Update - Gazing Ball Experiment

I have completed painting the basic flowers on the gazing ball.  As I had mentioned in an earlier blog post, it takes much longer to paint the flowers than I thought it would.  By the time I transfer my design, outline it well enough to see it, and paint it with two coats of the yellow paint for the petals, it takes about forty-five minutes per flower.  The concrete is so rough, that it takes some work to get the paint looking as I would like it to look.

So my picture today is the same as the previous one.  The main difference is that last time I had only half the ball painted.  This time all of the flowers are on it.  Now that this section has been completed, I am ready to go on to the shading of the flowers.  Hopefully, that will go on more quickly than the previous layers of paint.  After that, I will be adding the stems and leaves.  

Garden Art Experiment-Gazing Ball Part 6

I've made some significant progress on the paint gazing ball this week.  Last blog post I has said that I was considering painting the ball with Sunflowers.  However, after some consideration, I decided that I would be better off painting Black Eyed Susans.  The center of the Sunflower is a large head of seeds.  If the gazing ball was viewed from a distance, it would look as if the ball were covered in large dark circles.  The center of the daisy is a little smaller, but still gives a lot of contrast to the petals.

I have not completed painting the flowers on the ball.  About two thirds have been painted on, and another third has had my drawing transferred to the ball.  I haven't done any shading to the petals yet on any of the flowers.  In hindsight, I guess I should have painted that in wet on wet, but at the time I was more focused on just getting the placement of the flowers correct.  None of the stems or leaves have been painted on yet.  It has taken a lot longer to paint the flowers than I was expecting.  At the moment, the ball looks like it has campy flowers painted all over it.  Once all the shading and foliage are added it is going to look a little better.

For the sake of clarity, I'm explaining my painting process, but I'll add the disclaimer that if you want to learn to paint realistic flowers, you should probably seek a different site for better instructions.  Regular readers know that painting is not my strongest ability.  But I'm working on that, so who knows, one day my flower paintings will look better.

Anyway, to begin at the beginning, I made a couple of sketches.  I was also considering putting in a different kind of daisy that had more layers of petals.  My plan was to get all the first layer of petals in and then add another layer.  At this point, I'm thinking I am going to default to the Black Eyed Susan which has only a single layer because of the time involved.  The siren song of another project is calling, so I don't want to get too tied up with this experimental project.  I still have a considerable amount of painting to do on this project.  The first picture shows my original drawings of both types of flowers.

Once I had made a choice, the sketch was transferred to the ball.  The concrete ball is so rough that the image did not transfer very well.  It was very hard to see, so I ended up going over the lines with a pencil to make something that I could see well enough to paint.   At this point the lines were still only marginally visible, but it was enough to figure out what was what.  I went over each line with Burnt Sienna to act as a guide and give some shape to the leaves.  (Picture 3)  I would transfer two or three sketches at a time, changing the orientation of the sketch each time so that the flowers appear to be more than just one picture.

After each line was traced in Burnt Sienna, I painted over the lines with Cad. Yellow Light.  Most of the Burnt Sienna was painted over.  Only a sliver of the Burnt Sienna was left between leaves to help differentiate each petal.  The color was fairly transparent, so it needed two coats.  (Picture 4)  A little of the blue of the background still shows through in places, but that is okay.  That just adds a little more differentiation to the petals.  Once all the flowers are on, I will go back and add some more shading to add some dimension.  Then I will get on with adding stems and leaves.  Less of the blue will be showing when the painting is finished.  And that is how far along I am with the project at the moment.

All in all, I am satisfied with the way the project is going.  As always, I wish I could make it better than it looks.  I will be glad to get to the point of adding the greenery.  It does not yet look like I want this ball to look.  Once everything is painted, I will add some exterior varnish.  I think I have some Spar Varnish in the downstairs work room so I may use that.  If anyone plans to use Spar Varnish for a project of any sort, be aware that spar varnish must cure outside in sunlight.  Otherwise it yellows.


Today is Sunday, so it is also time to post my photo for the field project.  This morning it was slightly overcast and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  We have had a couple of warm days and I can begin to see some more green creeping into the picture as small weeds and plants are beginning to sprout.  In the neighborhood, Maples are already showing red flowers in the sunniest areas, and the Tulip Poplars are not far behind.

Garden Art Experiment-Gazing Ball-Part 5

At the last blog post I had put a concrete sealer onto the ball.  I have it a day to make sure that it was completely dry.  Then I added a coat of gesso to the ball and gave that time to dry as well.  I am giving it plenty of time because the paint is also sinking down into the pores of the concrete.  I painted one portion and once it was dry turned it over to paint the other section.  Painting on concrete can be a little challenging.  You really have to scrub the paint in to the rough surface.  I found that a soft sable brush worked pretty well.  The abrasive surface tore up the disposable foam brushes and tended to leave little bits of foam adhered to the paint.  I recommend that you use old brushes for this.

After the gesso coat had plenty of time to dry, I added a  base coat of Cerulean Blue for the background.  My plan is to paint the ball with leaves and sunflowers.  Before deciding on this theme, I considered painting it with bronze, copper, or gold metallic paints.  This would have produced a ball similar seen in formal gardens.   With a few coats of exterior gloss polyurethane on top, it would make a reasonable facsimile of a metallic gazing ball.  However, I wanted something different, just because.  Plus, it will give me another chance to work on my painting skills.

So for the moment, all I have to show is a blue ball.  Today I will be working on the placement of the leaves and flowers.   I should have some of it painted on by the next blog post. 

I've also begun research for my next big project.  The time spent on research is cutting into the amount of time I have to spend on painting.  I'll blog more about the new project in about a week or two.

Garden Art Experiment-Gazing Ball-Part 4

Concrete sealer has been added.

Although I have done something with the concrete ball, it does not look any different at the moment.  I did not take a new picture because the change is not visible, at least not unless you look at it very closely.  What I have added was a concrete sealer.  This sealer soaks into the ball and adds yet more waterproofing.  I used Armorcrete, which is a fifteen year interior/exterior sealer.  I let the concrete ball cure for a week before adding the sealer. 

Field Project 2-16-2014

I purchased this product at my one of my local stained glass shops.  It is created specifically for use with concrete and glass mosaics.  It is expensive compared to what you can find at a hardware store.  I have used sealers from both places and had very good results with all of them. 

I've decided to try something different with this ball.  Since I have already made four stained glass or glass gem gazing balls, I decided to paint this one rather than use glass.  I want to see how well a painted and sealed ball will stand up to outside weather.  After the last freeze date, the ball will go outside and see how the painted ball holds up to the weather.  I bring all of my gazing balls inside once the weather starts to freeze.  If any water does find its way into the ball, it will expand when it freezes and could cause the concrete to crack.  So, it will be a couple of months before this one will be ready to go outside.  At least that will give me some time to create a stand for it. 

This garden art/gazing ball experiment was just the first in my quest to find a substrate for a gazing ball.   This experiment was one that most people could do in their homes during the winter month.  There are other ways to make a substrate for the ball.  However, as I move up to different materials, there is an increase in toxicity involved.  My next experiment will have to wait until the weather warms.  The materials require good ventilation and also has a minimum temperature requirement.  It is not something that I can do right now because it would require keeping doors and windows open.  In fact, this is better done outside.  I'll have to wait until I have a day where the temperature remains above 65 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours.  The way the weather has been going, it could be a few weeks.  Check back for results of a different way to create the substrate for the gazing ball.

It is Sunday, so that means it is time for the latest field project picture.  It was taken this morning.  The weather was 27 degrees Fahrenheit.  Fifteen hours of rain had erased most of the snow.  There is still some snow in the shady areas.  The field gets fulls sun most of the day, so there is actually more snow in other areas than it appears to be in this picture.

Garden Art Experiment- Gazing Ball Base-Part 3

Ready to decorate.

Regular readers know that I am trying to find a replacement for bowling balls as a base for making a mosaic gazing ball.  I have had emails from people that have had problems finding a bowling ball or other suitable substrate for making a gazing ball.  Other types of balls have not been able to hold up to the weight of all the glass and grout, causing the ball to deform.  So with that in mind, I am attempting to find a way to make an inexpensive, base for making a gazing ball.  The good news is that I believe that I have made something that is even more cost effective than I thought it was going to be when I started the experiment.

My folding work bench.

To recap: I made a papier mache mold of a ball using paper, flour, and glue.  See the posts from earlier this month for photos and a complete explanation of the steps leading up to this point.  After the mold was dry, the hemispheres were removed and glued together.  So far, so good, other than that the hemispheres had developed more of a lip to them than I had anticipated.  The lip has continued to plague me throughout the rest of the process.  I am taking pains to keep that from happening on the next experiment.  If it should develop, I plan to slice it off with an Exacto knife so that the hemispheres line up evenly.

Now for the good news.  My original plan had been to cover the ball with two layers of the alkali-resistant concrete board tape to help hold the grout in place.  I did cover the ball with it as seen in the photos on the previous blog post.  As it turns out, the adhesive on the tape was minimal and it gave me considerable trouble with slipping around while trying to cover it  So, I only used the tape on one hemisphere of the ball.  I decided that in the interests of experimenting more quickly that I would try to cover the other half of the ball with concrete without using the tape.  It worked.  This is very good news, because that knocks out a few dollars  from the cost of making the ball.

So at this point, the costs associated with making the ball are: one child's ball that can be reused for making further gazing ball substrates, a little plastic wrap to cover the ball, newspaper (I get so many flyers in the mail that my newspaper is free), some multipurpose white glue,  a box of stepping stone mix for two eight inch stones, and some latex dry mortar add mix.  I can only give an estimate of expenses, but this is roughtly ten dollars.  As I said in earlier posts, if you are only making one ball, this method may not save you any money.  If you plan to make more than one gazing ball, this method is worthwhile because the glue and laytex add mix will make more than one ball with the material purchased.  Especially the add mix.  The costs can be further reduced by purchasing some mortar at the hardware store in larger quantities rather than by the amount needed for a single gazing ball.  Also, items at the hardware store are generally less expensive than the at craft store.  So, if you are still interested, this is how I proceeded. 

Begin by setting up a workspace.  In good weather, I work outside.  However, in the middle of winter, I had to pull out my folding work bench.  I could not use the regular work bench because my husband  has a project on it.  It was tight quarters in there, but I managed quite well.  My first priority was to protect the floor from any concrete that might fall while I was covering the ball, so I had to put down a plastic drop cloth.  I placed my workbench on top of the drop cloth and covered it with some plastic to keep concrete from sticking to that surface.  I covered a plastic bin with a trash bag.  The bin will hold the ball in place during the process and keep the mess to a minimum.  Note:  During the working process I used a larger garbage bag, then changed to the smaller bag during the cleanup phase. 

Once the setup was complete I went outside to mix the mortar and additive to keep the fine powder from getting into the house.  Note:  always wear a dust mask, eye protection, and rubber gloves when working with the powdered cement.  Mix up just under half of the mortar at one time using as much laytex liquid add mix to create a thick paste.  You only mix up half at once because when you are covering a sphere, gravity is against you.  You have to cover one hemisphere, let that dry overnight and then cover the other hemisphere.  If you try to cover it all at once, the only thing that is going to happen is that you have a pile of concrete falling off the ball. 

At this point, it is rather like frosting a cake.  Start by slathering the mortar on one section of the ball.  Once you have a lot of mortar on the ball, start to smooth and level it out.  I used a plastic putty knife for adding and smoothing the concrete.  Cover as much as you can, until things start to slide.  At that point, feather the edges of the mortar so that the edges are lower than the level of the mortar on the rest of the ball.  Set it aside to dry overnight.  The next day, mix and cover the other half of the ball, smoothing mortar over the feathered edge so that there is no seam in the concrete.  Repair any dings in the other side at this time as well.  Allow that to dry overnight.  Now you have a solid surface ball that can be used as a substrate for the gazing ball.

How you proceed with the ball from that point is up to you.  I will add a few observations from my experiences with making gazing balls.  

I use a shiny waterproof plumber's tape to cover the ball before I begin adding the decorations.  This adds yet another layer of waterproofing to the ball, and the shiny tape reflects a lot of light back up through the glass, giving the ball a nice glow to it. 

I use a silicon caulk for doors and windows for my adhesive.  It works well with glass and adheres well to the waterproof tape. 

Flat bottomed glass gems work well for gazing balls.  They tend to bounce the light around and have a more glowing appearance than flat glass.  They do give the ball a more bumpy appearance though.

If using flat stained glass, the more opaque iridescent glass will have a better glow to it than translucent stained glass.  

Shells can be used on gazing balls, but the grout tends to stick to them because they are porous.  Do you best to try not to get grout on them when grouting the ball.

Once the ball has been grouted, seal it with an acrylic sealer.

I hope that this experiment has been helpful to my readers looking for a substitute for a bowling ball in order to make a gazing ball.  If you make a ball, email some pictures of your creations.

Folk Art Peacock Painting

Time and weather have been against me this week.  I did not have a large enough block of time to cover the gazing ball with grout as I had planned to do.  A storm was forecast, so I had to get out and get some things done before snow came.  As it turned out, the storm stayed west of us and we did not get any snow at all.  There is another storm forecast for Wednesday though.

I did manage to find fifteen or twenty minute blocks of time, so I spent them working on my folk art peacock painting.  So here it is, such as it is.  This is my seventh painting ever, and the first one done on a full size canvas board.  All the others were either on paper or on boxes. 

This painting was also an experiment with glass bead medium.  The glass bead medium adds a lot of texture.  Paint looks quite different with this medium, depending on how it is used.  When the glass bead medium is used as a ground, with paint on top of it, the color is much brighter because light is passing through the paint.  If the paint is mixed with the medium, the paint dries a much darker color. For this picture, the paint was mixed in with the medium.  I had to add some colors to brighten the picture because it came out looking too dark.  For this painting I used Ultramarine Blue, Deep Turquoise, Titanium White, Wild Lime Green, Hooker's Green,and Gold. 

I have been watching Joy of Painting with the late Bob Ross on PBS.  On a show this week he said that he estimated that he had painted twenty thousand paintings.  I guess that if you painted every day for decades that could be done.  Perhaps it is just an off the cuff estimate.  At any rate, I'm looking at his work after thousands of paintings, and at my work after only seven paintings.  So I guess, this peacock is not so bad for painting number seven.

I am also posting my weekly picture for the field project.  I am photographing the field near my home to show the changes in the field over the course of an entire year.  It is amazing how quickly things grow once spring arrives.  I'm guessing that some people wonder why I did not just start once the weather started to warm.  I could have, but I enjoy the field year round.  The fallow period is just as much a part of the cycle as the growing season.  There are changes in the field even during the winter, although they are less obvious than the changes in spring.  Even though it has been cold and windy, I still enjoy walking by the field.

Garden Art Experiment-Part 2

Hemispheres taped together.

Today's post shows the next part of my experiment: to create a substrate for a gazing ball.  Sunday's post  showed the steps for making the form for the ball.  By comparison, today's post is rather short.

Covered with layers of dry wall tape.

Once the two hemispheres of the ball were taped together with masking tape, the whole area was covered over with paper strips painted with glue.  Every bit of the taped section was covered with three layers of paper painted with multipurpose white glue.  (Again a reminder: do not use school glue.  That glue is water soluble.)  Once the glue was dry, I began to cover the whole ball with two layers of self-adhesive alkali-resistant dry wall tape.  I suppose that this step could actually have been started before the glue was dry, but I found that I tended to brace the ball to keep it still while I was adding the dry wall tape.  I did not want to get glue all over me.

It was raining hard while I was busy gluing the hemispheres of the ball together.  If the glue had been dry, I would have been tempted to put the ball outside just to see how waterproof this ball actually was.   However, the glue wasn't there yet.  And, of course, if it had not worked, then I would have had to start over again to get back to the point that I am at now.  So, that may be an experiment for another day.  And perhaps I will do it with a smaller ball just to make for a quicker experiment.  And, it will be easier cleanup if the experiment fails.

2-2-2014

The dry wall tape is very thin.  By adding two layers, it created a slightly thicker area on which to lay the grout.  which is the next step in my process.  In theory, the grout will harden around the mesh giving it a little something to hold on to while it sets up.  Once the grout hardens, the ball should have a solid layer of cement around it.  This smooth hard surface will be the substrate on which to begin the process of decorating the gazing ball.

Unfortunately, it is raining again today so I am not going to be outside grouting the ball.  I'm glad it is not snowing.  I could do grout inside, but the downstairs work shop is taken up at the moment with my husband's project.  He is busy restoring the cider press.   By the way, if you have never grouted a ball, it is a bit of a mess.  When working with grout, make sure your work surface and floor are protected with plastic.  I'll have to check the package information on the cement to see if there are temperature restrictions on working with the grout.  If it is too cold, I expect I'll drag out a tarp and protection for my folding work bench and get to work in the middle of the downstairs workshop.  I expect to have the ball grouted by next blog post one way or the other.  Check back to see the results on Sunday.

My post was so long last Sunday that I forgot about posting my picture for the Field Project. (See December 2014 2013 posts for details.) So the field picture above is a picture I took at the usual time on Sunday morning.  Still not much difference in the field, other than that last weeks snow had melted.  I expect we will see more pictures of snow.  The extended forecast has more wintry mix and snow in it.

Garden Art Experiment-Part 1

The last time I blogged, I posted that I was beginning an experiment to make a substrate that could be used to make gazing balls for the garden.  Many of the balls used for garden art can be expensive and sometimes difficult to obtain.  If my experiment works, the substrate will be less expensive than having to purchase a foam ball and easier to find than a bowling ball.  However, be forewarned that if this experiment works, it may save money, but not time.  I'm posting what I have done so far on the experiment, but it is not yet complete.  I wanted to go ahead and post so other gardeners eager to get started on their gazing balls can see where things are headed and perhaps experiment also.  If anyone does try some experiments, please post a comment or email on your findings.

To paraphrase Thomas Edison, he knew a hundred and some odd ways of how not to make a light bulb.  The garden art experiment is somewhat like that situation.  There are a number of ways that will work, and some that may fail.  It is a matter of making a number of attempts until I find the optimal way for this substrate to work and also be at an acceptable price point.  So this is experiment number one.  Although I can already see improvements that I want to make for experiment number two, I think I may be on to something here.  If this works, it will probably be the least expensive option.  I also plan to experiment with some quicker but potentially more expensive options for example fiberglass, but this method requires handling fiberglass and chemicals that are much more toxic than white glue.  So stay tuned, because there are ways, and there are ways.

I began with a child's plastic ball.  On it's own, this ball is not sturdy enough to hold the weight.  Other gazing ball enthusiasts have already posted the dismaying results of using this type of ball as a substrate.  But the ball is the starting point for the form.  This ball was constructed in two pieces and has a line running around its equator.  I highlighted it for easier viewing.  If the ball you begin with is not constructed in this manner, use a large rubber band around the equator and mark it with a highlighter.  Remove the rubber band after marking.  Then cover the ball with a couple of layers of plastic wrap. 

The next step is to tape overlapping folded strips of a file folder around the equator.  The file folder creates a barrier so that the ensuing layers of (what else?) papier mache can be separated at the equator when this step is complete.

Once the overlapping strips of strips of file folder, cover the entire ball with a layer of papier mache.  For the first layer, just use a plain flour and water mixture with newspaper.  (Wear latex or vinyl gloves. Your hands will thank you.) I found that I had less folds and wrinkles if I kept the strips of paper to about two inch by two inch squares. Also, I used a disposable foam brush to spread the papier mache.  The brush can be washed out and reused a number of times before it starts to deteriorate.   Let that layer dry completely, turning it a few times during the drying process to ensure that all areas are dry.  The next two layers are flour, water, and some multipurpose white glue with the newspaper.  Make sure that it is multipurpose glue and not school glue.)  Smear each piece of paper liberally on both sides and smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles as you work.  Allow the ball to dry completely between layers.  The next two layers are just the multipurpose glue spread liberally over newspaper pieces. 

Once the ball is completely dry, mark four registration points on each side of the ball and number them, so that you can fit it back together easily.  Then cut the file folders along the fold line all the way around the ball.  With some gentle persuasion, pull the hemispheres of papier mache away from the ball.  The papier mache will not stick to the plastic wrap, although the plastic wrap may stick to the masking tape.  The whole layer of file folders will easily pull away from the papier mache.  Now you have two half spheres. 

At this point, I painted the inside of the hemispheres with a layer of multipurpose glue and let it dry.  Then I added a layer of newspaper painted with multipurpose glue.  Even after this layer is dry, the spheres will seem very movable.  However, the next step, taping the hemispheres together makes the ball surprisingly stable.  As you can see from the photo, the ball has a slightly raised lip at the equator.  This is an area that needs improvement on the next experiment.  When I added the file folders, I had made a fold so that a part of the file folder would lie flat on the ball, and then taped it down with masking tape.  Over the course of several layers, this created a significant lip.  In the future, I will not use that fold, and just tape a single fold of the file folder.  That way there will only be one piece of tape on each side, and that will alleviate some of the bulk in that area.  The ball is now so sturdy that I am actually thinking of dropping a step. 

Now that the hemispheres are taped together, they will of course need a couple of layers of paper and glue over the tape.  By adding an additional layer or two alongside the equator, the lip will not protrude as much.

This is as far as I have completed with the experiment.  At this point there are several different ways that this could go.  My initial plan was to drill a couple of holes, and fill the sphere with expanding foam (The type for wide cracks  It only costs about three or four dollars.)  This would form a solid center to the ball, making it more crush resistant.  The foam would fill up and come out the holes.  Once dry it could be cut off and sanded smooth to the sphere.  Or, if filled too aggressively, it might bust the sphere apart.  If that happens, then I would wait for the foam to dry and then cut the foam evenly across the hemisphere and glue the two halves together.  Another option is to purchase some mold release, fill the sphere with the foam and hope that you can separate the hemispheres and pull the ball of foam out once it is dry.  However, the mold release would add to the cost.  Also, you might have to do some patching if the foam does not fill evenly.  So these are options I want to explore.  I think for my first attempt,  I am going to move on without using any foam in the center.  After all, if it works, it will cut out three or four dollars.  That would keep the cost of this part of the experiment down to an inexpensive child's ball, a large bottle of glue, a little flour, and the newspaper.  (I count the newspaper as free because I get so much of it in the mail.)  As I said, once the hemispheres are taped together, the ball is remarkably stable.  The lip actually helped with that somewhat.  I think I can work around it in the next step.

 Of course, this ball is essentially paper and glue.  In theory, once the taped area is covered, it will be waterproof.  But no one wants to spend time on something that could potentially fall to pieces, so there is a next part to the experiment.  I plan to cover the ball with two layers of self-adhesive alkali-resistent cement board tape.  I've had the tape for a while, so I don't remember the price, but it was not overly expensive.  The layers will be offset so that there will be plenty of room to mush down some grout into the tape.  The whole ball will be covered with grout mixed with acrylic morter add mix.  I have used the acrylic add mix with grout on mosaics that have been outside for years without cracking or crumbling.  Note: I use it straight, not diluted with water.  Anyway, once the ball is completely covered and dry, The ball will have a solid surface of cement and acrylic.  At that point, I will be ready to start adding the decorative pieces to the ball.  Just for future reference, I cover my bowling ball substrates with a layer of shiny waterproof plumber's tape.  It adds another layer of waterproofing and the shiny surface reflects light back out through the glass.  It is not absolutely necessary, but it adds a lot of reflective shine to the ball.

As I said, this type of sphere will save money, but not time.  If you are only going to make one gazing ball ever, you might as well just purchase a foam ball.  (About twenty dollars.)  However, if you have been bitten by the bug of making gazing balls, it is worthwhile to make your substrate because the cost of materials can be spread among a number of balls.  The tape will cover more than one ball.  The foam should fill more than one ball, but be aware that you need to have all your spheres ready to fill at once. When the foam dries on the opening of the nozzle the can is pretty much done for.  The add mix can be purchased in various quantities, and of course, I was planning to use it in the grout once all the decorative materials were in place, so it is already figured in as part of my cost for making a gazing ball.


There are some ins and outs of covering a ball.    I will address these points as I get to that section of the experiment.  Check back for Wednesday's blog post.

P.S.  I will post a picture of my peacock painting once it is completed.