Shiny Ornaments Tutorial

         

Supplies:

Small gourds, cleaned on the outside

Ornament caps and wires

Tool to cut the top for cap insertion

Black acrylic paint

Metal leaf adhesive and applicator

Dry sponge or brush

Silver leaf sheets (or the color of your choice)

Alcohol inks and applicators

Alcohol or alcohol ink blending solution 

Pen or pencil

Hair dryer

UV resin

UV resin lamp 

The Steps:

Cut the top of the gourd where the ornament cap will be attached. You don't need to clean out the inside, unless you really want to. It's unnecessary for this project.

Spray or brush on a thin layer of acrylic paint over the whole gourd and let dry. A single coat is fine and doesn't need to be perfect. The black paint will only show through if there are gaps in your metal leaf. You can leave some gaps intentionally, if you like.

Apply a thin layer of metal leaf adhesive over the whole gourd and allow to dry according to package directions. Excess glue will not be helpful, stick with a thin layer. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

Apply silver leaf to the entire surface, patting down gently with a dry sponge or dry brush. Use small pieces to fill in as needed. Brush off any loose metal leaf with the sponge or brush.

Apply alcohol inks to a small, dry applicator (use a separate one for each color) and apply ink to the gourd in small circles or swirls, as you like. It works well to apply one color in random areas around the gourd. If you find the color is more heavily pigmented than you like, add a small amount alcohol or blending solution to your applicator to lighten it. Repeat with additional colors. You can overlap the colors and blend them a little but be mindful that you're not over-mixing or combining colors that aren't compatible in a pleasing way. It takes really small amounts of ink, which is why I don't suggest dripping ink directly onto the gourd. If you get too much ink, it will run. You can gently blot some off, if needed. Keep adding additional ink until you like your design. A very slight mist of alcohol will mottle the colors lightly, if you like. Just make sure not to hold the spray too close, or your colors will run or drip off!

When you're happy with your alcohol ink design, you can dry it with a hair dryer. You may want to insert a pencil or something into the hole to hold the gourd so it doesn't blow away. It will also be helpful for rotating the gourd as you apply the resin.

Apply the UV resin. You'll want to add it in small amounts so it doesn't run too much. Avoid pushing into the resin and marring your alcohol inks. You can let gravity help to spread it, and use a toothpick or other item to push the resin around to cover the surface of the gourd. Keep rotating and looking for dry spots. It will not set up until exposed to UV or direct sunlight, so there's no hurry.

Place your ornament under the UV light. Curing time will depend on the manufacturer of the resin, the lamp you're using and the ambient humidity. High humidity will deter the curing process, so be aware of that. 

Once the resin has cured, all that's left is to insert the ornament cap and wire.