Tag Archives: Painting

Reviving an Old Project, Part 3

12 Aug

The Three-Gnome piece is a done deal! Typically, I use oil varnish to give my carvings a nice gloss, but there was a big hiccup at this final step.

The varnishes in my collection

The DecoArt DuraClear gloss varnish that I have used to varnish all my past carvings has gone bad! Four years since my last carving piece, the liquid left unused has somehow separated. To make matters worse, my other bottle of varnish, the Daler Rowney brand, cannot be opened! Something has disintegrated on the push-turn cap mechanism. A full bottle unutilized unless I drill the cap to salvage the varnish.

And I wasn’t sure if my oldest bottle of varnish, a Talens brand from my college days, that’s dinosaur years ago, can still be used. Dang! So many problems.

Taking a chance, the Talens acrylic glossy varnish came to the rescue with whatever I had left! But it won’t last for the next project. So I bought a new bottle of varnish gloss, a new brand called Marie’s. As for the other two, I might drill the cap of the Daler Rowney and throw away both the DecoArt DuraClear.

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Reviving an Old Project, Part 2

5 Aug

It has been time-consuming completing the Three-Gnome piece, with more waiting than the actual time spent working on it towards the end. Being patient is essential, as it takes time for the wood putty to dry before sanding the surfaces down. Then, after putting a coat of white acrylic, I wait again for it to dry. And the cycle repeats to ensure a smooth surface overall. The days pass by so quickly with these steps.

I found myself repeating the process twice before being satisfied with the result and applying the final colors of the gnomes. There was a slight hiccup when I discovered the skin tone acrylic color had dried up in the tube! Oh no.

Top: ready to add color; bottom: new Jaune Brilliant (left) vs old Pink Blush (right)

I ended up purchasing a different brand, so now these new gnomes will look different from the others! Then again, after a four-year break of carving gnomes, a darker shade for the nose would not be so drastic-looking, would it? New start, new colors.

With the final step of applying the varnish, this piece will soon be ready! I’m so proud of pushing myself to complete it, albeit four years later. Better late than never.

Top: original piece; bottom: latest piece. Note the color of the noses.

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A New Hobby

29 Nov

M1 recently gifted me a new hobby kit – a complete felting kit. I talked about wanting to try felting but never followed through because I was obsessed with crafting DIY miniatures. She must have remembered and bought the kit for me to try. Of course, I was thrilled when I received it.

The latest activity to try

But I was also afraid to even start on it. What if I don’t like this new hobby? What if I do like it? Then, how do I plan my schedule? As it is, I have so many things to do to keep me busy.

There’s the crafting of DIY miniatures. Currently, I am at the tail-end of DIY project number 22. And there’s carving on balsa and meranti wood to make my Citizens of Gigglesville and gnomes of all shapes and sizes.

Let’s not even delve into painting, which I have my easel and several canvases sitting there collecting dust. Throw in the cooking, cleaning, golf, and occasionally, some design work – there’s hardly any time left. And now, with a new hobby venture, how do I divide my time? Tough.

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A Delightful Discovery, Part 2

11 Jul

It is when one travels that one finds treasures and delightful discoveries. Besides the Hasegawa EggPlane that I found, I found a couple more things.

Discovery # 1: a Waldo book entitled ‘The Totally Essential Travel Collection’. Yes, I am fond of Waldo and this book totally has me absorbed looking for him whenever I need a breather from staring at my monitor for too long in the office.

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Discovery #2: paint brushes from Michaels. I was like a kid in a candy store browsing the aisles looking longingly at all the art supplies. In the end, I opted for value, variety and quantity, and picked up these two packs of brushes which will come in super handy to use after the carving process.

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With such delightful discoveries, it’s no surprise that I started carving a new piece last night so that I can use the brushes. As for Waldo, staring at the monitor is now not so tedious. Life is good!

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In Full Swing

24 Dec

As work in the office is slowing down for the year-end holidays with clients being on leave, the carving at home is in full swing because I now have more time, coming home earlier than normal. With so many pieces to do all at once, the table is a mess.

There’s Gnomes and Whales to carve, Citizens and Monuments to varnish and new pieces to think about, it’s a never ending process but fun.

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A New Green, Part 2

12 Jul

I had to try the new Martha Stewart’s Granny Smith green. But there were no new Citizens carved up, so Apeach gave me a hand on this with the platform that it is standing on. A perfect setting to see the glory of the green.

Isn’t it just a lovely and refreshing color? Apeach certainly looks happy.

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A New Green

9 Jul

Last week, I bought a new green color to add to my acrylic color palette for the Citizens of Gigglesville. I must say I have several shades of green, accumulated throughout the years and more added in recent months.

However, lately I felt the choices that I have are a wee bit too dull and predictable. And some of colors are even too old to be used. The Liquitex brand is most obvious having lost its strength (for lack of a better word) because it does not stick well or smoothly upon application. Then again, even the new Neon Green from Apple Barrel does not do too well on wood and I am not sure why. In essence then, only four shades are used on a rotational basis.

I like the new Martha Stewart Crafts’ Granny Smith green choice for a brighter and more refreshing look to add some zest to the Citizens of Giggglesville. Looking forward to using it soon!

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Seeing green!

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Off They Go

17 Nov

My two commissioned paintings are finally going to their new owners. After a seven-month curing period for the oil paint to be totally dry, it’s time. I hand them over this weekend. It’s a rather nice and warm bubbly feeling to know that someone else appreciates my art. Thank you for the support.

With this, I hope to paint again and soon.
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My Poor Canvases

18 Jul

I have been so engaged with carving lately that my poor canvases are just sitting in the corner collecting dust. Even the tubes of oil paints are neglected because I use acrylic instead.

Everyday I would carve a piece, two if the mood hits and definitely more on weekends. The citizen count of Gigglesville now stands at 48, minus the superheroes series.

Sigh… I hope to go back to painting. Eventually.
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Green Fingers, Part 2

20 Jun

A few weeks ago, hubby had a huge and colorful air plant hanging on the frangipani tree in the garden. From that big fella, he harvested many little ones to create interesting displays on driftwood pieces or simply by themselves with just wires that he would bend with a plier. Like me with an activity interspersing painting with carving, he’s into cactus and air plant creations.

I ventured into the garden upon his insistence and lo and behold, a whole lot of them are hanging on the tree! The green fingers in him certainly makes the garden more interesting. And the tiny air plants sitting on wires are just as appealing indoors.

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