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Friday, May 24, 2013

Water, Water. Everywhere....

OK....We have running water.

I antiqued the fountain with washes of burnt umber this morning.  The method is to put on a very sloppy wash and then quickly wipe it off.

Here is has the wash and hasn't been wiped yet.
Next, I found a gold lion's head finding in my stash.

I painted it to match the lighter color and antiqued it too...

Now comes the interesting part....What to do for the water.

First I tried the old twisted clear tape with white glue over it.  I have never liked that.

So.....Mad scientist time ensued. 
I found a satisfactory solution...clear stretch bead string and Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac.  It's clear.

I tied a knot in either end of a doubled strand of the string.  It kind of automatically wants to twist if one end is just folded  instead of cut.  The two strands are going in  a different direction that way.

The bottom end I threaded into a piece of clear acetate packaging plastic.  That was pulled down until the top of the string matched up with the lion's mouth....

I have a question.  Why did old school sculptors think that it was cool to have fountains with lions drooling into them?  Just curious....

Anyway, I took the Fabri-Tac and dripped it onto the strands of bead thread and down onto the surface of the pool(acetate,cut to the shape of the top)

My Fabri-Tac was on the elderly side, so I had to do a lot of fiddling with a wooden skewer.  It must have worked out though.  I had to keep pulling Tessie away... She wanted to put her toes in the water....

I finally let her touch it and get stuck to the surface.  After that she wasn't so keen on sticking any part of her body in it.

As soon as it drys some, I will add a few extra splashes and maybe a couple of lotus flowers.

I just heard Tessie trying to convince Zar to try out the new pool....I had better go stop the disaster that is about to happen....

See you tomorrow.

15 comments:

Phyllisa said...

Hi Casey. That's not real water in
the fountain? I thought it was!
The fountain looks great, as does
everything you do. I like it.
Hope you are feeling better.
Phyllisa

Lucille said...

You never cease to amaze with all those tricks up your sleeve, Casey. This is brilliant! The water looks absolutely real!

Linda said...

This is a fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!

Lucille said...

Casey, I'm missing a part here. When did you first build that fountain and what colour did you paint it before you antiqued it with burn umber. I was searching your blog and I can't find anything. I would really like to see how you built it.

Caseymini said...

Lucille, that fountain has been sitting on a shelf for about 15 years. I didn't make it. One of the Wednesday Witches was into ceramic painting and she spotted them. Some of the Witches purchased 1 or2 each. I was in the "2" category. They were in perfect scale and simply has to be painted.

Tabitha Corsica said...

Doesn't FabricTac yellow over time? That has been my experience with it. I have done this with clear 2 part resin with good results. Anyway, the fountain looks great and I have no idea about the lion head thing :-)

Caseymini said...

Susan, I have never had any problem with yellowing with this product. The only thing I can think of that might have caused your problem is a chemical reaction with something that you were using it with. I have been using it for years. No yellow.

rosanna said...

Wow, it definitely looks real!!

Fabiola said...

Fantastic! The water looks real!
Bay, Faby

elizabeth s said...

Hi Casey! LOVE it! Your fountain with the water spewing from the lion's head and into the pool is a visual treat! You have made something that looks complicated, but your simple explanation breaks it down so well! Really GREAT RESULTS!

elizabeth

Unknown said...

I love your blog, love following your wonderful Tessie and Zar and the whole gang, going to your site just brightens my day. Plus you have such wonderful ideas for miniatures, it get my brain moving in new directions for my items. Thank you again fro such an amazing blog (been following for about 4 month since I found your blog via Pinterest.) Hope you are feeling better soon! Shelly

Ilona said...

Hi Casey, your fountain is gorgeous, you told us it is made of terra cotta? I am sorry but the English language is not my mother tongue.
I love the way you've made the water, thank you for the tutorial. I don't know Fabri-Tac, never heard of. Can we buy this stuff in Europe?
Greetings, Ilona
www.MiniMumLoon.blogspot.com

Caseymini said...

Ilona, the fountain was white unfinished ceramic. I simply painted it with acrylic paints. I don't know if Fabri-tac is available in Europe. I think that you could look for a clear drying glue. The other alternative is two part resin, but that is much more costly and difficult to use. Good luck.

Giac said...

Hi Casey,
The water looks wonderful! You really have some wonderful ideas and techniques.
Big hug,
Giac

Kathi said...

Another great tip! Love the fountain.
I've had one in the back of my mind for a long time. Now I know how to do it! :D