’ll be able to finish smoothing out the “skin” on the rest of the head and neck.

Adding substance to the "real" antler

Adding substance to the “real” antler

More substance...

More substance…

And more substance...

And more substance…

Wrapping it up

Wrapping it up

Now, I just wrapped the antler with more masking tape to secure the paper and smooth it out a bit. I need to add shape and definition to the face and nose too, but I’ll save that for next time…

Keep your eyes peeled!

 

 

 

 

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Repurposed and Upcycled, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

Steampunk deer antlers

01 Apr

Now I’ll show how I constructed the antlers for the steampunk deer head. I originally wanted to make one antler look natural, while the other look like a steampunk cyborg replacement of copper pipe. The problem is, the price of copper is so high right now, that it would have cost $50 just in that small amount for the antler. I decided that I could do a good job of making PVC look like copper with only a fraction of the cost. With some research, I arrived at a design for my antlers and got to work.

The natural side would be made of papier-mâché, but would need an armature. Looking around my junk pile, I found an old rusty drill bit extender that I bent into the right shape and glued it into a drilled out hole in the deer head armature.

Bent drill bit extender as armature

Bent drill bit extender as armature

From here, I added another piece of metal rod I found, then bent into shape, and used the tightening nut on the drill bit extender to affix it.

More length added and bent into shape

More length added and bent into shape

Then, I found an old leaf rake head and removed a couple metal tines and bent them around the rods and Gorilla glued them in place as the armature for spikehorns on the antler. Great way to upcycle and repurpose some old junk!

Rake tines as spikehorns

Rake tines as spikehorns

For the pipe side, I began by drilling a hole in the wooden armature that was large enough to accomodate a threaded PVC coupler and glued and screwed in in place.

PVC coupler as anchor for pipe antler

Now the rest of the antler can be cut, shaped and glued into place.

The whole rack, ready for detailing

The whole rack, ready for detailing

Next time, I’ll show how I began adding the thickness of the flesh to the deer head and how I made provisions for the eyes. Stay tuned!

 

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Repurposed and Upcycled, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

Finishing the steampunk airship diarama

01 Mar

Putting together the box that houses the airship for the dirama was easy, because I didn’t put it together! True to form, I repurposed an old dresser drawer and painted it. If you do a project like this for yourself, take care to choose a drawer that is a good quality one with strong corners and made of solid wood instead of particle board or laminate.

I apologize that for this step, I don’t have a lot of photos, but I’ll describe the process. I painted the outside of the drawer with black latex paint (just to avoid the fumes of enamel), then I made a wash using a 50/50 blend of white glue and water tinted with some metallic copper acrylic paint. I brushed that wash onto the black and then used a rubber woodgrain rocker to create an exaggerated metallic woodgrain.

Detail of drawer

Detail of drawer

Different view

Different view

Inside, I lined the drawer with scrap light blue paper and added cut paper clouds in white and gray scrap paper, stilted to look dimensional.

Paper clouds in 3D

Paper clouds in 3D

I also made a “pole” that would stick out from the middle of the background so the airship attaches there and appears to “float”. Then I needed to make the ground under the airship, so I cut pieces of scrap paper again in colors that look like farmland from a height.

"Farmland" cut from scrap paper

“Farmland” cut from scrap paper

The scrap was then spraymounted to a piece of dark green matte board as a backer and also to provide enough strength to be mounted on an angle. This piece was then put into the diarama and looks as it should to simulate an aerial view.

Mounted "farmland"

Mounted “farmland”

With the pieces all in place, we have a nice steampunk airship diarama! This could have a hinged plexiglass cover attached to protect the piece, but still allow the airship to be removed for closer inspection (I designed it to come out of the display).

Finished piece

Finished piece

This piece is for sale here on the site in the Showcase Gallery. You know you want it!

Next, I’ll show a new project that will have all you steampunk hunters drooling…stay tuned!

 

 

 

 
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Posted in Paper Sculpture, Recycled and Re-purposed, Repurposed and Upcycled, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

The clasp!

19 Nov

The clasp of the Calvin & Hobbes themed ukulele case is another piece of re-purposed fun. As you can plainly see, I fashioned this out of the handle of a cheap, dollar store paint brush. I had used it for a gluing job, which left it unusable for a second project. The handle was still perfectly good…why throw it away, right? I drilled a hole for the fastened end and a larger hole drilled for the clasp end and it worked great.

Re-purposed paint brush

Bolt added

Clasp installed on lid

Seen close-up, the clasp uses a re-purposed nut and bolt with a cut piece of margarine tub lid as a washer.

Close up of installed clasp

The gentle upward curve that the lid adopted as the mâché dried worked out well since the tension holds the clasp tight until you apply some downward pressure on the lid.

Clasp in place, holding lid on

The handle comes next time. I’ll get that post up after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stay tuned!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Hinges are where the action is!

31 Oct

When I started thinking about the way the Calvin & Hobbes themed ukulele case would close, I had to decide how it would be easiest to get the top and the bottom to go together smoothly. I considered the usual way of hinging the back and clasping in the front (really, the front side and back side). The problem with that is it’s a shorter angle in which to make sure everything lines up and fits together. The irregular shape of the case also presents a problem because the hinges would have to be on the same “plane” in order to open correctly and placing them on a curve would be tricky. I finally decided to put a single “hinge” at the bottom of the snowman shape and a clasp at the head. This seemed to take care of the hinge plane problem and also made the lid go on easier because the curves acted to “line up” the shapes as I closed it. The papier-mâché sounds neat when it pops together.

I also decided to use a flexible material for the hinge so there was a little more forgiving play in it. What I wound up using was the drive belt from a little hand-held vacuum cleaner, cut into pieces. This was also a great way to use something odd that was re-purposed and reused.

Vacuum cleaner belt cut into hinge pieces

I then trimmed the ends to put a curve on them.

Trimmed hinges

I drilled holes in these pieces, then attached them to the lid.

Hinges attached

Inside the attachment

And finally, the attachment to the bottom of the case…

Attachment to the bottom

At the other end, the head of the uke case, I need a clasp, which I’ll describe next time. Until then, I welcome your input and comments!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Lining the ukulele case

20 Oct

Last time, I put the lip around the inside of the case bottom that acts as guide for the lid. Now I need to add the pieces inside that will hold and stabilize the ukulele when it’s in the case. I did this by tracing the shape of the inside of the uke case bottom onto a double thick piece of corrugated cardboard. Then I traced the contour of the ukulele itself in the correct position within that shape.

Tracing the uke contour

I then cut out the outer shape.

Shaped for inside case

And then the uke shape…

The ukulele shape cut out

Now, in order to bring this piece up so the ukulele will nestle into it, I have to stilt it using uniform pieces of cardboard. I started by cutting a perimeter piece and gluing that into place, then adding a support scaffolding to the shaped areas.

Support scaffolding for the inset

This piece then was glued into place inside the case bottom. Eventually, it will be covered with a fleece material to protect the finish of the ukulele from scratches and snugly hold it in place while in the case.

Inset piece glued into place

Next, I’ll show how I made the “hardware” like hinges, clasps and handle. This kind of thing is always cool stuff because it allows you really reuse and repurpose materials so they are recycled instead of thrown away!

I encourage questions and comments and if the mood strikes you, give me a like on Facebook and tell your artistic friends to follow the blog. Til next time, keep creating your own pieces!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Edge taping

24 Sep

Now I have to seal the cut edges of both the lid and the bottom of the uke case. Using that paper box tape again, I wet a strip, apply it to the outside, then cut slits and lap it over to the inside so it follows the contour of the case.

Edge taping completed

Detail view

With both edges done, I need to base coat with white. It is, after all, a snowman and I need the under color to reflect that.

Painting the edges white

Detail of edge painting

Then, painting the rest of the case with a base coat of white…

White base coat

Next, I’ll start applying some of the cartoon images. It’s coming together nicely!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Cutting the case apart

20 Sep

Before I actually cut the two halves of the Calvin & Hobbes ukulele case apart, I want to further stabilize it by taping the edges. There are times when I use standard masking tape for some of the secure taping on my papier-mâché projects. I suppose that for some of you purists out there, masking tape is nearly heresy, but consider that it IS paper, just paper that is pre-glued. In this case, I’m not using masking tape, however. I’m using the old fashioned box tape…you know the kind. The roll that is kraft paper with the glue already on it that you have to wet with a sponge.

Old fashioned box tape

I had been given a whole case of the stuff awhile back and I discovered that it was perfect for joining flat surfaces…like taping cardboard boxes…who knew, right?

Edge taping the uke case

I applied the half of the tape width on the curved surface of the case, then I cut the tape so as I lapped it over the edge, the tape could overlap and follow the edge without buckling. I also used the tape to cover the cardboard seams vertically and to cover the buckling of the cardboard as it followed curves.

Taped edges

Detail view showing vertical taping to hide corners

Now, the case is ready to be cut apart to separate the lid from the bottom. I just used an xacto knife again and tried to keep the blade as level as possible during the cut all the way around the case.

The case cut apart

I know that the shape of this case is kind of odd. It certainly works for the ukulele, but as mentioned before, it takes its inspiration from the Calvin & Hobbes “snowman” series. If you’re a Calvin fan, you’ll remember that he took out his frustrations by building outrageous snowmen in his front yard. What do snowmen have to do with a Hawaiian instrument, you ask? Absolutely NOTHING, but my daughter is a big fan of the strip and since this amazing art case is for her…it just worked as a theme! She’ll also appreciate that her old man is once again making cool stuff that’s fun and useful by repurposing and reusing scraps and junk. Isn’t Recycling great?

The next step will be to tape the exposed edges of both the top and bottom pieces of the case. This is starting to take shape…so keep your eyes peeled!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Ukulele case gets a top

15 Sep

Last time I showed the Calvin & Hobbes ukulele case I’m making for my daughter with just the sides glued into position. To continue, I needed to trim out the bottom to the shape of the sides. I just used a #11 Xacto knife and close-cut as straight as I could to the perpendicular sides.

Bottom trimmed out

The next step of course is to flip and glue the top piece on. Later, I’ll cut the lid off of the case off by slicing through the side at a measured distance from the top. I need to do it this way because I need the stability of the top and bottom of the case glued in place so the lid doesn’t torque or lose it’s shape when sliced off.

Flipped, glued and weighted

So here’s what we get when the other side is trimmed. Now I have a solid box with top and bottom glued on and stabilized. Isn’t cardboard cool stuff?

Other side trimmed

Next time, I’ll show cutting the pieces apart and then I’ll begin doing the papier-mâché. I’m getting pretty excited now that the case is taking shape. Stay tuned!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Ukulele Case

23 Aug

My daughter bought a ukulele because she became enamored by them watching the movie “50 First Dates”. As she plunked and tuned and learned chords, she also needed to safely transport the instrument if she took it places. I decided to use my love for re-purposed materials, recycling and Papier-mâché and make her a case. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I snuck the Uke out of her room for some surreptitious measurements. Then I needed to figure out a shape, afterall, I’m building it so it can be any shape, right?

I decided on a Calvin & Hobbes theme because my daughter loves that strip, and since the shape is close and  even though it has NOTHING to do with ukuleles, I chose the C&H snowman series as the inspiration…

I basically used 5″ wide strips of double thick corrugated cardboard, bent into the curves I’d drawn for the case, then applied wood glue to the edge and pinned it in place to dry.

Initial Shape

Completed base shape

I’ll continue to post the steps so that you can follow along and try this for a piece of your own!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed

 

Paper Mosaic

21 Jul

Mosaics are a beautiful expression that can use re-purposed pieces of just about any material and paper is no exception. For years, I’ve had quite an extensive collection of paper. Swatch books, scrapbooking prints and bits & pieces that were either left overs from other projects or were even purchased with the idea of including them in some cool new piece.

This time around, I decided to put a new face on a scruffy looking table in my office. I doodled out a design and started snipping pieces, using Tacky glue to adhere them to a black piece of base paper. Using the age-old technique of hand cutting each piece to fit, the “tile” shapes, while similar, are also somewhat irregular. In case you’re wondering, the shape in the middle is a spinal column since it is in a chiropractic office!

Paper mosaic

When the tiling was done, I cemented the mosaic sheet to the table with contact cement, then gave it a couple coats of Mod Podge to seal it and give it a tile-like glossy surface. The results were fantastic!

Paper mosaic on table

What mosaics have you done with scrap materials?

 
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Posted in Mosaic, Recycled and Re-purposed, Uncategorized

 

Airship Anastasia on Recyclart.org!

20 Jun

Airship Anastasia

Once again, my work has made it on Recyclart.org and I’m as excited as I can be! This site features art that uses upcycled/recycled and repurposed materials as the medium for some really cool things.

Click here

I’d love to hear your comments on the site and my work!

 
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Posted in Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

World Steam Expo 2012!

21 May

I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been diligently working on projects in preparation for World Steam Expo 2012 in Dearborn, MI this coming weekend. Look for the Artsmith Craftworks booth and look for the DIY Airship panels where you can build your own little airship from a kit that I have available.

I hope to see you all  there!

 
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Posted in Steampunk

 

Recyclart!

14 Apr

One of my favorite sites is www.Recyclart.org because the postings there are juried posts by everyday people reusing things. The projects there range from simply painting one thing to look like another, to complete deconstructions using parts as raw materials to create something new. All materials are used; paper, plastic, metal, wood, glass, etc; and all matter of objects from old appliances to used consumables. There are some REALLY cool things that can be made from things that would have been trashed otherwise, which is why this site is so near and dear to my heart.

Well, about a month ago, I submitted two things to be posted…just as a trial run and I received an email stating that they items were approved and would be posted, so here they are!

http://www.recyclart.org/?s=steampunk+video+chair

http://www.recyclart.org/?s=steampunk+sunglasses

I encourage you to take some time and meander around the site. I’m sure you’ll find it both interesting and inspiring!

 
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Posted in Recycled and Re-purposed, Sculpture, Steampunk

 

Safari base

21 Mar

My thoughts on how to mount the giraffe stemmed from the original idea of it looking like a safari trophy mount. I was going to cut a flat board or piece of nice plywood, then sand it and finish it to look like the taxidermy mounts we’re all so used to seeing. Then I got to thinking, what would make a unique piece look even more unique? I posted before about how I began the process of cleaning up the drawer and painting the inside to look like the African Savannah, so now I show the outside and what the finished giraffe looks like mounted in it.

"Suitcase" exterior detail

I used scrap paper around the edges to simulate the leather trim on a real old fashioned suitcase, but how to pull off the stitching? I thought about actually using a large needle and thick cotton string as the stitching and actually STITCHING the trim. I then thought, “Are you crazy? That will take forever and not look right…” I finally decided to paint a darker tone “trench” to look like a dirty shadow, then I bought some ivory colored 3D puffy paint and using a ruler to guide my hand, I squeezed a 3D dashed line to simulate stitches!

Stitches close-up

The effect is quite convincing…

Next, I had to create the hardware and handle. I could have found an old suitcase at a garage sale, but it was winter in the Great Lakes area…no sales. I guess I could have looked at a resale or thrift shop, but as ling as I was hand-making everything else….

So, I cut the handle out of scrap plywood and painted it to match the stitching, then attached it using some little brass hooks that looked like handle bracket hardware.

The suitcase handle

But what about the hinges and locks, you ask? Handmade as well, from cut paper, re-purposed medicine vial pop-off tops and wooden sticks, with a little paint for effect…

So, here is the finished piece, in all it’s weird glory.

Walter in his finished glory!

Sorry it’s take so long to chart the progress!

Your comments are welcomed and encouraged…I’d love to hear what you have to say!

 
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Posted in Cloth-mâché, Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Sculpture

 

The eyes have it!

03 Mar

Have you ever paid any attention to a giraffe’s eyes? They are very large, beautiful and protruding and it’s amazing how long their eyelashes are. In order to make this piece as life-like as possible, I wanted to give the eyes all the realism I could. That started with giving them a bright, shiny clear coat. I think you’ll agree that the gloss makes them look very alive.

Bright, shiny eyes add life!

Eyelashes and eyebrows complete the look and add further realism. Now Walter looks like he could reach out and grab that cracker you’re holding!

No mascara needed!

These eyelashes were just cut from a black piece of paper using little detail scissors, then gently curled a bit using the old technique we’ve all used on ribbon; dragging one side along the sharp edge of the scissors.

Next, I’ll talk about the base of the giraffe and how I mounted it on the wall, so stay tuned!

Have you created any animals in art that you’d like to share?

 
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Posted in Cloth-mâché, Papier-mâché, Recycled and Re-purposed, Sculpture

 

Trinity

09 Nov

Some things are just too cool to pass up. In addition to posting progress on my own work, I like to post links to fantastic art sites or specific posts in someone else’s blog. I’m not sure what the etiquette is for posting someone else’s work, but I think it’s probably OK as long as you’re talking about their piece and giving proper credit.

The piece I refer to is called Trinity and is by Jen Stark. The article is found in the Illusion website. It is simple in concept, but incredibly interesting to look at; capturing your gaze and holding it. Repetitive geometric shapes and progressive color palates are always fascinating and this piece is no exception. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Jen Stark's "Trinity"

 
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Posted in Sculpture

 
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