Closing in on a Milestone on the Carousel - Part 47

 I have put in another three hours on painting the carousel.  Painting the carousel has been much more time consuming than I thought it would be. Aside adding a final coat of paint to the top of the carousel platform I gave two coats of gesso to the rims of the top and bottom platforms.  The top edge of the platform has received its first coat of gold paint.  It needs a second and perhaps a third coat of the 14-carat gold paint in order for it to gleam richly.

Regular readers are probably wondering where all the stars are that I was drawing on the stencil I planned to make.  Funny story about that.  The stars are now in limbo.  I was visiting my mother, and I was telling her my plan to use the stars as a means of making sure the top and bottom platforms to line up with the proper holes.  My husband spoke up at that point and said that I did not need to do that.  The screws that hold the top platform to the internal support are set in a pattern and the top will only join the support if the screw holes line up.  Yes, of course they do, so it begs the question of whether or not I need to put stars on the top.  

I guess my main concern is that it might make the carousel look too gaudy.  I want to keep the focus on the carousel animals.  I have decided to hold off on the stars until after the animals are added to the carousel.  If it looks as if it needs more embellishments after that, then I have the plan for the stars more or less ready to go.  I might need to add some more smaller stars to the pattern for the stencil before I cut it.

I was hoping to have the painting finished before this post, but the spare time to work on it just was not there.  It will definitely be finished this week though.  I am so slow these days.  Everything takes me much longer than I think it should.  So, this carousel has been made and painted step by step and inch by inch for however long it takes.

Readers may wonder why I keep changing my mind on things.  That really is the way the creative process works.  Some people start a project with everything worked out in exact detail of what they want to create.  Others, such as I, prefer to have a basic idea of what they want and let the decorative details develop by looking at the piece and asking what wants to be there; letting the space inform me of what it needs.  This allows for an artist to follow flow, which I have found to be essential to creating something that has a special feel to it.  

One more week of painting will finish off that segment of creating the carousel.  Then I can get back to the joy of working on the details of the carousel animals.  Making the animals has been the best part of this project and I am so looking forward to making and adding their decorations and painting them.  That is the last step before putting the carousel together.  It has been a long time coming to this point.  So, hang in there with me readers and I will be on to that shortly.

Check back next Monday or Tuesday for the next blog post.

Painting the Top Platform of the Carousel - Part 46

 I am still painting the carousel.  I know my readers are getting tired of waiting for me to finish this part so I can get on with working on the carousel animals again.  But this is how it is sometimes on a long project.  There is a lot of work that needs to be done and the only way to get to the next section is to just continue to work on it until I get through it.  However, I am very close to completing this part of the project.  The top of this platform is the last piece that needs to be painted.

I need to put one more coat on the top of this platform.  There is a section in the center that did not cover well.  My brush was a little too wet, and the center has an area that did an area that did not coat evenly.  I had hoped to get that last coat of paint on yesterday, but it was very humid and that paint took a long time to dry.  I finally had to stop watching paint dry and just get on with my day.  

I did not want to leave the top painted a plain blue.   At one time I had thought about maybe putting a circus tent like top on it but decided that it was already very tall and I did not want to add any more height to it.  However, I did not want to leave it plain so I thought about how I might decorate the top while the paint was drying.

I also had another situation that I needed to address before I went any further with painting.  Regular readers may recall that earlier on in the project holes needed to be drilled through the top and floor platforms so that the poles for the animals could go through them.  The holes were drilled in both platforms at the same time so that they would match up appropriately.  My husband had the forethought to add a couple of registration marks so that I would have an easy way to make sure that the holes were aligned properly.  Slight differences in where the holes were drilled means that not just any hole would do, but the holes that were drilled together must be together to keep the animals perpendicular to the base platform, floor platform, and ceiling platform.  A small variation could cause the pole to lean slightly, which would put extra torque on the pole.  That could cause a pole to snap.  

The registration marks need to be transferred to the carousel permanently.  If I ever need to take it apart, it would be much easier with the registration marks to put it back together again.  So, the question was how to incorporate them into the decorations without them being overly obvious. I decided that the marks would be painted on, but that each mark would be attached to a small star.  One star would be painted at one point, and two stars at the other registration mark with two lines.  If I paint stars all over the top, the small stars and registration marks will not be as easily spotted.

I did not want to just randomly paint stars on the top because I did not want to paint it and then decided that it does not look right.  That would be a lot of sanding and repainting.  So, I pulled out my pattern that has been utilized many times throughout this project.  If you look closely, you can see some of the stars drawn on it.  I decided it would be better to make my mistakes there where I could erase something I did not like.  Once I get the layout to my level of satisfaction, (Or to my acceptable level of dissatisfaction) I will make a stencil and use that to transfer the markings to the top platform.  It is an extra step, but I try not to underestimate my ability to mess something up at the last moment.  I am more of a maker than a painter.  

There will be at least one more week of watching paint dry, and then I will finally be on to working on the animals again.  Some readers might have wondered why I just kept slogging through the painting rather than stop and work on an animal once in a while.  The answer is that the saddles, blankets, and bridles will be made from paper clay.  I was planning on making my own paper clay.  The clay does not keep all that well, and it would have meant making multiple batches of paper clay.  It would be more work and resources to make multiple batches.  Even though the painting has been a bit of a grind, it was better for me to just make the accessories all at once.  The main thing that you have to remember on a long project is that it is mainly a matter of showing up to do the work.

Check back next Monday or Tuesday for the next blog post.

Sorry, No Progress This Week -Situations - Post 45

 This week has been unusually hot and humid.  We have been under an Extreme Heat Alert for days.  This area has also been under a Code Red or a Code Purple air quality alert for days from wildfire smoke.   It has been too much to do more than try to breathe and stay cool.  I became somewhat dehydrated and was not feeling well.  I did not realize what was wrong until I stopped sweating and started feeling dizzy when the electricity went out for about four hours during a thunderstorm.  

The heat is supposed to drop today and tomorrow.  I hope to have some quality time in my studio this week.  

Again, sorry for not having anything on the carousel to post this week.  Check back Monday or Tuesday for the next post.

Painting the Carousel Platforms - Part 44

It has been a hot and rainy week here and I spent quite a bit of indoor time painting the carousel platforms this week.  It has been slow going.  I am using acrylic paint, and each piece has needed at least two coats of paint.   The floor platform seen in this picture in green will need a third coat.  I spent about six hours painting on it this week.

In the interest of getting this project done sometime in the next few months, I decided to give up on my grandiose plans for the column of the carousel.  As I blogged last week, my husband needed to be able to see where the central hole was marked for the top platform before I started to paint.  At first, he planned only to drill the main hole but ended up drilling and placing all the screws and made sure the platform was level.  At that point he suggested leaving it together and painting it as it was.  

That was easier said than done.  The platforms are about sixteen inches (40.64 cm.) apart.  I had to hold the platforms on an angle, or duck down and look underneath the top platform in order to paint the column.  The platforms are made from plywood and they are heavy.  And of course, the platforms are round, so they wanted to roll when I held them up on an angle.  So, it was not easy to paint when it was all put together.

Anyway, I decided that I would decorate the central column with spiraling lines and paint the lines as if they were covered with colored lights.  This photo does not show the lights very well, but up close they are very bright.  I used neon paint left over from another project.  The lights are painted orange, green, yellow, and gold.

I still need to paint the lights around the top of the column.  I just ran out of time.  Also, my hand was getting sore after two days of painting.  I needed to rest it for a while.  

There are still more areas that need painting.  Besides the third coat to the bottom of the platform and the lights at the top of the column, I need to paint the rims of all three platforms, these two shown here and the bottom platform that will hold the rotating platform.  I have been holding off on painting the rims because they have some key marks on them to let me know which top and bottom holes go together when I add the animals and their poles.  The platforms were drilled at the same time, and slight variations in where the holes are drilled would make it difficult to keep the animals upright unless the two platforms are properly aligned.  Once the platforms are finished being painted, I will be decoratively repainted on the platforms so they will be there permanently in case I ever need to take the carousel apart.  

I also need to paint the top of the upper platform.  That platform has not been painted yet other than the little knobs.  I painted them while I had the gold paint out for the platform.  The knobs on top are there to help hold the poles upright.  I probably have at least five hours of painting left to finish up this section.  

This is where I left off for the week.  Check back next Monday or Tuesday for the next blog post.

Paper Mâché Carousel - Attaching the Column - Part 43

This week was a holiday weekend.  I did not get very much done on the project.  I spent hours in the kitchen rather than in the studio.  At this point in life, I would have to say that cooking up something "special for the holidays" is highly overrated.   

Apart from that, the weather has been so hot that it has been too hot to go into the studio.  The real temperature was 102 F (38.88 C) and the heat index (feels like) temperature was 110F to 120 F) (43-48 C).  Even with air conditioning, which ran non-stop for three days, it was too hot to stay in the room.  Just standing there was causing me to break out into a sweat.  It was miserable outside and inside.  All we could do was sit in front of the fan and try to stay hydrated.  It really was not conducive to getting anything done.

The only thing that was accomplished on the carousel this week was that the floor and ceiling of the carousel are now attached with screws.  I had thought that my husband was just going to just drill one center hole in the ceiling plate at this point so we would know where to attach it to the center of the column. However, he ended up drilling all the screws in because it was too difficult to make sure everything was level and plumb with it only having one screw in it.  

We did assemble the whole carousel to make sure the holes were keyed to its matched set. When the floor and ceiling were drilled, they were drilled together all at once.  Slight variations in the drilling meant that I had to make sure that the holes that were meant to be together were still paired or else the animals' poles would not be completely upright.  Too much of a slant could cause the pole to break or the ball on the underside to drag at a poor angle.  After all that, my husband suggested I just leave the column together and paint it with the ceiling in place.  I did not get a picture of it together again.  Working in a really hot room was not conducive to thinking about taking pictures.   

I guess this means I will be painting the column very simply just due to the difficulty of trying to paint while ducking my head under the ceiling platform.  Sometimes simpler is better anyway.  I have a new idea and I think it will look great and keep from distracting from the animals.  

Check back next Monday or Tuesday and see how the painting turns out.

Paper Mâché Carousel - Painting the Platforms - Part 42

 This week I have been working on painting the platforms for the carousel.  It takes much longer to paint than I would like.   

Each of the platforms is in a different stage of painting.  Even though the plywood was sanded before painting, it still was rougher than surfaces I normally use for painting.  I think I have worn out a brush from scrubbing the paint into the striations in the wood.

This photo shows the underside of the base for the carousel.  It has received its final coat of green.  The wooden ball feet have been painted with two coats of 14 karat gold paint.  

The red spot on the right is where the cord will come through from the other side of the platform where the rotating platform will sit.  It is lined with wool felt to keep the cord from rubbing on the wood.  I will also add some electrical tape around the cord for extra protection.

I still need to seal the paint.  I will use varnish as a sealer.  I hope to get all the platform painting finished (or at least most of it) before I start on the sealer coats.

This photo shows the ceiling side of the upper platform.  It needs another coat of paint.  After the two coats of gesso, I painted it with Prussian Blue.  I was actually thinking of doing a night sky with stars but decided it was too dark.  I painted over that with Cerulean Blue, but it needs another coat of paint.  I am thinking of mixing a little Titanium White with it to lighten it up a little more.  

The other side of this platform will be the roof of the carousel.  I have not done any painting on that yet.  I still need the holes drilled for the screws that will hold this platform to the central column.  

Hopefully those holes will be drilled today.  The temperature today is fairly moderate at 86F.  For the next few days after that it will be 100 to 103F (39.44C).  We are well into a blazing summer here.

The central column with its paper mâché outer column has received a second coat of gesso.  At least you can no longer read the words on the newsprint that was used to make the external column.

It has come down to crunch time on making a decision on how to decorate this part of the carousel.  I have gone through so many possibilities of how to paint this.  Things I have considered are adding mirrors to reflect the horses, painting a forest scene, painting it to look like a tree trunk, and adding gilded pieces to make frames and painting something in the frames.  

There are so many ways to go.  One part of me wants to make this a really ornate carousel.  The other part of me says to simplify the column and keep the main focus on the animals and how they are decorated.  At this point, simplifying is winning.  I really want to get finished with the painting so I can get on to decorating the animals and getting them set onto the carousel platform.  I have been working on this project for over a year now.  I would like to see it completed.

Once again, I am showing the photo of the first test of the movement of the carousel.  It helps me to see what I am working towards.   The animals go up and down and the platform rotates.  

The animals have not yet been painted.  The carousel has two horses, a tiger, a ram, and a rabbit.  I want to add some flowers, blankets, and saddles to them before painting.  There is still quite a bit of work to do on them.  

This is all the progress I made this week.  Check back next week on Monday or Tuesday for the next update.

Paper Mâché Carousel - Central Column Support Completed - Part 41

Today I have pictures of the wooden support in the center of the carousel.  As many of my long-time readers know, my husband has been helping me with cutting the wooden pieces.  This project would never have gotten off the ground if it was not for his help in cutting the wood and giving me some technical advice. Thankfully, he is able to translate my description of what I want into something that will work.  Once again, his timely advice saved the day.  More on that below.

The blog may look a little choppy today.  I have more pictures to show than text.  I used to be able to place the pictures where I wanted them, but something has changed and I have not had time to figure out why I cannot move the pictures around like I used to do it.  

This photo is the wooden central support column that will go

inside the paper mâché column.  It has been screwed into the platform which the animals will be on.  This is two 2x4 pieces screwed together.  The corners of the blocks have been cut down to allow it to sit inside the column.

Technically, the paper mâché column is strong enough on its own to support the weight of the top platform of the carousel.  The wooden central column has more to do with making sure that the platforms will turn in tandem.  The poles that the animals are on must stay straight up and down.  If the ceiling platform should get out of sync with the floor platform, it could

cause the wooden poles to break.

This photo shows the wooden column from the top down so you can see how the corners have been shaved to fit it into the paper mâché column.  It is slightly narrower than the external cylinder.

The next photo shows the underside of the floor platform.  It has already been painted.  Four screws have been drilled through the platform and into the block of wood shown in the picture above.  

The screws are counter-sunk into the wood.  This platform will be mounted to the rotating platform, and I did not want the heads of the screws to be causing a problem.  

I will be blogging more on how I mount this platform to the rotating mechanism in a future post.  

This side was chosen to be the underside because of the blemishes in the wood.  Once everything is put together this will be completely hidden.

The last photo, shown below, shows the paper mâché column sitting over the wooden support.  You can see that the wooden column tops the paper mâché column by about a quarter inch (6.35 mm).  I had thought that it should be even with the top of the column, but my husband said no on that.  He reminded me that wood shrinks and swells and that had to be accounted for in the planning.  Right now, we are in summer and there is a lot of heat and humidity so the wood is in its swollen stage, so it is a little higher than it might be in winter.

All in all, it is probably a good thing that it is a little higher.  the wooden piece is level.  The paper mâché column is somewhat (mildly) off level.  I may need to add some shims here and there.

My husband suggested that I figure out some way to add trim to cover up that small gap.  I have not totally figured that out yet, but I am not worried about it.  I just look at as a new layer of embellishment to be added to the carousel.  Where there is a will, there is a way.

The paper mâché column has been glued to the floor layer.  I will be painting it in place.  The top platform will be resting on the column and screwed into the wood as the bottom platform was.  The top of the paper mâché column will not be glued to the top platform.  It will only be held in by screws.  That way, if I need to take the carousel apart for any reason, the top platform can be lifted off easily.

That is it for today's blog post. Check back next Monday or Tuesday for the next update.