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Create a Gourd Bird With Whimsey!

The Whimsical Gourd Birds of Jenn Norpchen will inspire you to create your own gourd bird with humor. 

festival

I have had a vendor’s booth at the Arizona Gourd Society Festival for about ten years now. With over 100 gourd artists selling the same product, I have been a student of what viewers are attracted to as they walk around. There are pots everywhere and then there are unusual things like lamps, my jewelry, dolls, and animals.

The Gourd Birds Win!!

chickens

Hense, what I have observed is the most popular booths have birds! Whimsical birds and chickens are most popular. Some birds look realistic and are usually a popular variety. You can hear the walkers get near the booth and say, “Awe, look at these!” and then they begin looking them over. When the price is between $20 and $50 dollars they sell fast!

More than their popularity is the sheer fun you can have in making them. Take a look of some examples.

Cheryl Ehlers
Barb Dedrickson
Billy Gaskill
Jadwiga łotocka
Cara Bevan

Notably, look closely at how the head and feet are done and what makes each bird unique! 

Carla Bratt
Lisa A. Robinson

It’s true, a humorous bird has parts that are exaggerated. But some things should stay in proportion or it won’t look like a bird. For example, if the legs are correct then, the body parts can be different. If the body looks right, then make the legs too long or the feet gigantic. They can stand on their own or mount them or maybe they have no feet! You have options here. 

Cheryl Ehlers
Heather Kinkade

For the most part, the legs are the biggest challenge. I have seen them made from bamboo sticks covered in colored straws to legs made from sticks. Most are made from wire.

Here is a video on how to do that.

Then, the beak and eyes are next to consider. I have seen glass beads with seed beads in the hole.I n additon, there are wooden beads with painted eyeballs to the wiggy eyes, to glass eyes. Or just paint your own. They can be realistic or cartoon.

The beak is often made with air-drying clay. I created a handout tutorial with instructions and cheat- sheets for help in creating these areas. It also includes the written instructions from the video with photos. Look for it in the Store.

Now I want to introduce our master artist with her creations selling for hundreds of  dollars.

The Whimsical Gourd Birds of Jenn Norpchen

See more animal gourds at her web site, Jen’s Wild Gourds

 

“The whimsical characteristic of my gourds fascinates and delights me. I am enchanted by the imperfect nature of gourds and the fact that no two are alike. The gourd is a magical canvas: its shape and patterns guide the artist to what it will become, ‘each piece unique.”

Also, each piece is unique… a way of going to that other place where the mind escapes, shoulders relax, and the breathing comes easy.

The Whimsical Gourd Birds of Jenn Norpchen

Art has always influenced her life. With a degree in Interior Design and a minor in Fine Arts, she used her background in ceramics and sculpture to meld the two mediums.

First, she begins her design with an armature, and some interior engineering for the moveable parts. Once the structure is ready, Jenn may carve the gourd with high-speed drills or by hand.

Next, she might embellish them with clay or resin. Now, she has to think about color. Such as painting the gourd with acrylics, dyes, shoe polish, watercolor pencils or crayons, or even wax.  In the end, she has created a wonderful creature that make you smile.

Take a look at her work closely and focus on how she makes them humorous.

Actually, Jenn’s gourd art consists of a little of this, a little of that, and the whimsical characteristics of her gourds are fascinating and delightful. Like most of us gourd artists, she is enchanted by the imperfect nature of gourds and the fact that no two are alike. “The gourd is a magical canvas: its shape and patterns guide the artist to what it will become, “each piece unique”.

Finally, Jenn is a recognized Award Winner for the California Gourd Society including, Welburn Gourd Show, Leiser Farms and Davis Ranch shows. 

Whimsical Gourd Birds of Jenn Norpchen

To my eye, the beak and eyes stand out for me the most. Jenn uses glass eyes that can be purchased on the Internet and they really add character. I have also seen glass beads with seed beads in the hole. Wooden beads with painted eyeballs to wiggly eyes. Or just paint your own. They can be realistic or cartoon.

I did find one book that you may want to look at, Creating Gourd Birds with Sammie Crawford 

Jenn is now on a book tour. One of her loveable gourd birds is the main charcter. 

Enjoy watching this short video about our artist.

In conclusion, creating gourd birds is one way to share your sense of humor. Besides, your choice of bird will allow you to attract different bird collectors looking for something to take home. For me, once I got past getting the bird to stand and deciding how to create the eye I wanted, the rest of the process was fun. I confess, I started out with chickens because they have legs attached flush with the bottom of the gourd. They sold best when I decorated them as if they had careers or a job. You might what to start there and find more chicken ideas on the Internet. Final word, just have fun with them!

chicken as farmer

Are inspired to create your own? Maybe you are already hooked!

Please, share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page. 

Return to the Blog page for other articles.

By the way, Pinterest users can help me spread the word about my posts and jewelry by re-pinning your favorites from my Pinterest page.

Bettie Lake

I am a former art educator and gourd art master helping new artists understand how to succeed with gourd art. I use my blog posts and our Facebook Group Page to communicate with my followers. Hopefully you learn some new things from this post and will return to read others.

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