Gourd Bird Mask

Materials:

long-necked gourd
assorted leather dyes
acrylic spray sealer
leather cording
rubbing alcohol
carbon and tracing papers
mini jigsaw
rotary tool with drill bit and carving tip
sandpaper
wood-burning tool
pot-scrubbing metal scrubby
cotton swabs
rubber gloves
eye protection
apron
twine
dust mask

1. Scrub the gourd thoroughly.

2. Find the center of gourd by tying one piece of twine around the "girth" of the gourd and one piece from stem to base and tweak until it look like it is centered (figure A).

3. Draw design on one half of the gourd "face" (figure B) then copy onto tracing paper.

4. Flip tracing paper over and transfer the design to the other half of the face using carbon paper (figure C).

5. Wood burn the lines using a wood-burning tool (figure D).

6. Wearing eye protection and a dust mask, drill a pilot hole into the underside of the gourd with a rotary tool and drill bit.

7. Insert jigsaw blade into the pilot hole and cut along the mask's perimeter lines (figure E).

8. Remove seeds and scrub the inside of the gourd thoroughly (figure F).

9. Carve out white areas of the eye with a carving tip (attached to the rotary tool) (figure G).

10. Drill two tiny holes in the back for the hanger loop.

11. Apply leather dyes using cotton swabs (figure H). Remove any little color goofs with rubbing alcohol.

12. Seal the inside and out with acrylic spray. Apply several light coats of sealer versus one heavy coat to prevent color drips.

13. Make a loop out of leather cording and attach it through the two little holes in back of the mask for hanging. Enjoy!

E-mail: tanisflores@charter.net

Website: www.florestanisstudio.com