Open Art
  • O ur Story
  • P ortfolio
  • E mail Us
  • N ear you
  • A bout founder
  • R ead all about it
    • Newsprint
    • Webpost
  • T inkering BLOG
  • O ur Story
  • P ortfolio
  • E mail Us
  • N ear you
  • A bout founder
  • R ead all about it
    • Newsprint
    • Webpost
  • T inkering BLOG
Open Art 
Creative 
Consulting
LLC

TINKERING BLOG

Imagine   Illustrate    Invent    Inspire
FB PAGE
Home

Chalkboard Craze Catch-up

5/18/2015

 
As declared on the last post, it is time to join the creative chalkboard craze.
Picture



This is a simple design for the kitchen.

It is as basic as nailing a giant painting to the wall.

It can be removed easily, be portable, or temporary.





Picture


I used a thin Birch panel since it's a cabinet grade plywood with a smooth surface.



I had in storage a little less than a quart of black semi-gloss latex paint, so I used it for the first coat which covered it nicely.


Then I mixed the remainder of the paint with some leftover joint compound mud (about half a cup).


I always prime the surface first but not this time, I knew the mixture would create the right texture (and I did put one coat of the regular black paint first).


There are many variations of the formula and even ready-to-use chalkboard contact paper, but the mix I used worked well and it is easy to clean up.



Picture
(above) The first regular coat provides an even layer but it will still show the wood grain.

(below) The right side shows the second coat using the chalkboard paint mix.
Picture
This was a fast drying paint mix.  I let it cure for a day and then used charcoals and chalks.
Picture
All done. Now it's time for the interesting part of this project, which will be on the next post: 
What to draw or write on your chalkboard wall.  Some ideas and designs coming up.

So Little Time

3/31/2015

 

The end of March.  Another month flies by. 
There is simply no time to edit photos or write.   --   Excuses -- Excuses  --

There is a saying in Spanish that talks about how no more culprits or fools are left ever since excuses were invented:  
          “Desde que se inventaron las excusas se acabaron los culpables.”

The truth is that this family is constantly making things.  We have a lot of work-in-progress paintings, drawings, repurposed furniture, and a bunch of other stuff. 

We just start building things on a moment of inspiration and forget to take pictures of the process or any at all, then things change completely or those projects are gone.  That is why I admire bloggers who spend the proper time on their site not only writing and editing but curating the perfect graphics and format.  I am always saying that this is a great time to have young children and record all those wonderful moments and share their incredible imagination on a blog.  My intention is to attempt to recollect, recreate, and record ideas from my childhood all the way to the childhood of my now 3 teens, regardless of the availability of visuals.  No more excuses, except please excuse the old images.  

Picture
No more excuses, even when there is very little time. Speaking of little, here is something the little ones made. They made a little lunch. Literally, they made lunch for everyone and replicated a miniature version for their dad. It is a quick idea and easy prank for tomorrow.




They got this idea when they realized there is a smaller logo on the bottle that could be cut and placed on a spice bottle.  



It was not even an April fools' day.  


They do things like this often because they just love to see their dad’s reaction.


He is like another child.  
Picture
Picture
Never a dull moment around here.  I’ll keep you posted.



Something's Fishy

11/7/2014

0 Comments

 

Floor Featuring Faux Fishpond

I am often asked about a floor painting from years ago.  It was outside our studio, on the landing of cement steps, exposed to 3-digit hot temperatures, crazy rainy seasons, and heavy traffic.  I will talk a little about it, but we need to keep in mind there are better methods and materials for having your creations last longer on different surfaces.  

We let some very young students paint the floor just for fun.  When the artwork began to fade we decided to keep painting over it.  We changed the design constantly.  When we painted some goldfish on it, nobody wanted for us to change it again.  This is what we did:
Picture
1.  Primed
2.  Painted blue (outdoor house paint, latex-acrylic)
3.  Added a coat of floor polyurethane (water-based, clear)
4.  Painted orange & yellow fish (regular acrylic artist paint)
5.  Sealed with 2 more coats of polyurethane (won't yellow)

Picture
photo @ my studio - open2art.com - by cmarieherrera


Many Years Later

Picture



The best angle to appreciate the illustrations was when looking from above as you crossed the landing.  You had to see it, it really looked like water, and all those fish looking at you, no wonder the kids loved it.  I liked it even more when the mural weathered and exposed more texture and interesting spots.  



Post by Joe's Puppet Show/Storytime Thing.



As I've mentioned before, I've always been a maker and not so much a picture-taker so I'm glad we can share this fun floor decor thanks to the photos taken by  Cristina  &  Joe. 


Picture
photo @ my studio - open2art.com - by cmarieherrera
 We have to talk later about what we did to the concrete stairs.




  
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Thrifty-
    ​
    T
    alented
    ​
     Tutorials  

    Picture
    every once upon a full or new moon


    ​Author

     vicToria orTega
          Texan,     Traveler, 
         Thinker,  Tinkerer,   &
      Three - Teens - T
    amer 

    Categories

    All
    Crazy / Lazy
    Easy Peasy
    Foam Home
    Fuzzy Fussy
    Super Duper

    RSS Feed

    Follow Open Art's board MINE on Pinterest.

    Archives

    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • O ur Story
  • P ortfolio
  • E mail Us
  • N ear you
  • A bout founder
  • R ead all about it
    • Newsprint
    • Webpost
  • T inkering BLOG