making a small "gnome" figurine...but he can be more...

Post by **Howard** » Tue May 13, 2014 3:09 pm

I needed a “gnome”…but couldn't find exactly what I wanted…I tried to sculpt one…but failed…then turned to the way that works for me…an assembly of small parts…21 in all…

He’s not a “Santa” or a “Father Christmas“…but with a few cosmetic changes…he can become any number of character types…

I made the body first…wood bead head…bamboo skewer neck and legs…wood dowel body…cardboard base…there are small holes in the head, body and base to receive the neck and legs…everything was glued with Aleene’s ® original tacky glue…

I left the legs extending past the bottom of the base to act as a painting handle…these were cut flush when finished…

The details came next…beard…nose…mustache…eyebrows…ears…arms with cuff wraps…belt buckle…boot tips…rolled cone card stock hat…some parts had to be made several times to get the right fit…

The finish is as follows…a few coats of primer…actually about four…followed by painting the details…then a couple coats of clear to seal and protect the craft paint…

Regarding primer…I mixed a little spackle compound to the primer and brushed in thoroughly around seams, joints and where pieces meet…the spackle fills the voids and gives a sculpted look…

The most helpful tools…magnifying visor…sharp craft knife…tweezers…small brushes…and patience…

My very best regards…Howard…