Resin Dollhouse Geode table, working in miniature with resin and Polymer Clay.

Making Miniature Resin Geode Tables

Ok I'll be honest, I absolutely love miniatures.  To sit down all day and make everything in mini would be freaking awesome!!  I was feeling sorry for myself the other week, resin allergy, no one interested in my art, when something popped into my head and filled me with excitement.  Miniature resin Geode table for a dollhouse.  OMG yes.  I had to do it.

Polymer Clay popped into my mind for the base of the table, and that moment I went searching in the garage for all of my clay tools.  With Mr 4 by my side we began playing with scrap clay.  My scrap clay is a mixture of all the brands, Kato, Sculpey and Fimo.

 Here are my four basic geode shapes.  I just rolled some clay out, and cut out random shapes.  They went into my mini oven for an hour and then they were ready to play with!!

 I made up a very small amount of resin.  The great thing about miniatures is, it uses less of everything!  I placed the bases on upturned cups and began my experiment.  A very small amount goes a long way, so I did have trouble getting the distinct lines I can get on my large geodes.

 Obviously glitter played an important part, shiny pretty glitter.  What could take the place of the rocks, glass and gems that I use on the large geodes?
Beads of course.  I have a plethora of beads, finally time to use them!!  I mainly used microbeads, which are teeny tiny, obviously.

I also used some glitter gravel that I bought from a cheap shop.  It actually looks nice in geodes.



After the first resin layer was dry, I added another, this one I put in more glitter and tried to define the colours a little more.  It basically took a lot of patience and a steady hand, moving the resin where I wanted it to go, then using the heat gun sparingly to blend the colours.  I also added some gold leaf on the third layer.

After the fourth or fifth layer was completely dry I brought out the posca pens and drew some more defined lines around the geodes.  This made them start to look like something worthwhile.  I was a little worried to begin with.  (Apologies for the dog barking in the video).

I wrapped the edges of the mini geodes with painters tape, leaving about a 3mm edge above the geode.  I did this so when I poured the next couple of layers of clear resin they would build up and completely cover all the beads and make the table flat.  It worked!!

To remove the resin that had dripped onto the bottom of the geodes I used the heat gun and a small chisel to carefully get them off.  The resin actually came off quite easily, which was awesome.  Time for the edges of the geodes.  I used Mont Marte Leafing Size glue, and gold leaf and prettied those edges up.  I was actually really surprised at how easy the glue made putting the gold leaf on.  That one is a definite win, and I will use it again.

Mont Marte Leafing Size link.

The saga of sanding and using my dremel to cut some wood for the legs, ugh, wood and cutting just not my favourite thing.  I am actually in love with the way they turned out, I love the thickness, and I can see all the layers of resin and glitter and beads that lovingly did.  Let's not forget the swollen eye from my allergy to resin, the rash that spread like chicken pox, and the misery I was in from the pills and the itching.  To sum it up, it was worth it.  I will do it again, and again and again.

GLAM SHOTS!!

I'm happy with the experiment.  My doll house, everyone's dollhouse deserves some glam geode tables I think.  I absolutely love them :) 

I have also made some experimental resin tiles for a dollhouse.  I have embedded microbeads in some tiles, glitter in others and of course I have made a glow in the dark sample. All different styles and colours.  I will be doing a project with them in it sometime in September.  I will post my progress of that too.

Etsy mini tiles for sale here.

 I've also been glamming up miniature cheese boards for the doll houses as well, adding resin to them to make the glam mazing!!

Please follow me on facebook........... KristinaObrienart

I am also on Instagram.......... https://www.instagram.com/kristina_obrien_art/
Aaaand Pinterest....... https://www.pinterest.com.au/krystalrose316/pins/
And now on Etsy.........  https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/KrystalRoseCreations?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Until next time.........

Reviewing Color By Feliks Youtube Painting Tutorial

Reviewing Color By Feliks Painting Tutorial

Ok ok it's not as bad as it sounds, I am not judging him, I am just letting the world know how I think his tutorials are.  One opinion in a billion voices.

Let me start by saying he is a huge Instagram star, and I am slow off the post and have just recently started watching his videos.  The paintings he makes are so peaceful and make me feel like there's something worth smiling for in this world.  

I actually tried his boat painting, the sunset is to die for.  

 Color by Feliks Boat Tutorial

He makes it look so easy, sigh.  First off, my fluffy brush, too fluffy.  Actually no, it worked well, the way his did, it was blending like a bad ass, but, and a big but, for every stroke I did with it, it lost ten hairs.  These hairs stuck in the paint, making it impossible to flick them off.  So I had to scratch them off, leave a mark in the paint, and fix it up with more paint.  I specifically went to Spotlight (Australia's Hobby Lobby I guess), and spent $30 on this Mop Brush.



This is it.  A one inch Royal & Langnickel Mop brush.  $30.  I was super excited to try it.  That is a lot of money for one brush, but I love painting, and I wanted to try his technique.
If I could list regrettable buys, this would definitely be on the list.  It made me so frustrated and upset with myself that I just couldn't stop the hairs from sticking to the painting.  I wet it, plucked the hairs out that I could see were loose, but it would still lose more and more hairs.  I swear it was mocking me.

So luckily I remembered a previous purchase of a mop brush. (Ooops)  I bought it from Officeworks here in Hervey Bay, it is a J.Burrows number 20.  Barely lost a hair, not a hair was there!  By this stage I was too agitated to properly be able to follow Feliks.  I wanted to cry.  This is no reflection on his teaching, this was a bad purchase, bad timing and frustration.

I ended up painting this and then stopping.  It was pointless, I couldn't salvage it sigh.

I will come back to this tutorial when I think I am better prepared.  So, I tried another Feliks tutorial.  It is a snow scene with trees and a little cabin.  Ok, I was ready......


ColorbyFeliks snow scene tutorial


He talks clearly, I can understand every word, he shows the mixing of the paint and uses minimal
colours, which makes things easier.  He isn't selling super expensive brushes to me and he worked at a speed that enabled me to follow his progress easily.  I will say that I am still a beginning painter and I am used to the Youtubers like The Art Sherpa, and Painting with Jane.  They specifically explain every brush stroke, and tell the reasoning why a colour is being put on the canvas.  Feliks does do this fairly well, just not to the extent that the beginniner tutorials do.  I had some issues with the way that he made his trees, I couldn't grasp the concept straight away.  I did have to watch a few other painting tutorials on pine trees to get what I was doing wrong. 

My trees were too pointy. And too sparse, and just wrong.




His explanation of mixing the colours was absolutely perfect, nothing amiss there.  Easy to understand, easy to follow.  The only problem I was having was, he is just a step above the beginner painter.

These are ColorbyFeliks' winter trees, I just couldn't get mine to look like his.  That said, every other aspect of the painting I could follow, and understand his reasoning one hundred percent.








This is what my final trees ended up looking like, after a couple of attempts and some repainting and fixing up of the things I did not like.  Still nothing like Feliks' but I was "happy" lol.  I followed the rest of the tutorial easily.  Not a problem.  He is funny, easy to understnad and most important of all he makes some gorgeous paintings that I just want to paint and paint and paint with him.  In all honesety, I loved it.  I like the way he teaches, albeit not quite as detailed as others, I like that he uses a minimal colour palette, his paintings are, well words cannot describe them.  That said he is not for the absolute beginner painter, unless you are one of those people that catch on really quick.  I am not.  Takes me a little time and explanation to get some things.  Considering he is only "new" to youtube (less than a year I believe), he still has lots of time to improve on the small little things.

I wholeheartedly recommend watching his tutorials and trying them at your own pace, to be able to paint even a little bit like him would make me super happy. I love painting tutorials, and I love trying new techniques and teachers.  To put him in the same category as The Art Sherpa is a little difficult right now.  She does many many live paintings with questions coming in as she paints and so she can answer them. 

If I was to crituque myself on my painting below I would have lots to say.  😉  So luckily I am not lol.

Remember, mop brushes shed, they shed a lot, be prepared for that.  I have not tried all brands of mop brushes though, so maybe one day there will be a non shedder lol.  That said they blend perfectly, like a dream, like using oil paints.  It's just those darn hairs.

I am currently working on a few different things, like I said, trying to find who I am and what is my niche.  I am selling my art items on Etsy, although my goal is to own my own website and be an Artist, whatever that means.

Tomorrow I will be working on finishing my miniature resin geode tables and the miniature resin river table.  Perfect for dollhouses and anyone who likes miniatures.  These are prototypes, experiments, and I have no idea if they will work out.  I am just trying to make a name for myself, make something I am proud of.

This is a sneak peak of my river resin table, not looking flash just yet, but I have my fingers crossed after I have done everything to it, that it will look freaking awesome!

I am also working on miniature resin geode tables.  I just have the legs left to do on these babies.

Anyway, until next time.......

 Please follow me on facebook........... KristinaObrienart
I am also on Instagram.......... https://www.instagram.com/kristina_obrien_art/
Aaaand Pinterest....... https://www.pinterest.com.au/krystalrose316/pins/
And now on Etsy.........  https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/KrystalRoseCreations?ref=seller-platform-mcnav