Hi Art Friends!
It has been so gloomy here with the wintry weather. It's miserable to go outside but a perfect time to be in my craft room. I find serenity and peace there; especially when I turn on some relaxation music with nature sounds tucked in.
I wanted to share something with you this morning. I have a metal clock I found at Hobby Lobby years ago in a clearance section. It is a plain metal clock with the paper face of the clock partially torn off. I don't know how long it had been sitting there but the second I locked eyes on it, I knew it had potential to be something other than what would probably have ended up being tossed. So, I brought it home with me and it sat on my work table for probably two years. Now I'm sure none of you has EVER brought something home with the best of intentions to immediately create a masterpiece only to have it sit and collect dust. Right?!?
Anyway ... the other day, I was cleaning and organizing in my craft room and there was my clock. This was the day I would give that pathetic little thing a new purpose! So I started with some white gesso over the face and top of the clock so that whatever I ended up doing with it would have a surface that would "grab" anything I decided to do.
This was my poor little clock when I started. I loved the exposed intricacies of the "guts" of the clock. I knew that I wanted to color them but leave them as they are because they are art by themselves.
I gathered several pieces of scrap cardstock that I always keep. I tore a little of this and that and created a new face for my clock; something that would compliment the skeleton already provided for me.
I added a touch of lace and tissue as well as the torn cardstock to the face using DecoArt Media Matte Medium as a glue and then as a sealer over the face. This way, anything else I added to "age" the face would protect the design I already had in place.
The dome of the clock was crying to be recreated into shabby/vintage/slightly industrial style top. Here are some metal cogs with Tando Creative Bolts and Screw Tops made from chipboard glued in place. Alternating between them are sweet little lace hearts. All glued in place and then brushed over with White Gesso. I also painted all of the tower tops on the clock base with White Gesso for aging.
Now to get the new and improved dome of the clock back to a similar color of the metal of the original clock. This was done using Creative Expressions Cosmic Shimmer Raw Umber. I also randomly brushed paint over the still raw metal on the clock just to blend it better with the sections I had been altering.
To enhance the clock face, I first added touches of a wash created with Creative Expressions Cosmic Shimmer Raw Umber and water (using my finger). I wiped off the excess using a baby wipe. Then I added a wash of Creative Expressions Cosmic Shimmer Cobalt Teal mixed with a touch of water and DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Translucent White. It made a beautiful soft patina teal-ish color that perfectly accented the face of the clock. This color combination would also create a lovely patina look on my next step.
While just fooling around with the wash, I figured out that if I just filled my brush with a watery mix of the Cobalt Teal and the Translucent white and slopped it onto the metal surface of the clock, I could move the paint around in random patterns with the hot air coming from the heat tool. I added more paint in areas and repeated the heat tool technique. This is what I ended up with. I LOVE IT!!! Very random and very old looking!
Now to add the rusted appearance to the clock. This was easily done using my finger and Creative Expressions Cosmic Shimmer Quinacridone Gold. I just rubbed the paint randomly over areas of the clock to bring out highlights and detail that touch of rusty aging.
I wanted the lace hearts to remain very shabby chic looking among the patina and rust. So, using my finger again, I added small amounts of DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White over the lace hearts. I love how the teal bled through on its own.
The finishing touches ... I painted the Tim Holtz Mini Numerals first with gesso and then DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Metallic Gold. The little ribbon roses were just painted with the metallic gold.
I also altered these little brass crosses into the rusty patina look on the clock using DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Translucent White mixed with Creative Expressions Cobalt Teal and Quinacridone Gold. I love the detail that it brings out on the crosses.
I placed a cross on either side of the clock. I also painted the metallic gold paint around the metal braided trim to "frame" the clock and add more detail.
Now for the finished clock:
Here is a closeup of the clock. I also patina finished a metallic butterfly that I added to the top of the clock.
The now repurposed sad little clock has new life! I added the little gold roses in the center of each of the lace hearts on the dome as well as two little half crowns blued together and altered to match the new clock look.
The clock face opens out. Here you can really get a look at the "guts" of the clock and why I am so fascinated by them. And yes...this could be a working clock by adding batteries. Notice the detail just adding paint to the braided metal and around the edges of the dome and clock face that the metallic gold paint adds!
One side of the clock.
The back of the clock. I added a bottle cap with a sentiment to the pendulum that moves back and forth.
The other side of the clock.
Now I guess I'll be on to my next art adventure! But I wanted to share this with you to prove that something that looks like trash isn't necessarily that! With a little imagination and a few art supplies, you can create something lovely and that will bring you joy to look at it!
Happy Crafting!!!
