Art Work In Process Post 5

Is anyone still with me?

 I may save these blogs and put them on a CDR for my youngest grandson who aspires to be an artist, or a chef, or a baseball player.  He might enjoy looking at it someday and see how his Grandma Merikay made things.

But for now, I write for you.

Today I did a few "odds and ends."   Steps that only take a short time each, but must be done.

I use PVC pipe couplings to make the horns and antlers removable.

  I make them removable so they can be packed along  side the heads for shipping.  This makes it possible to use a  smaller box size and thus save on shipping costs.  Economical International shipping is  restricted by box size. 


I marked where I wanted the PVC couplings to be, cut thru the paper mache shell with a knife, and used a large drill to bore holes in the foam. I used glue and paper mache to set the couplings in place.

Yesterday I applied a layer of plaster cloth to the moose antlers.  The next material coating is a layer of Hydrocal, a white gypsum cement.

But because it is the same white as the plaster cloth it is difficult to see what I am doing.  To solve this, I paint the plaster cloth layer.  That way I will know that when I can no longer see any paint I have put on a thick enough layer of Hydrocal and have not missed any little places.

Everybody got some attention today! I started building the warthogs tusks.

I inserted a piece of 16 gage wire into the sides of his muzzle.  The "stick" in the center is a bamboo BBQ skewer, and it is keeping the wire in place.

Then I shaped the tusk with aluminum foil and masking tape.

I added a few layers of plaster cloth.

I also made the cheetah's nose today.

I use Sculpty III Clay for his nose.  It was shaped and then baked in a 265* oven to harden.
 I wrapped foil around the muzzle before adding the clay so the nose would be easy to remove after shaping.

I just lift the foil and transfer the nose to a baking sheet.

Later in the day I painted the black clay nose with black paint black.  I also painted the deer's nose which I had made on Tuesday.

I didn't help Craig today, maybe tomorrow.

I think Post 6 will cover furring the cheetah.