Take up a new hobby with instructions from Bunny Delorie. But be careful: decorating gourds can be addictive!
Materials:
assorted gourds
Takagi pull saw or equal
5-in-1 tool (for woodburned gourds)
leather dye, brown
Crackle Medium
Crackle Activator
assorted acrylic paint colors
assorted artist brushes
palette
satin or gloss acrylic varnish
180 and 220 grit sandpaper
gloves
scraping tool (old spoon)
Steps:
- Gourds should be cut outside in a well-ventilated area. Wear a protective dust mask and gloves. Mark cutting line on gourd with a pencil. Use a pull saw or jig saw to cut the top off. Scrape out all inside dried membranes and seeds and dispose of in a plastic bag. Sand edge with sandpaper.
- To "leather" crackle a gourd first apply a coat of Crackle Medium with foam brush to gourd and allow to dry. Apply a coat of Crackle Activator and as it dries, the crackle finish will form. Use the applicator tool in the leather die to rub onto the gourd. It dries within minutes. Decorate to top the same way or add beads or other embellishments.
- To woodburn a gourd begin by drawing or tracing a design onto the gourd by using transfer paper. Place a towel in a bowl that is larger than the gourd. Rest the gourd in the bowl to keep it from moving while woodburning. Attach the dot point tip to the 5-in-1 tool. Plug in and allow to heat five minutes as directed. Outline the designs with the dot point tip. Make "worm holes" for age by pushing dot point tip straight down into gourd and lifting up. Make as many as you wish. Unplug tool, let cool, remove tip and attach shading tip. Let tool heat up again before shading the designs.
- To paint gourds draw or trace a design onto the gourd. With acrylic paints, fill in the designs with artist brushes. Let dry. Apply one to two coats of acrylic varnish to finish and protect the gourd.
)