Did you know that the ornaments I offer are handmade from start to finish by myself? These ornaments start out as a 4 inch by 1 inch piece of Poplar wood. Crazy right?
The process of making these ornaments takes some time. Having foresight on when I need to start making more is so important! Despite the time involved, I really enjoy using my hands and creativity in a different capacity!
Want to know more about the process?
Part I
Once I select a piece of wood that I think is going to be perfect, I take it home and I visit my drill press! On my drill press, I have a 3 inch hole saw that I use to cut the circular shaped ornaments one by one. Once this task is complete, it is time to add holes at the top using the drill press, again!
Part II
The cut ornaments are then sanded until the grain is smooth. I previously did this by hand and it kept causing my hands to cramp up! At the end of 2021, I purchased a belt sander which has really saved my hands!
Part III
Are you wondering how I get two different colors of wood from the same length of wood? Easy! To do this, I stain one (dark) and apply linseed oil to the other (light). I offer two different finishes to allow for different fur colors to contrast with the wood. Lighter colored pets look best on the dark finish, while darker colored pets look best on the light finish.
Once the stain and linseed oil are applied, I let them dry for about a week and then apply a primer.
Part IV
The primer is a colorless substance that sits on the wood to create a seal between the wood and the painting. This primer is a step that must not be forgotten because it allows the paint to sit on the surface instead of dropping into the grain of the wood. If I didn't use the primer, the oil paint would get soaked up into the wood and it would also fall into the grains, causing an uneven portrait! Nobody wants that!
Part V
Once the primer is dry, the ornaments are ready to be painted! Ornaments make ideal gifts and are great for pets and botanical art!
Check out a short video of my process here!