Yasha's Bonsai Blog

Sugar Skull Kit Instructions

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 22:58:00 +0000

Sugar Skull Kit Instructions

Important: when you touch the bisque, always make sure that your hands are CLEAN. You don't need gloves, but clean hands without lotions or oils are essential. Always.

Please keep the box, bubble wrap, and peanuts handy, you will be using them to ship the skull back for firing.

You will need a nice, fine brush, and possibly an exacto knife. The fine brush should come to a good tip. Something in the realm of a 10/0 to a 18/0 works great. The exacto is only for scraping off mistakes or cleaning up edges. You can use other brushes too, but you can do everything with one brush if you like, as long as it has a good tip. For this demo, I used only a 18/0 brush.

When you are ready, look through photos of Sugar Skulls. There are horse designs on the internet. I won't cut and paste them, for copyright reasons, but a search of 'sugar skull horse' will find them easily. Notice that sugar skull designs tend to run vertically, they are symmetrical on either side of the front line of the skull. Remember this as you set out your design. You are only painting one side. You might want to sketch a few designs on paper. Notice the traditional elements.... hearts, key holes, crosses, flowers, geometric designs. Look for elements that you like, and that will work with the area that you want to paint.

Your kit includes four colors of paint, plus black; glaze; a sponge; and a bisque or two. You will need a paint brush, a little cup of water, and possibly an exacto.

You cannot draw directly on the bisque with a pencil. If you do, when it is fired, the pencil lead will burn out, and the paint that you put over it will possibly chip off. You might be able to do it really lightly, but you do take that chance that the paint will chip off. Instead, use the black paint to paint the outline of the element that you are creating. Keep the line consistent. Thin the paint with a drop of water, if you need to. I often use the back of my hand, to test how the paint is flowing. Too thin, and it will spread and not make a good line. Too thick, and the line won't flow. You can also use the back of the bisque to practice. You can always sand it off later. Remember that it is easier to get an even line, if you pull the brush toward you in one stroke. Move the bisque in your other hand, until you can make one nice stroke the way that you want it. Then move it again. Practice is important. You can always wash it off if you get frustrated, but make sure to dry it completely before starting again, if you do.

Outline your design element with the black, then wash your brush with water, and go back and fill in with color. These paints are like water colors, they can be painted thinly, and several coats makes them more opaque. If you get some on the black outline, which you will, you can go back and outline it again later, to clean it up. The exacto can be used to remove excess paint outside of the area. Scrape it with the EDGE of the blade tip, not the tip. The bisque is soft enough that you can make holes in it with the exacto if you use the tip. Use the edge, and simply and cleanly scrape and stroke the paint off. If you want to start again on the whole skull, you can wash everything off under the sink, and let it dry again. Scrub lightly if necessary. It's important to let it dry before starting again. You can use a hair dryer on it.

Scrape gently to remove paint, with the edge of an exacto.

Keep looking at your design, to balance the colors. You can mix these colors if you like, what you see is pretty close to what you will get. Mix the purple with blue to make a different purple. Mix the yellow with green to change it. Only little amounts are needed. These kits contain enough paint to do several skulls. Use the lid to work with each paint, mix a little bit to exactly how you want it.

Be careful about touching what you have already painted. Try to hold it by the edges, or ears. A damp finger can smudge your paint. It will dry quickly, but can be rewetted quickly if it gets a drop of water on it.

As you fill in your design, look for balance. There should be no large white areas left, it should look filled in everywhere. I didn't complete my design, because it was getting washed off anyway. Yours should be complete before you go to the final step!

If you used the back for practice, lightly sand or wipe the practice off, or scrape it. Unless you don't care. The back will either get a pin back glued to it, or a magnet, or nothing, whatever you ask for. Sign it if you like. If you do sign it, one dab of glaze over the signature (see next step first). Otherwise, the back can be left without glaze until it gets here, and I will glaze it. I will even out and fix your glaze here, as long as all of your design is covered lightly. I can fix any gaps or inconsistencies. Remember, when I do them, I spray the glaze on. You only have to put on enough glaze to stabilize the design, and I will do the rest.

When your design is done, you will be dabbing it with glaze. This is important. SO IMPORTANT. Wet your sponge under the faucet, and keep squeezing it and wetting it until it is soft, but barely damp. Then touch it to the glaze in the cup, and do ONE DAB. ONE. Move to another area, and do ONE DAB. The main thing is not to re-touch any area that was made wet by the glaze, until it is dry again. You don't want a lot of glaze on your skull. A thin layer. If you dabbed on too much, try blowing on it to push it around. This will be the hardest part for you to get right. If it gets way too much glaze, it will get bubbles in the glaze when fired. If it is too thin, I can add glaze here. So what we want is for it to be covered in the peach colored glaze, but not thickly. One dab in each area. Be patient. Then let it dry. When it is dry, do another thin layer. Don't wipe, smear, or dab dab dab. That will keep your design from getting smeared when it is shipped. Please look at the photos for a better understanding of how this glaze will look when you are doing it.

The sponge is barely damp, after running under the faucet so that it opens up and softens. Then it is dipped into the glaze, that was shaken. The glaze is thin, on purpose.
You need to take your time, and let each dab dry. Use a hair dryer if you like, that will speed it up.

Once your dabs are dry, go back in and dab the surrounding areas. When the entire front and edges are dry, put on one more layer. If you signed the back, dab that too.

Your bisque will look like this when you are done. See how you can almost make out the design underneath? See how you can still see the jaw hair, eye, and tongue detail? This is perfect.

When the glaze is completely dry, you can use the bubble wrap to wrap up the skull, put it back in the box, and return it for firing.

Use First Class, it's cheaper.

If you have questions, ask me on FB, you are my beta testers, so I need to know what can be better explained or what you have trouble with. If you totally get in a pickle, you can completely wash off your skull and let it dry, and start again.

Good luck!

Bumblebee

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 06:33:00 +0000

Photos of our Classic Mini

Rough Roads Run

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 08:24:00 +0000

Winnie's Christmas Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 21:49:00 +0000

Winnie is ready for the future...

Video of the Train and Putz Village

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:26:00 +0000

A short video of the Train and Putz Village, with train sounds.

The Dollhouse Train and Putz Village

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:16:00 +0000

Here is the Train and Village as it stands today.

Breakfast with the SCMM Club in October

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 23:44:00 +0000

On a hot, dry, clear day in San Diego (holding our breath and hoping to get through it without major fires) the San Diegans met for breakfast on our usual first Saturday of the month event. Twelve cars total, including two Classic Minis, and a gang that is quickly becoming fast friends. Craig and I only drove Jasper today, because I took the dogs to the vet in Winnie and she's completely full of dog hair!

MINIs going to Hooters

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:38:00 +0000

Putting this poster up so that a friend can use it to post to the forum. No, Winnie and I won't be there.... LOL

Tagging

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 04:37:00 +0000

The dogs and I 'tagged' a black MINI on our street. That's when we put a SCMM club card in their window, inviting them to join our club. I always wonder what people think when they see the card. Some of them do join, but are the rest just annoyed? Or amused? Or... confused?

Jasper in the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:13:00 +0000

I like this photo of Jasper:

Jasper gets Juiced! Orange Juice, that is...

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:45:00 +0000

Jasper was not the most exciting color. Pretty, but not bold. Not eye catching. Not... MINI!! So, we did some graphics... BEHOLD!!

Put the Metal to the Pedal!

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:23:00 +0000

Winnie needed metal pedals. Yes, she did. Because they have a Union Jack pattern, that's why. And they look great! So there. The kit is from BMWPedals.com, they were at the MINI show yesterday. Show special, $120 for the set. Whoo Hoo! Very easy installation, took literally five minutes, one Phillips screwdriver and one small ratcheting wrench, alcohol and a rag. Here is the kit: Starting with the 'dead pedal' on the far left (because she is an automatic transmission) Use the little included tool, unscrew the top to expose the screwdriver head, and pry the rubber pedal out of the rubber platform. Comes right out! Wipe the exposed area with rubbing alcohol, peel off the red backing on the tape on the new pedal, and stick it right in there. Yes! Now the brake pedal. It is covered with a rubber piece that simply peels off from the base. Wrap your fingers around it, and pull forward. The metal base has two screw holes in it. Line the screw holes on the new pedal up with the base, stick in the screws, put the little washers on the back, then the nut (with the white plastic part facing away from the pedal) and screw them in. You will need to hold the nut in place with the ratcheting wrench or whatever, as you screw them in. Finally, the easiest one. Your new accelerator pedal goes right over the old one. Wipe down the rubber pedal with alcohol, peel the red backing off, and stick it right on. Make sure that you have it even before you stick it down, because that tape is STRONG. Not coming off! That looks great, and the way it is machined, all of the round bumps and the flag design are highly profiled, so it has a lot of grip. I'm happy. :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:32:00 +0000

Bob and I took the dogs up Nate Harrison Grade, and around the truck trails there, to see how they liked it. They loved it! And they were well behaved too, staying close to us. Did well in the car, just bracing themselves along the dirt roads.

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 23:22:00 +0000

The San Diego SCMM group held their breakfast today, and we had a super turnout! Old friends and new, which is the very best mix to have! When we went in to eat, we had eleven MINIs, and when we came out, we had twelve! Someone spotted us in the parking lot and decided to join us, right in line with everyone else. We hope to see them next time!

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 04:09:00 +0000

Sand Crab on the trail off of Banner Grade.

Jasper!

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 19:58:00 +0000

The Jeeps seat covers

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Jasper Arrives Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 04:53:00 +0000

Tomorrow, we will be a two MINI family. Jasper Cooper is coming home! Craig ordered him just as he wanted, and after waiting for him to be built and shipped, and then finished at the dealership, we will be picking him up.

He has the fixed spoiler installed, instead of the mechanical one, because we like the look of the fixed spoiler much better. It was pricey but we don't intend to ever sell the car, so we chose to do it immediately. We will be keeping the original spoiler in case we ever want to reinstall it. I can't imagine why. Winnie the MINI has been such a great joy for us, she has brought us so many new friends and experiences, that Jasper seems like a logical next choice. Craig has been more excited about this car than I have ever seen him, and it does make me very happy. :-)

Dipstick

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:03:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:03:00 +0000

Trip to Oatman, November 3rd, 2012 SCMM took a run up to Laughlin, where we spent the weekend. The MINIs ran to Oatman, AZ on Saturday, an old mining town full of burros, gift shops, and tourists. The road out to Oatman was twisty and great, and Winnie kept up with the pack just fine! Below are a few photos of our trip.

The burros are tame, in as much as they let you feed them the alfalfa cubes that you buy in a bag. A few pushy ones did a little kicking toward each other, or grabbed the bag out of your hand, but they were pretty well behaved for wild animals. I also noticed that their hooves had been trimmed. Probably a good idea. Otherwise, they are free to roam through the desert and through the town.

After Oatman, we ran to Pirates Cove in Needles, CA and had lunch. It's a resort on a side branch of the river, so ski boats come and dock and have lunch there. Very nice!

We gambled a bit, but the house won in the end. :-) It's all good, though. It was a great trip, and we are now ready to go back to work.

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Updated photo of Winnie, she won an award and I needed to take a photo for the glass trophy, so took this today.

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:05:00 +0000

500 miles out of a tank of gas! Excellent!

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Secret Compartment removal in Winnie

Brownies for Charity!

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:06:00 +0000

We don't all get to go through Life with all of our limbs, or our abilities intact. People lose an arm or a leg everyday, whether they are in the Military, or are civilian First Responders. Some children and young people have accidents, or are born without the abilities that we take for granted. Whether it is accident, disease, or in the line of duty, the people who have these situations often fall into depression, withdraw from society, or just slowly fade away. To counteract this, there is a charity called the Challenged Athletes Foundation, who reaches out to these people and gets them involved in athletic pursuits. I had the pleasure of meeting a young Navy man who had an accident and lost his leg, and he is now running triathalons because the CAF supported him and gave him what he needed, which along with his indomitable will, changed his life in remarkable ways. You can read about him here. My friend Denise Mueller, who is a MINI driver and an active athlete (it wears me out just reading her updates!) is one of only one hundred cyclists who will be cycling from San Francisco to San Diego, to raise one MILLION dollars for CAF, a total of over 600 miles. She has been training for months, brutal rides through the hot mornings, but she has reached her goal of raising $10,000 through her own efforts. Now, since she has a couple of weeks left, she is upping her personal goal to $12,500, and I am so impressed with her efforts and her strength, that I am trying to help her. Here's how you can help, too! These Brownie donkey heads below are custom glazed, each unique, and have high temp wire twists permanently imbedded in their heads so that they can be worn as necklaces. You can win one! For every $10 you donate to Denise's page, you will get one chance to win a Brownie head. If you donate $100, I will send you one outright. I will make another Brownie head for every ten chances that my friends earn, so that your chance of winning is at least one in ten. I will keep making Brownie heads until the deadline for entering is past, which is Sept 1st. There are two rules: 1. You must donate through Denise's page. 2. You must send me an email and tell me how much you donated. (mold40 at roadrunner dot com) Three people have donated or promised to donate $100, and they will now have first pick from these heads, and the rest will be the prizes. I have more heads ready to go, some will be brown and some will be gray. They have a very tiny thank you label fired on the back, so that you always remember that you have it because you did a great thing.

Contact me for any questions, and thank you so much!

Challenged Athletes Foundation and nice warm Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Joanie) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:55:00 +0000

There are so many charities and foundations that do worthy work. So many people in need of help. We can't help them all, and we are asked every day by some group or other. But when someone is willing to bicycle from San Francisco to San Diego, which will take seven days and cover 620 miles, and when she is so remarkably upbeat and motivating, that appeal stands out from the crowd. Denise is one of only 100 cyclists that have been chosen to participate in the Million Dollar Challenge, the bicycle ride that they will share along the way with challenged athletes, and in order to fulfill her goal she must raise at least $10,000. We can help her to achieve this goal, and the money will be used to help people who have a physical challenge to get out and live again, using sports and goals. Read more about it at http://www.challengedathletes.org/site/c.4nJHJQPqEiKUE/b.6459009/k.68FD/Million_Dollar_Challenge.htm Here is MY challenge to YOU, my friends... Between now and Sept 1st, 2012... go to the link below, donate at least $10, and you will get one chance to win a Brownie head necklace. Every additional $10 buys you another chance. For $100, I will send you a Brownie head directly. I will make enough Brownie heads so that everyone has at least a one in ten chance of winning! That is, there will be one Brownie head made for every $100 we raise. Keep donating, and I will keep making them. No limit. None. But it has to be to the link below, it has to be by Sept. 1st, and **you have to email me and let me know how much you donated!!**

These pictures don't do it justice, I will be taking better ones soon. In the meantime, here's the link: http://www.challengedathletes.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1000634&supid=349522515 Let's put Denise over the top, and keep going!!