A review of designs for a leaf gourd project that will spark your creativity!
Do you have a leaf gourd in your collection? You should! They are a great seller because everyone visions it as part of a Thanksgiving display in the center of the table. Besides, no matter what your skills, a leaf shape is easy to draw and carve. The fun and creativity come in how you arrange them around the gourd. To inspire you to give it a try, let’s look at an expert gourd artist and see if any of her designs excite you.
My favorite gourd artist in this category is Marilyn Sunderland. She is a carver that has won several ribbons and awards for her work. Galleries in the Fall like to showcase her work.
“Draw what you love. Create what inspires you.” I do love nature and leaves and that has inspired my gourd carvings all these years.
Here’s what she tells her admirers.
How many hours does it take you to carve a leaf gourd?
I rarely keep track of my hours on carving and completing a gourd. Some gourds have taken 40 to 180 hours, but that is only referring to one or two specific gourds. Each gourd is so different in the process and techniques I use, I don’t like to compare one to the other. My goal is not to carve a specific number of gourds in a limited time frame, but to produce a unique high-quality piece of artwork. Quality is my goal, not quantity.
What Tools do I use?
I carve the gourds with an Optima II Plus carving tool which is a high-speed carving/engraving tool that is powered by compressed air, which fine detail carving.
Additionally, I can purchase different size burrs, so I can carve a wide variety of textures on my gourds.
Many people think my designs are burned on with a wood-burning tool, but in fact, I have not used any wood-burning tool on my gourds. I have carved with a Dremel tool in the past, but was limited by its flexibility and was not able to get the detail I desired. Once I took the gourd carving class, I was hooked. I realized this was what I had been looking for.
What paints do I use?
My favorite medium is oils, because they stay moist longer and allows more flexibility in blending the colors. I also use acrylics and wood stains. Have tried dyes, but prefer wood stains to dyes. I use acrylics for the inside of the gourd because it is so porous. Remember to use a wood sealer first on all carved areas before painting. This will help the paint to stay its true color.
Geeting Beyong the Normal
A master artist skips the first five ideas and looks for a creative solution that fits the gourd perfectly and challenges them to push their skills to create something special.
For that reason, I consider her a very accomplished gourd master carver. Here is a gallery of her work. There are some great ideas here for a leaf gourd project!
As you look at each one consider these questions:
In what direction does the design move on the gourd? Does it take center stage?
How does overlapping help the design flow? What impact does texture have?
Also, notice the different depths of carving on each leaf gourd.
A little too complicated? Here are some other leaf gourds by different artists.
There are some great idea here. There are leaf patterns available on the net and on Pinterest so do some research and sketches and start your own leaf gourd !
Have you tried a leaf gourd yet?
There is more to learn about her here at her website.
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.
Pingback: 35 Ideas for a Leaf Gourd Project