The RBS base is now attached to the sculpture it was created for! Check it out. Many thanks go out to Tom for letting me put my spin on his project.
Archive for the ‘rolling ball sculpture’ category
A finished project
July 5, 2009The RBS base is done!
May 3, 2009At least the tung oil portion is dry. I’m leaving it up to Tom to put it all together. If you don’t have any idea what RBS means check back here. (Make sure you click around to see pics of work in progress.)
The final work w/o the RBS
One side
This might be my favorite angle
The ending
More pics, more pics….
Last spiral from above
Looking back to the end point
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Tung oil down time
April 28, 2009There’s not too much to report about the rolling ball sculpture base. I’m working on finishing it with tung oil, which takes anywhere from four to twelve hours to dry. It’s a bit like watching paint dry, only it takes longer. Especially since I’ll probably end up with five or six coats on each side. To fill the time, I’ve researched tung oil on YouTube. Yes, there are videos about tung oil. And, this one is right up my alley.
Oh, and stencil practice. Yes, I’m still trying to work out the ideal way for me to make stencils that work with wood and stain. Here’s what I’ve been working on, and it looks like this idea has potential. Now, I just need to practice my X-Acto work.
Finishing the RBS base
April 23, 2009Yes, it’s finally time to finish the base. Sanding: done. Stain: done. Touch-up: done. Now it’s time for the tung oil, which is mostly about drying time, anyway. I’ve noticed that I kept simplifying the design. Some ideas didn’t even make it on paper. My husband mentioned that the base is rather different than my other pieces. I explained (and showed) him that I didn’t want to compete with the sculpture, and once the marbles start moving there will be plenty of action. I think he agrees. Here’s a sneak peak:
It’s all about the circles
April 13, 2009It’s time for the circles. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with them over the years. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get the masking tape to form a circle. Doing them free hand just doesn’t leave the nice, crisp edge that I like.
I’ve tried many different ways to get them right. The latest attempt was using a stencil film to cut out the circle, then with some Krylon Easy-Tack set it on the wood and stained away. Circle fail! Or, maybe it’s stencil fail. As, you can see.
I know, I didn’t manage to cut the stencil film very well, but I still don’t think that would have helped the process. Doese anyone have any ideas? I’m going to try one more idea, but I don’t really think it will work. So, does anyone out there have any inspiration to share? Please, let me know.
RBS progress
April 8, 2009
Transfer paper is a good thing.
Yes, there’s been some activity on the rolling ball sculpture base! I have a lovely piece of maple that I spent what seems like years sanding. (And, I STILL might have to do more!) I even worked on a bit of extra maple for stain samples, but didn’t finish it because I couldn’t wait to get started on the real thing. I had a heck of a time transferring the drawing to the actual wood. The reason, I finally discovered was that I had altered a couple of angles while working on the pine mock-up. And, since that piece wasn’t large enough for the design in the first place, I was rather confused last night.
Stain: Antique Maple
Stains: Chestnut and Brazilian Rosewood
Things are looking better.
The drum out and about
March 22, 2009
The drum project has a life of its own. Being used as an actual drum. Here it is with some friends before being put to work.
About the rolling ball sculpture project….
I’m ready to purchase wood! I did a couple of mock ups, and think it’s time for the official design.
More RBS
March 16, 2009
I don’t usually start staining w/o a solid design in mind, but thought I’d try it on this one. It makes sense, since I’m working with someone elses’ work. They need to happily co-exist…or something. It also gave me a chance to see how my latest stain purchases work with the older ones. So, I latched on to the best part or two of my sketches and went to work. I’m using a rather warped piece of pine that is both too long and too narrow — but close enough for testing and sampling.
There’s my trusty bone folder. It’s that flat, plastic bookmark-looking thing at the top next to the tape. I use it to burnish the edges of the tape. The stain likes to spread everywhere if I’m not careful. Yes, I run the bone folder over ever single edge of tape. Carefully. I can always tell when I’m too tired to work, because I’ll miss an edge and end up with stain seeping into the next part of the work. Which means more effort in the long run. Best to be conscientious in the first place.
Brainstorming
March 11, 2009The rolling ball sculpture is in my house. Tom’s part is done for now. I’ve been working out some ideas in my head. And by that I mean that I’ve spent quite a bit of time running those marbles through their paces. Getting a feel for the sculpture, and how someone else might interact with it. Sometimes the marbles are sent together, sometimes spaced out a bit. I’ve even been know to set them free somewhere in the middle of the run. It’s all part of the process, you’ll just have to trust me on that.
I feel I have three different ways that the base could go.
- something simple, with little competition against what’s happening above
- play up the spirals, with concentric circles, mimicing the sculpture
- enhance the twirling aspect with designs with movement
Or, maybe a compination of all three? In an effort to learn more about RBS, I’ve googled. Here’s one with a traingular base and one made of wood. And one out of Legos!
Stained Woods: Art by Tina Hanagan, Bloomington, IN 