Well, it's time for my monthly update on Project Green Gables. With Halloween show season fast approaching, my progress on this labor of love has been intermittent. However, I have good news! After hours of intensive application, all the dimensional elements and overlaying texture have been applied, and the gable is ready for paint! Yay! Today, we brought home a quart of vintage green paint and JP has already coated the entire base in this lovely hue. As time allows, I will be dry-brushing on the cream accents to allow my design to pop. Stay tuned for more updates here and scroll down to my previous blog posts to see all the various phases of the project.....

Best Wishes,

~ Johanna

* And there she is in her sprawling beauty! :) Click each image for a larger view...

* A closer glimpse reveals all the woody texture that I applied to the various scrolling vines...

* And here's a zoom on the right bird's profile, feathers and all...

* Another perspective helps to express the dimensional qualities of the sculpture...

* And of course, we have a few blossoms to round out the design...

* As well as a perched cutie facing forward...

* And a third bird completes the composition!

* Jack didn't offer too much physical help it seems, but he was often by my side, keeping me company. However, that big yawn probably means that he's about over this project and ready for me to get back to my Halloween black cat making! :) And that's probably a good idea given the date! I hope to See YOU at the Glens Art Walk! I better get busy!....

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Hi all! It's time for an update... August has crept in, so I'm juggling all sorts of projects right now including our front gable design! I've been snapping a few "work in progress" photos of my steps along the way and will include those in this post. At this point, each half of the gable is completely filled in with layers of papier mache. If all goes well, I have just one layer left to apply which will create the woody texture and other detailed elements in the scene. Stay tuned for more photos in a week or so...

* After I pencil-sketched my design in place outside on the the front gables, JP removed the halves and brought them indoors for me to work on. Then, I roughly outlined the art in black marker pen.

* Scrolling vines, perching birds, dots, and....

* Flowers of course!.....

* After the lines were drawn, I spent a few days adding layers of papier mache skim coat to cover the plywood. I roughly filled in the spaces between the design with this layer build.

* Once the base dried, I began filling in the elements with a thick layer of papier mache to create dimension...

* The shapes and characters started to pop with this step! All have been drying out in the sun, awaiting the last layer of papier mache that will create the dimensional texture I hope to achieve. Wish me luck, and check back for more updates soon! (And yes, Jack enjoyed watching me work in a novel place. He was initially intrigued with my project, although I think he's sleeping in this photo :)