Thursday 25 July 2013

Darcy Wilkinson Project #4 The Giraffe ....

"I know for a few of you, this is the one you have been waiting to see. It has taken 3 months to build, but he is finally here.....yes it is a BOY"!

First job was to go and buy sheets of galvanised mesh, I got mine from the local DIY store. The young man serving me asked if I was building an aviary, and looked somewhat puzzled when I replied 'no, I'm building a giraffe' So armed with my mesh panels, a spool of strong wire and some pliers, I set about the building process. Other products used along the way were scrap paper/newspaper and masking tape. The whole body was stuffed with scrunched up paper, and then more paper was used as padding on the outside of the wire. The whole giraffe was them wrapped in masking tape to hold the padding in place and to provide a smooth surface for the clay. I have no kiln, and I am pretty sure I cannot get a 4ft giraffe in my oven...not that I tried, don't worry, no giraffes were harmed in the making of this project. So I needed to use air drying clay. Having checked out the prices of available air dry clay, and seeing how small the packets were, it became apparent that I would need to make my own.

I discovered the website of Jonni Good, ( http://ultimatepapermache.com/new-air-dry-clay-recipe ) and was delighted to see clay recipes on there. If you are at all interested in making models then I can highly recommend her recipe. Here you can see a slideshow of the building process.


 
So here he is ready to decorate.


I took some buff coloured tissue paper, I believe it came as packing with something. To give him a base colour I covered him in the plain tissue first. Then I mixed some Fresco Paints with water, and sprayed the tissue paper. I used Cinnamon, French Roast along with some Adirondack Butterscotch. I ripped these coloured tissue sheets into small pieces and gave him a second layer.


Now for the spots .. I tore up all the scrap white paper that I could find in the house, then soaked it in a bowl of water for about 30 mins. Next I used a hand blender to turn the paper into pulp. (Don't use the same blender for food, I have a separate blender for the kitchen and one for my craft room).


Next fill a large tray, (I bought a large cat litter tray just for making paper). Half fill it with water and add the pulp. You will need a frame and deckle, these are easy to make, search YouTube for videos. You sieve the pulp into your frame and squeeze out excess water. Anyone who has made handmade paper will be familiar with this part. Once you have your sheet of wet handmade paper, carefully tear off sections and drape over your chosen stamps. For the spots I used HPXT 02.



Press the wet paper down onto the stamp and leave for a few minutes. Then remove the stamp and allow to dry. This will generally take overnight.


This is how the paper moulds look once they are dry. You can see how detailed the impression is.


I trimmed close to the edges and then sprayed with dylusions turquoise ink. Next I sponged on Beach Hut, then Bora Bora and finally I dry brushed with Mermaid


Next I worked in a little Sapphire Treasure Gold, and then finally some Onyxite

 
The details really shows now, and they look like Verdigris.


 I made a whole bunch of them, approx around 100!!


Once they were all glued onto the giraffe I added smaller spots using Grunge Paste mixed with Beach Hut and Bora Bora.


I dabbed this onto the lower legs and face, then stamped into it with a stamp from HPXT02, again I finished it with Treasure Gold.

 
See how all the decoration built up here.

I don't expect you all to go off and build giraffes, how funny would that be, but I hope you will try the paper casting. Here I made moulds of some JOFY stamps, in exactly the same way.


Here they are on a hanging tag.


That's it from me this month, I hope you have had fun looking at these projects and that you are fired up and inspired to try out some of the techniques.

I shall leave you with some snapshots of our trip to the farm.



Leandra Says: Love the farm pictures, looks like he's got a friend already! Well Darcy, that was simply mind boggling, as I am sure the PA wider family will agree.

So we need a name for this chap! Please leave a comment on this blog post with your name suggestion. Entries close noon Sunday 28th, the winner will be announced along with the weekly winners Sunday evening, 28th at 7pm. Your prize??? A MASSIVE MYSTERY BOX of PaperArtsy stash easily worth over £150. Only one name entry per person please, Darcy is the selector, as she knows her baby best and what will suit him, her decision is final!

Gillian Says: Wow DArcy, this is INCREDIBLE. So inspiring to see how you have creating him from nothing! Thank you once again for yet another superb week!

107 comments:

Kathryn said...

OMG that's amazing !!!! Xx

Helen said...

Holy moly, Darcy. I know we saw a few pictures on twitter during the process - but OMG he is gorgeous and I love the photos of him on the farm.

I'll be back with my name suggestion later!

massofhair said...

Gifford is my name choice for Darcy's adorable chap.

This has to be the most amazing thing i have ever seen. Wish i had the confidence to try but i know i won't. The paper casting looks fun, this i can have a play with.

Thanks to Darcy for all her hard work this month, have been really inspired to play outside my comfort zone :-)

Anonymous said...

Just incredible, Darcy, he looks wonderful & the hanging tag is gorgeous.

Julie Lee said...

I made a comment, but not sure what happened to it! I wondered about Girartsy as his name! Thanks for all the creative joy this week! Julie Ann x

Rachel said...

Absolutely amazing Darcy. So much work involved, but so worth it. What a master piece!

Unknown said...

Stunning. His name is Fresco :). Lynn xx

becslb said...

He's fantastic Darcy!! I think we should call him George - Prince George the Giraffe!!

Lin said...

Darcy he is fantastic!!! love him!!
I think we should call him Blu...

Gina said...

Amazing Darcy! Worth the wait!!!! My pick for a name is Affie.

Clare K Baker said...

I think Melman the Giraffe after the Madagascar films character

Carol Q said...

omg Darcy - he's just gorgeous. I want to call him Herbert! lol Thanks for a FAB FAB FAB week of projects!

The Musicalscrapper - AKA MusicScrp said...

WOW!!! Just amazing!!! I think He looks like a NIGEL to me!!!

Jean

JoFY said...

he is adorable! i love him!!! He looks like a Gerald to me - Gerry to his friends - of which i'm sure he has many - seems a sociable sort of chap!
Gerry the Giraffe!
fabulous project!!
Jo

Craftyfield said...

OMG!! Is Darcy for real? Make your own clay...make you own frame and deckle "it's easy"... your own paper... a hundred or more paper casts.... I tried making paper once, didn't turn out like Darcy's!
I will mull over a suitable name for this beauty, and by the way the way you sculpted the eye is AMAZING!

Kirsti said...

Oh wow...he looks adorable.
Definitely looks like a McGinty to me.
Love
Kirsti xxxx

Unknown said...

Gertrude after my nanna and great grandma!!! no one said it was definitely a boy. Looks stunning tho

sam21ski said...

OMGosh - Woswer, how handsome his he

I want to call him Elliot

Sam xxx

Gina said...

I am sitting here absolutely stunned into silence! I knew you were working on this Giraffe , but OMG...seeing him from frame to farm like this was just gobsmackingly awesome!!!
As to a name...his lovely shiny/sultry eyes reminded me of a certain celeb, so I would like to suggest "Julian" after Julian Clary. He always reminds me of a proud giraffe, with his head held high, looking at us lesser mortals through lowered lashes lol :D XXX

Michelle Webb said...

Oh my word! what can I say, it's truly out of this world and beyond anyone's imagination Darcy. It's amazing! Now a name for the young golden giraffe. He looks like he's been uncovered in a hidden tomb in the valley of the kings in Egypt. The god of the Nile is called Hapi, I think that would be a perfect name for him. Michelle xxx

Sarah B said...

yesterday I was suitably impressed but today I'm speechless ! I just don't know how you come up with all these fantastic ides (glad you do!) - my name for him is Verdi xx

Unknown said...

Stumpy! that's my final offer

Jay said...

Ive seen him get build from the beginning and into some late night hours , I have heard the problems she had and I saw how happy she was when he came together. He is amazing..little dante..

Unknown said...

My parents were missionaries in the Congo, Africa and they spoke Chaluba. The name "Contu" means small thing. I think that would be a perfect name for this darling young giraffe!!

Glennis F said...

I am totally stunned with your projects, Darcy - unbelievabley wonderful! I would call him Arthur after my father

Maz said...

He is fabulous! Connor says he should be called Anton (not sure where that came from lol) x

Cocofolies said...

At first, I just would like to say that it is absolutely AWESOME. All these hundred flowers, so beautiful and FAB each one.... Wow Wow WOW...!!!!
And then, I'm french and so I have no idea at all of what could sound beautifully to your ears where you live Darcy; I just suggest "Millie Blue" ! (Millie is a really lovely name and Blue because of its dominant colour LOL !!) Coco xx

Rebecca said...

Well you've out done yourself there Mrs fandabidozy in fact. I showed my hubby the final pics who said Mazie until I said he was a boy! So Marvin it is! Super dupa work :)
Happy craftin
Rebecca

Anonymous said...

Wow ! Absolutely amazing ! I love the eye lashes and the process of bringing him to life is just stunning !

My guess at his name would be Lionel !

Sue C
x

inki said...

yay! He is finally up and running..so to speak..lol, he turned out great, Darcy! I think his name should be Gerome :-)
Dede

Kim said...

Amazingly creative Darcy. I think his name is Hector, no idea why.

Gabrielle said...

You had me desperate to meet the giraffe when we met a couple of weeks ago and you told m all about him - but he's even more handsome and awesome than I'd hoped for! He's going to look incredible in your home!

So, a name. You've had some incredible suggestions so I went with Dalis (from his Latin name Giraffa camelopardalis - I think I means 'spots' like on a Dalmation!)

rhomany said...

Ganglelegs Gillespie.

Pinkywinkywoo said...

Hi fantastic work!!! I think you should call him 'Zarafa' the giraffe. That's what giraffe means in Arabic. He's a good looking boy!! '

Helen said...

Crumbs, some great suggestions here! I was trying to find a suitably African sounding name but google wasn't much help, or at least none that I thought suited him. So I go with Grantley - it means "from the large meadow" which you could take to mean the plains of Africa. So for me, Grantley Giraffe. Good luck choosing.

Kathi said...

Yikes. She's amazing! What a lot of work, but oh-so-worth it!

I think she should be named Jezebel Giraffe because she's a charmer!

Kathi said...

It's me again.

I saw that Darcy called the giraffe a him, but I didn't see any evidence supporting that claim, hence the girl and the girl's name above. :D

Sarah said...

He is so so cool! Darcy you have excelled yourself! He looks like a Geronimo to me

Sarah said...

He is so so cool! Darcy you have excelled yourself! He looks like a Geronimo to me

Unknown said...

He looks fabulous Darcy! Its great to see him all finished. I love the colour of his spots! May I suggest Jeremiah? xxx

Susana M said...

That is amazing art and something an archaeologist I see discovering but he has his whimsy too... Soooooooo my name suggest is a combo of Arti and fact so Artifact or Artyfact depending on how you want to spell Arti hee hee :D

Carmen said...

Unbelievable! Darcy! You are a creating machine! I adore his eyes and lashes - so beautiful! What comments did you get on his trip to the farm? :D

One thing was going round my head while watching your video's. The Flash Gordon song. Especially the lead intro and Brian Blessed saying Flash Gordon's ALIVE!

So his name is Flash! Or Gordon. But I'm erring on Flash ;)

ArteDar said...

Hey Darcy, I commend you highly on your vision coming true and all the diligence and stamina it took to achieve your masterpiece...YES, a magnificent MASTERPIECE!!! (can I have him, pleeeezzzz?) Huge compliments!!! He is beyond words...he is a feeling of pure joy and happiness to gaze upon. I so totally see his love in his creation...wish I could hug his pretty lil' neck! I did my research to find a name that would suit you and him....BUT he has to have a first, middle and last (sir) name in my humble opinion. Don't our mums love to use first and middle name when they address us with seriousness?, yep. Both names are English (and he is, lol) DARWIN (meaning, Dear Friend) GAIGE/GAGE (meaning, measure) There ya have it...
SIR DARWIN GAIGE WILKINSON. I hope you love this name...I think it suits him in all his stature and greatness. Peace and Love ox

Alison said...

He's fab Darcy! Definitely looks like a 'Lofty' to me! xxx

Unknown said...

How about Gandalf tha great giraffe

Debbie said...

Oh Darcy...He's FABULOUS! You are so incredibly talented. I'd name him Kimbert...in memory of our friend Kimber...if she were a boy! Yep...Kimbert...I like it!
xo
Debbie
===^..^===
KittenCreates

CraftyJo said...

What a fabulous project - well done! There are some wonderful suggestions for names already, don't know how on earth you'll choose one....but how about Rafferty?

Lea.H said...

my name suggestion is geoffrey, geoffrey the giraffe :) x

michelle said...

Wow so amazing ! you are so talented and i love the name Gildbert !

Dawn said...

Wow I am completely blown away by Darcy's giraffe!

I'd name him Gugu which I believe is a Zulu name meaning 'treasure'.

Unknown said...

Wow, I love him! The name Engelbert came to mind first, so I'll go with that.

Sheri said...

He turned great. I'm thing of the old bugs bunny cartoon where the abdominal snowman was hugging bugs or daffy. "I will hug him love him and call him George." I know rhe new prince is name that too, but i was thinking of the cartoon. :)

JoZart Designs said...

It is an amazing creation and giraffes are my fave animal. "Turqoise spots" in Africaans is "turkoois kolle" so I think Kolle would be a great name.
Jo x

Moonrose said...

Darcy he is amazing and beautiful. A true work of art and love which you've carried out to perfection. Well done to you xxx

As for a name, hmmmm, how about Jinxy the giraffe. <3

Sam said...

Gorgeous work, as usual lady! I'd name him Joe, after a very special Joe I knew ;) xxx

Jimjams said...

Quite astounding work Darcy. I'd thought he was just once of those decopatch creatures which would have been cool enough ... but now I know better.
I too like the name Verdi ... but it's a surname, so how about Giuseppe?

Linda Hart said...

I'm almost speechless! Darci, your imagination lives on a totally different planet to us mere mortals! Geronimo is my pick for a name.

Dea said...

I would name this beautiful Giraffe " Harkin".

APG Jamie said...

He is beautiful! can I have him?

lol

Bryburn Gaston Suey the 3rd

yep that's surely a good name

Karlene Boss said...

OMGosh!!!! That is sooooo amazing and cute. How ambitious of you to tackle such a huge project. Kudos to you and you're creativity. It's hard to name her since I haven't meet her and seen her in person:) I hope someone suggests a name you love. My suggestion is Josie.

Sid said...

How unusual and interesting is this technique. It produces fab collages too !

Anonymous said...

Fabulous project, I absolutely love him, because I think its a boy and would call him Jimmy.

San @ Made in Hem said...

Wow, he's huge! And so gorgeous! He's one of a kind and I'm sure you will enjoy him forever.
I'd call him Joseph!

Jen said...

Oh gosh - he is amazing! And gorgeous! And gentle! Really wonderful art work - oh and he told me his name is Geno.

Steven said...

Like everyone else says; amazing, gorgeous, hansom, brilliant. Love the clay idea, must try, but the spots are so cool it is a defo project. As for a name....one only springs to Mind...Bob!
XXXX

Craftyfield said...

So I slept on it... I think this cutie deserves an affectionate monicker since he is still just a baby. And since he is "very gold" and has Treasure wax all over him, I name him... Trésor, an endearing term often used with (french) children.

Poppy said...

Hmm, he looks like a Gillium to me!

Awesome Prject!

Catie Cuddles said...

stunning! would happily look after him in my home but I cant imagine you ever parting from him. maya suggested the name Charlie.
c xxx

The Hardy Stamper said...

What an amazing project - I love him! As he is made from paper (amongst other things), how about calling him Paper Artie?

jojo79 said...

He is amazing and I sure he would love to live in my house ;)

My name for him is Gerard.

Jo
x

Micki said...

Holy cow, or giraffe! I was blown away with your giraffe. Absolutely stunning!!!!!!! Years and years ago, I did some paper casting but haven't even thought of it again. Fabulous idea. I'm still speechless about the giraffe.... :-)

Unknown said...

He's fabulous! I think he looks like a "Mungo". x

Unknown said...

Colin...just as soon as I saw him I knew his name was Colin :D

Lucy Edmondson said...

I'm completely blown away by him, his visit to the farm, and your amazing creativity, Darcy! I am calling him Grunge Bob Long Scarf, to be known as Grunge Bob for Short. He is gorgeous!

Lucy x

Unknown said...

He is totally brilliant Darcy!!

Having conferred with my daughter we like the name "BILBO" because Bilbo Baggins is a Halfling and this is a Halfling giraffe!!

Well done you!!

Anita x

joyce rodli said...

OH MY! {{{can I have it}}} darcy, he is so awesome.
I have two names con found it! the one is whimsy and the other more soleful. The soleful would get you to thinking of his environment, the whimsy one would get you to smiling and dreaming ...I have made my choice. Name him Pistachio. Of course since he is British he could have one of these in his name ___(-)______

barb said...

Darcy, he is stunning!!!! Loved watching your process. Thank you so much for sharing it.

ElizabethR said...

Amazing work of art Darcy it's fantastic. Elizabeth xxx

yoursartfully said...

OMG Darcy, you're giraffe is beautiful.I love giraffes, always have and always will. There's just something about their eyes that appeals to me so your false eye lashes were a stroke of genius and made me laugh out loud!!!

Lin

Janet Wilson said...

How amazing! What about Moriarty for a name?

Gio said...

She's amazing!! Both Darcy and the giraffe!
What about SunnyPA as a name?

WrightStuff said...

What an incredible piece of art - just amazing! I think he's called Lawrence Long Neck :)

Barbara Hagerty said...

This is the most fabulous project! The false eyelashes are handsome/gorgeous! And all those fabulous spots! That's what I'd call him. I'd name him Spot!

Claire said...

Wow I'm speechless! He looks amazing! I would like to suggest Alan for him please - it's just what popped into my head when I saw him. Love Claire x

Anonymous said...

Love the idea of the 'paper medals' creating the spots - what inspiration for smaller projects that we can all try at home . Thank you.
Because I love these so much I think he should be called Button. Love him.

Joyce van der Lely said...

I love giraffes and I LOVE your giraffe, what an amazing project ! and since giraffes originate from Africa, I'd just call him Twiga (Swahili for Giraffe)

Gayna said...

Wow that was a project and a half. Thanks for sharing. Have to say that in honour of his spots, the name that came straight to mind for him was Lofty. Hugs Gayna

ionabunny said...

I think he's definitely Gorgeous George. Gorgeous cos he is and George cos something tells me that's going to be a very popular name. Wow Darcy, just Wow. He is so, so, so gorgeous. I love the spots with the treasure gold. I love the expression on his face. It's a masterpiece. I love the trip to the farm photo's.

ionabunny said...

I think he's definitely Gorgeous George. Gorgeous cos he is and George cos something tells me that's going to be a very popular name. Wow Darcy, just Wow. He is so, so, so gorgeous. I love the spots with the treasure gold. I love the expression on his face. It's a masterpiece. I love the trip to the farm photo's.

Unknown said...

Rodney

Lady North said...

HI DARCY he is just incredibly cute!
Since he always looking up: the minute I saw him, I thought' STARGAZER or Gazer for short as he seems to be always on the lookout for the bright side of things!
<3 him and you! X jaen

Vivian said...

How about Chester?

Vivian said...

How could I forget to compliment the artist? This is spectacular and I can't believe you crafted a giraffe! Thank you for sharing your wonderful project.

Bastel-Oase said...

Oh wow is this great. Well done!!!

DarcieGlam said...

Spectacular! I would name him Gesso, because it's artsy and cute and starts with a G. Great job!

Pavla said...

Wonderful Mr Dartsy ;-)

Jacqui Chimes said...

He's gorgeous - fabulous project - his name is Effarig

Kezzy said...

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW I could go on forever. Darcy this is so cute and such an awesome Giraffe. You have truly made me speechless. And everything is handmade, the clay, paper wow truly inspirational.
I wanted to try and come up with an unique name that had meaning so I reckon Mr Giraffe should be called -
PADRAIG - meaning noble but this is not why I chose it, for me I wanted to include the reason he was born and also felt that it should be also have something in there dedicated to the royal baby so
P = paper, A=artsy's, D=Darcy's, R=royal, A=amazing, I=imaginative G=Giraffe. Kezzy :-) xxx

Dawn Louise said...

Wow amazing, creative stunning and an absolute totally fabulous piece of artwork.
I like PATRICK or PAT for short (paper artsy treasure) standing there tall and proud friendly and fun. X

Unknown said...

This is one of the most genius creative pieces of art I have ever seen. I think you should name him Ashling, which is Irish, meaning Vision. One of the animal meanings of a Giraffe is Grounded Vision. Whatever his name ends up being, he is definitely something to be Ãœuber proud of. :D

Karin said...

Love, love, love your fabulous giraffe. The first name that popped into my head when I saw him was Gerald.

Karen said...

I have loved all your projects Darcy but Brian, as I've named him, is amazing!
Thanks for sharing so many techniques and materials in your projects: Really great sources of info and inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Wow he looks amazing, so talented and creative. Should be in an art gallery. I think he looks like a George, and fitting with this week's addition to the royal family, as he stands there tall and proud. Susan B

Alexandra said...

Wow, I love your wee giraffe! You should be very proud of your baby, he's amazing! Great touch with the false eye lashes, his eyes look so life like, and the flower spots add a lovely textured finish.
Thanks for the link for the air dry paper clay too. I've been wanting to give this a go, but I agree, the wee packs are a bit costly for what's in them. I didn't know you could find a recipe to make our own....saving more pennies for other stash! thank you.

Beulah Bee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

My name is Golden Treasure. It is a fantastic piece of work and you should be so proud.

zandra said...

Wow, amazing! Yes, definitely let me know when you are coming to NY. Would love to meet up with you guys.
Hugz, Zandra