Sailing ships and sealing wax and other fancy stuff

NY artist Ann Wood has inspired me with her ships and birds and owls. After seeing her ships and sailboats, I spent many a night thinking about them until there came a day that the need to create one of my own was so great that I was not likely to get a good night’s sleep until I did. I sooo wanted to get some really nice dupioni silk for the sails, but I have fabric sitting in my cabinet and it seemed somehow wrong not to use it... at least my first attempt. And it seemed even more stupid/wasteful to even consider sails until I had a basic boat.


Ann offers a pattern for her basic sailboat, which is paper mache over cardboard, but I really liked her fancier sailing ship, which she made from translucent paper and white fabric sails.

I started my sailing ship with a basic wire frame, using cardboard and paper mache on the bottom of the hull.







I then covered the hull with a woven silk fabric that I purchased years ago to make a jacket out off. I never lost sleep over a jacket but since thoughts of a sailing ship were keeping me awake, I think it was a fair trade.

 

 

 

Plus I’m no longer working, so the jacket isn’t really needed.

For the sails, I used a basic cotton twill that I had in my fabric stash. I used some wire in the bottom hem of the sail to give them some ‘air’. I added some patches, buttons and a few beads and I’m really happy with the result.

Since it turned out so well, I went to the fabric store to get some heavy-bodied dupioni silk, but I while I was in the fabric store, I got distracted by the colorful, satiny charmeuse and ended up purchasing several different colors to try a ship with colorful sails. I'm already working on that one and will post pictures when I'm done.

I call this one 'Ship of Dreams' and I even added a nameplate on the back. So fun!

Playing with Photoshop

I've been playing with photoshop some lately. I'm learning a lot, and I'm not qualified to provide instruction but I got some nice results and will explain what I did to get them. I'm sure there are some easier ways to accomplish this.

I've been wanting to trying some masking techniques to be able to color and re-color some of my paintings to create a colored background over a semi-transparent, white image. The steps I explain below are all after I got the image 'inverted'. The coral is not actually inverted, colors are replaced with whites.

I used the magic wand tool to select edges. It turns out, this is problematic if the image doesn't have distinct edges. For my coral painting, this was not an issue. Edges were clean and easily found - well after I leveled the whites. There were holes that I had to select individually and quite a bit of cleanup for all the extra pixels that came in with the scan. After iteratively selecting edges, cleaning up extra pixels, selecting edges, etc, etc, ad nauseum, I was able to start playing with layers. Since I wanted some color to show through, I used 'Select Color Range...' to select part of the darker colors and then simply deleted (Edit ...Clear) them.

Then I created a layer that was only background with nothing where the image is in the middle. I did this by selecting all the edges of the images (Magic wand, add all the holes that were missed) and then New... layer via copy. The layers should look like the image to the right.

Now I can change the backgound color by selecting background fill on layer 1. The colors shine through the image. I really like how it looks.

This fish (Drum) was not one of my own paintings. I used a royalty-free image from an NOAA plate. I had to add edges around the fins and tail because the magic wand tool wanted to select stuff inside the fish. Master photoshoppers may know better how to deal with that. I used the paintbrush tool to draw distinct edges. Since this was a B&W image, I inverted this to get the blacks and greys into shades of white. Everything else was like the coral.  I really like this one! I have reduced the size to upload, but the original is quite large. I will be offering prints of these on my etsy site.

Making An Upholstered Headboard

If you’ve looked around, the costs of an upholstered headboard for a king sized bed start at several hundred dollars. I built this beautiful faux suede upholstered headboard for under a hundred. 

The frame is plywood.  The big warehouse building supply stores will cut these for you which removes the need to have a truck to transport a 4x8 ft board home. I could get a 3 ft wide section into the back of a car (with some of it hanging out, but driveable) so I had the store make some of the cuts for me.

Plywood comes in multiple grades. I chose a mid-grade. It’s possible to cut the pieces for supporting the frame from the remainder of the 4x8 plywood, but I choose to purchase lumber. Again, not the premium grade, but I looked for pieces that were not warped.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 – 3 ft x 6 ft  plywood 
• 2 – 1 x 6, 6 ft long
• 2 – 2 x 2, 6 ft long
• 2 – 1 x 4, 5 ft long
• 2 – casters with a 1.5” faceplate. I used swivel hooded ball casters.
• 1.25” wood screws
• Wood glue
• Fabric 45” wide by 2.5 yards, this will provide a little extra for covering buttons
• 3’ x 6’ piece of foam (available in most fabric stores)
• 2 pkgs quilting batting – for additional padding and to wrap along the edges.
• Coverable buttons – I used  eight 1.5 inch diameter buttons.
• Spray adhesive (or an all-purpose glue)
• Very heavy upholstery thread
• Washers or pegs to anchor the buttons.
• Bolts and nuts for attaching the headboard to the bedframe.

Tools:

• Measuring tape
• Drill
• Screw driver attachment for drill or screwdriver.
• Staple gun
• Very long upholstery needle to attach buttons. (12” worked well. I had trouble with the smaller size)

1. Mark locations for the holes for upholstered buttons in the mid section of the 3x6 plywood. I opted for 3 rows in a diamond patter, 8 holes total. You can see the black marker markings in the photo. I centered the middle row (2 holes) vertically, separating them by 18 inches or 9 inches from the center.

2. Position the 1x4’s centered along the top and bottom edges. This provides support and makes the whole thing rigid.

3. Attach the 1x4’s using wood glue and wood screws.

4. Drill holes (I used a 3/8 inch bit) as marked.

5. Construct the legs.

5.1 Use wood glue and screws to attach a 2x2 to each of the 1x6’s, positioning the 2x2 along the edge.

5.2 Attach the wheels using wood screws.

6. Mark mounting holes in the 1x6 supports. The location of these will depend on your bed frame. You’ll want the casters to rest on the floor and roll. Measure by placing the support (legs) behind the bed and marking the holes using a pen or pencil through the holes in the frame. Determine how far from the edge by measuring the bedframe between the holes in the bedframe headboard mount and assuming the edges of the 1x6 will be 5 ft 10 inches apart. 

7. Drill the mounting holes as marked.

8. Upholster the headboard:

8.1 Attach the foam to the front of the headboard using spray adhesive or all-purpose glue.

8.2 Wrap the top and side edges of the headboard generously with quilt batting. Use glue or staple to hold in place temporarily. The fabric will hold this down tightly. 

8.3 Layer quilt batting over the foam to completely covering it.

8.4 Cut fabric to fit, leaving a generous amount to pull behind around the edges.

8.5 Start in the center: staple on top and then pull tightly at the bottom and staple taut. Staple on one side and the pull tightly and staple taut on the opposite side.

Staple about 2” from the top and pull tightly at the bottom, opposite and staple taut.

Continue working your way around, moving from the centers and toward the corners alternating the horizontal and the vertical edges. 

9. Attach the support legs to the headboard using wood glue and wood screws 1” from each edge. These will cover the edges of the fabric.

10. Use the scrap fabric to upholster the buttons, following the manufacturers instructions.

11. Attach the upholstered buttons.

            11.1 Stand the headboard up and brace it or lean it on something so you can walk around it.

11.2 Double the upholstery thread and thread the very long upholstery needle.

11.3 Working from the back of the headboard, pass the needle through the hole in the board through to the front, trying to stay a straight as possible. Pass the needle through the loop on the back of the button and then through the headboard again coming out the hole at the back. I tried with a 5” needle and missed the hole so frequently that I went back out in search of a longer one. The 12” was awesome. It is not necessary to come back and forth as you would when sewing on a button. If your thread is not heavy enough, use 4 or more strands at once.

11.4 On the back of the headboard, tie the two ends together and tie them around a washer or a wooden peg to keep the button from popping out.

Repeat for all your buttons.

12. Use heavy bolts to attach the headboard to the bedframe.

Make your bed. Sit back. read a book. Enjoy!

Treehouses!

I am faced with the 'what do I do with the rest of my life?' question by virtue of a layoff. It is a virtue too, because I have not been very content with the job and it pays too well for me to ever leave on my own. Last year I managed to injure myself and spent months on the couch or mostly on the couch. It was not a good time for housework but I did a lot more drawing!

While drawing and doodling, I stumbled into these fun and whimsical little worlds. I found these little treehouse villages so compelling. They started out in ink, then some with fine marker and then I painted a few.
Perhaps I can go live in a treehouse! Seems apropo as I am still in fantasy world - expecting the perfect job offer while I still haven't applied anywhere...nor have I updated my resume or even determined what I would like top go do!. For now, I have not yet been released from my job, so I still have work (and pay!!) and drawing treehouses keeps me sane.



I think I'll go plan a big party to be held in the pink gazebo! Ya'll c'mon down.

People who blog do so because they have something to say...something to share. I'm one of those people, but only sometimes and lately not very often. I decided some months ago that I needed to get some chores around the house done before I allowed myself the freedom to embark on other projects. No new 'messes' without cleaning up some of my 'findings' and 'treasures'.

My daughter found a stash of discarded slate roofing tiles. These are awesome and I've created some interesting wall hangings from them. A set of grapes, painted on a block of cream in acrylic hang in my sister-in-law's condo. And these graphic mono-color paintings of sea oats led me to try a full sized painting of sea oats silhouetted against a sunset. That was the last piece I did before holding my art for ransom in the hope that I would clear away some clutter.

There's no message here...except to say be careful what you sign up for. We need to say 'yes' to our inner voices more often and 'no' to the demands on our time that sap our creative juice. Whether those demands are from others or from inside ourselves.

Have a great day!

Ink on canvas

When my niece moved into a new house near the water, I wanted to give her a painting or drawing as a house warming gift. She has a view from her kitchen window and her balcony to the Intracoastal Waterway which widens into Wrightsville Sound a few miles North. I decided on a pair of seahorses and immediately started sketching. I was already planning a trip and I wanted something that I could carry on the plane, but I also wanted to take advantage of her high ceilings (something large). I decided to use canvas, so I could roll it for travel.

After trying a few things on the canvas, I pulled out a bottle of India Ink and a nib calligraphy pen (the thin line nib) and started drawing. The nobby surface of the canvas catches the tip and the effect is smooth with interruptions. Dotting (pointillism) looks great. Q-tips make larger, softer dots. My daughter (my greatest fan) urged me on, saying the style was both awesome and unique and that I should continue exploring this artform. I sketched on newsprint until I was happy with the size and shape and then lightly sketched an outlines onto long thin canvas and started inking, using brown ink.

I was very proud to present the completed pair of seahorse drawings to my niece. They were tall, but thin, so I was rolled the canvas and slipped them into a mailing tube, cut down to fit in a suitcase. I was prepared to take them to a framer and have them matted with a linen mat and framed for her, but she wanted them wrapped on stretcher frames like a painting. I didn't leave much extra canvas for wrapping, but a good framer can work magic. The result has lots of contrast and the varied line quality is interesting.

I've been drawing on canvas ever since and Cole's idea to wrap on stretcher frames has allowed me to present a completed product, ready for hanging and I have even sold a few drawings at a local coffee shop and on etsy.

Acrylics and watercolors seep into pieces as the mood strikes and I've switched to pens, Micron and then lately Koh-I-Noor Rapidiograph because the nib pen was just too inconsistent and after a while started trying my patience.

Displaying family keepsakes

After my mother died several years ago, I became the keeper of the family pictures. We are all grown now – with grown children – but these photos are from our childhood. I have vowed to scan these in and share them with my siblings for 5 years now but work and life never seem to present the time and energy required. I was cleaning out my closet recently (which in itself is an event) and found my sisters’ christening dresses. There were two identical dresses in the box, which helped to identify which of the five of us these belonged too as the youngest of us are twins.

I immediately stopped working on the closet and starting routing through boxes of family photos hoping to find a picture of the twins in their dresses. As I spread the tiny lace dresses out across my bed admiring the details, I thought it would be cool to frame both dresses with a picture of the girls wearing them. But I reconsidered. These dresses would have to be split up and framed so they could hang it in separate homes. Every time one of my sisters looked at it, she would know that the matching gown was also displayed in the home of her twin. Not that twins need a reminder, even 1800 miles apart, they remain close. And I never found a picture.

As most of my projects, this one didn’t come to fruition immediately, but I did finish. I chose black shadowbox frames. I didn't find the twins' christening pictures. Mom was a single mother of five and I am always impressed and amazed that we have photos. Life with five children had to be challenging. I used several family pictures, scanning them into photoshop and giving them a slight sepia tint. I added some appropriate phrases to make it look like a 3D scrapbook page: ‘Twins – mirrors and opposites’, ‘Chance made us sisters; Hearts made us friends’ and ‘Mmmm, mmmmm, jello’. That last one is an inside joke my sisters still share.

These lovely dresses are no longer hiding in my closet and I made some progress on my vow to share the family pictures. I am showing a picture of one of these, but I made two. My sisters love them.