There’s a camp song called “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”. Perhaps you are familiar with it. There’s a refrain from it that goes
“We can't go over it,
We can't go under it,
We've gotta go through it!”
That is the mantra that I kept repeating as I worked on part two of my gallery piece.
I wanted the entire piece to be fairly lightweight so I chose to use Styrofoam. I had used it previously so I knew exactly what to expect. To get the look I wanted, I had to carve it and that generally entails making a huge, huge mess. I don’t mind if I get the look I want in the end. “It’ll be worth it.” That’s another phrase I kept repeating.
Here are photos of the process:
A big piece of styrofoam cut in two.
A sketch of where I intend to go with the carving.
My initial cuts to round the corners – this is where I get my courage up.
Making stairs and a place for the Big Book.
Another view – yeah, this is a very messy endeavor.
Checking to see if what I’ve done so far is going the way I intend.
Little by little with lots and lots of debris.
Once I completed the carving, I covered the piece with paper maché.
It took a day or so to dry completely. Here you can see a few spots still damp.
I chose to paint it for better coverage when I applied the moss.
Here the books are mostly in place as I add the moss.
This is another job that if you like things neat you need to avoid. I definitely had a green thumb (and fingers) after this.
The majority of the base completed and ready for details.
That’s the other half of this two part project. I think I might be a little sad that it’s finished, but I have a long list of other projects I’d like to have on my work table not to mention the bears I want to make. Bears, bunnies, elephants. But that’s for another day. In my next post, I will be showing the above gallery piece in its entirety. Thanks for stopping by!
I can't wait to see the finished piece! I love seeing your work in progress posts!
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret,
DeleteThank you for your enthusiasm! I like looking back and sharing the process!
hugs,
~ginger
Stepping books...... love it! Can't wait to see the finished product.... it will be fabulous, as always!
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanie,
DeleteYep - in a make-believe world! I don't think I could walk on real books. I would want to pick them up and read them and I'd never get where I was going either. Thanks so much for your comment.
hugs,
~ginger
I love that bear hunt song. It is going around in my head and wont stop now.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing my grandson taught me was ( and this was said as I was slipping down a hill into a creek. I couldn't stop laughing. Bryce said" Granny you have to keep saying... If your stuck don't give up..) he made me say it over and over. , and I still ended up in the creek.
Hugs Kay
Hi Kay,
DeleteOh no! An earworm! Egads! And a dip in the creek to boot! At least you now have a great story to tell even if you got wet.
hugs,
~ginger
Hi Ginger,
ReplyDeleteLooking at the beginning of the carving and the finished base you would never imagine the many steps (not to mention the mess) it took to get there. Amazing.
Question (and don't laugh) is styrofoam your "material" of choice? Are you at least grinning?
Hugs
HI Joyce,
DeleteYep a big mess and many steps to get the steps! I'm not fond of the mess but I do like that Styrofoam is fairly easy to work with. Maybe there's another material out there? Anyway, this is where I'm at now and yes, I am grinning! :D
hugs,
~ginger
I was only just reading "We're going on a bear hunt" yesterday to Logan of course!
ReplyDeleteI love those steps so much, I will talk to lex later and see if he'll book me a flight to come and buy it at the TBAI, do you think he'll say yes?!
I can't wait to see the finished book! Xx
Hi Elanor,
DeleteThat's too funny! I hope he enjoyed it! Yes, get Lex to book you a flight and then we'll make sure that you have some fun while you are here too. I'm sure he'll think it's a fabulous idea!
hugs,
~ginger
It looks amazing Ginger! That's a favourite story time read for many a library session. If you haven't seen it already, Michael Rosen, who wrote the picture book performs the poem on youtube. I think Sebastian would enjoy it!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytc0U2WAz4s
Hi Honeythorpe,
DeleteThanks so much! I think I may have seen that book but I will have to go back and check it out again.
hugs,
~ginger
Oh wow, we hope you didn't sneeze when doing all that carving... *achoo*
ReplyDeleteHugs
Jack, Boo & The Clan
Hi guys,
DeleteI think even if I had it probably would have stuck to my skin. You guys with fur wouldn't have that problem!
hugs,
~ginger