Birdhouse "Owl" (2015)

When my niece went to live together with her boyfriend I asked her if she liked a specific kind of gift, useful for her new house.

She told me she liked it if I could make something for the garden, something for the birds. Something like a birdhouse. One type of birds she really liked were owls.

Finished piece siting in a tree

I went to Google and looked for inspiration for birdhouses in combination with owls and ended up with this picture:

Picture I found

My niece kinda liked that idea, but she liked it a little more "realistic". I started to sketch a bit with some owl pictures as reference which led to this:

First drawing

This picture was approved by my niece, with the mention I would alter some things about it because I wasn't fully pleased with it.

I scanned the picture to the computer and used Photoshop to do some minor adjustments. The owl got a little big fatter, his feet got bigger and he became smaller (or his head became bigger in proportion, depending how you look at it.)

Altered drawing

This image was used to become a template which I could transfer to wood.

On a different piece of paper I drew the template for the wings and tail and I changed the shape of his claws, making him a bit more friendly.

On a copy I drew the shape of the house part, on this I could take measurements (size/ angles) easily.

The bird was sawn and put together using glue and nails. At the right side I left a piece out, which later became a little hatch. This way, if it would be inhabited, you can check and clean inside.

Wooden version

Side view of the bare wooden version

When the sawing part was done it was time to do the detailed paint job.
I've never done birds before, making it quite tricky.  I tried to do every feather separately, using a variation of colors. It might not be a perfect owl mimic, but I do think it looks great.

Top view during the painting.
Left wing has some guidelines, right wing is done.

Bottom view, the wings still have to be done.

Eyes

Something new I did were the eyes. In the past I've tried to make some fake eyes using polyester resin globes, but their quite tricky to cast.
On the internet I found a little diy shop that sold cabochon glass pieces. These are perfect for this purpose. They measure about 3 cm (the biggest they got). The eyes were printed and glued to the back. This sounds easier than it sounds though, it took several tries. Best result I got was to print on photo paper and use a fair amount of acrylic varnish as a glue. You can move the picture for a small amount of time, before pressing it into a piece of crafts foam.

I am a bit bummed I don't have my Photosmart printer anymore, because the black isn't perfectly black the way I like it.
After the varnish has dried, use black paint for the edges and end off with at least 2 coats of varnish to prevent any leakage of water getting to your paper.

However, if you don't got a good printer, you can always paint it from the back; start with the pupil and the outer edge, then work with the colors of the eye. Benefits of this technique is that it won't discolor that much due to sunlight + you won't have to worry too much about the rain. (It just takes a more steady hand an time to make)

Owl sitting on a pole.

Owl hanging on a nail.

Side view of the finished piece.

Close up of the face, showing the vivid eyes and detail paint work.

Puzzle box "Bram" (2015)

An old colleague of my mother asked it I could make a little puzzle box for her grandson. She has seen this online, but those makers quit their business and she was wondering if I wasn't able to make one.

Finished piece

Sure, no problem.

I made a box of plywood and added a lid where I saw out his name. I transferred the holes to another piece of plywood and saw those letters out too.

Because I didn't like the holes when the box was closed I added another lid, on which the letters could rest and closed off the box.

Some parts were stained others only varnished.
In the end I added the date of birth.

Side view; The lid in front with the letters underneath

Top view with the letters out.
This is where the toddler can try and put his name through the holes.

I'm not sure about the measurements anymore, but it should be about an A4 size box of about 14 cm tall.

End result 

Triptych "Old Wood" (2015)

A co-worker of my mother asked me if I could make a triptych using my techniques to paint wood and make it antique looking.

Also she wanted her year of birth stamped on it.

The finished piece

I started off by making a pattern for the arcs and hearts, then I've sawn it out of MDF.
The parts were coated with a grey primer and as a base color I've used a dark tone of beige.
Using several pigments I added the wood structure. This was done with on a water base mixture, because it dries quicker and there will be less problems with the finishing coat which is oil based .

The parts with their base color

Wood structure added, next step is the "antiquing"

The oil base doesn't dissolve the water based layer. However! The strokes of the brush can rub it off. So try not to stroke too much with this last layer. To prevent this, you can use a varnish to secure the water-based layer.

And the last part was to create the stamp and use it with some acrylic paint.
When that is applied, the whole piece can be coated with 2 layers of varnish.
And by adding 4 hinges it becomes 1 fold-able piece.

The piece when folded

I made another one for my mother, she wanted to paint and decorate it herself.

My mothers decoration.