mermaid on a box!

Last week I mentioned I had something under-wraps.

I gave you a little sneaky peep on Wednesday but couldn't show too much as the box was a birthday present for a dear friend who had mentioned she liked my mermaids.

The box was bought ready made from a gift shop. It was just a plain cream box, lined, but apart from that just in need of some va va voom!

I wrapped the parts I didn't want to get messy in newspaper.

So when I was done it was a quick unwrap.

Minimum mess.

Here are a few detailed shots.

The tail was made from collaged aluminium. I painted acrylics over the top and then scratched through. The silver glistens through the paint like silver fish scales.

linking to collage obsession

and take a word

under-wraps ; WOYWW

This weeks work in progress  is still under-wraps....
It's a birthday present so can't show too much....  shhhhhhhh don't tell. ;)

I can show you these though,
Rangers liquid pearls! Aren't these colours scrummy!!
I may use them all if the mood takes me!

And I will be using a bit of this,
49p!! I do like a bargain.

I will show and tell very soon, when hopefully It will be delivered to it's new home.

For those who tuned into my workspace last week from WOYWW,
 This....

Turned into this....

Maiden of the waves

It is clay and paper collage on wood. The clay used is air drying and I have recently been experimenting with paperclay. I find it is less fragile than other airdrying clays as I think it has paper pulp added to the clay mix, making the unfired moulded pieces pretty tough and easier to sand and paint. I have looked on you tube at making my own but it looks awfully messy and to be honest life is too short!

And finally I know it isn't quite a work-desk, but it is a new canvas I am working on.

At the moment it is just lots of paper scraps and black gesso....

I think a landscape may emerge.


Linking up to WOYWW click HERE to visit some other creative spaces

The maiden of the waves

 A couple of weeks ago one of my blog readers asked if I was done with mermaids....

Nope :)

The Gaelic word for mermaids is ceasg 

this means maiden of the waves.

I love this description!

The ceasg has the body of a woman and the tail of a salmon, and she can grant her captor three wishes.

My ceasg started off like this...

The 3D effect is moulded paper clay which I painted with acrylics and fixed to a collaged wooden panel.

twisted paper hair is added.

I think she looks rather sad, or perhaps wistful?

BiG thank you for all those who commented last week about photographing light reflective surfaces. I photographed the finished mermaid outside in the evening and I think the colours are pretty true to life, your wonderful advice helped!

Linking to paint party friday

Clay mermaids (WOYWW)

Busy week on my workdesk, lots of bits to share!
Last week I gave you a wee peep at my new seashell mermaid which I had just started.

This was how she looked last Wednesday. The background framed her form which is blocked in with gesso.

And now she is painted with acrylics and varnished she is ready to swim!

liberal  amounts of crackle medium have given her face an aged porcelain finish.

I loved making her so much I have have just finished shell mermaid number two!

I started like this with a wooden shell substrate which is given a coat of gesso and then a bit of blue acrylic.

I tried Gelli printing the background this time.

Lots of nice texture!

Slowly a new sea-spirit is emerging.......

now she needs hair...

I thought I would try and short-cut a little with raffia. I normally cut loads of strips of paper for hair and twist them. I wondered if raffia would work. Alas no, it didn't stick too well so I went back to the tried and tested paper hair tendrils.

I think she looks rather like she is juggling with the shells, I am guessing that mermaids have a lot of free-time. Lots of time to refine circus skills
.....and why not... :)

The light is better outside so I took them off the desk to photograph and into the garden.


linking to WOYWW   where artists and crafters share their newest projects

and also  paint party Friday a great place to connect Artists from around the globe.

Sea shells and mermaids woyww

collaging paper on top of gesso

What's on my work desk today?
I found two small shell shaped wooden hangings. I am always on the look-out for objects to collage or re-paint.
 They originally were just plain and  said 'I do like to be beside the seaside'
I thought they needed some prettying up. So I had a look inside my 'sea' paper box.

I sort my paper into colour themes and put them in box files, it makes sorting easier. I collect paper of all kinds. Birthdays and Christmas create endless inspiration! These types of paper are not acid free and would deteriorate with time so I always use liberal amounts of  acrylic medium to stabilise them.

building up layers of paper, but what else shall I add?

Remember a few weeks ago my assortment of clay body parts? :)

Just what it needed, a mermaid!

 A coat of gesso....

and some modelling paste stencilled through some netting, the sort you buy oranges in.

I'm still painting her with acrylics and hopefully she will be free to swim with the fishes very soon.
(As you can see I don't use fancy paint palettes, old plastic container lids do just as well )

It was Mothers day on Sunday here in the UK so I hope all the Mums reading this had a super day. My youngest daughter took me out for a lovely meal.....If you are reading B, thank you again, that banana cheesecake was GorGeous! :)

Linking up to WOYWW

Under the sea

More mermaids, or sea spirits as I call this pair!
this time on wooden panels

the mermaids made of airdrying clay were collaged onto the panels and modelling paste added for texture.

I covered the mermaids in kitchen foil.

They looked a little strange!

I added some copper paint over the foil to make them look weathered.

I didn't want pretty mermaids, I wanted them to look as if they were part of the sea. 

A few mirrors and shells added more texture to their watery world.

linking to collage obsession this week where the theme is' Under'

And also Paint party Friday Who are celebrating their 3rd Birthday!