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PROJECT: Noah’s Ark Mural…Done?

Posted by :bcjen On : November 26, 2011
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Category: Murals

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Hoping your Thanksgiving was great.  We had a pretty great one with G’s family.  Always a good time.  Here’s a pic of the kids with the turkey craft I forced them to do:

  That’s my niece and nephew with Than.  I have no idea what’s going on with Than.  Looks like something bit him and he’s freaking out.  Maybe his turkey did it.  Those things were made out of toilet paper rolls, colored construction paper, tape, staples and markers for eyes.  I used googly eyes before, but forgot to bring them with me so we just drew the eyes on.  They had fun, apparently, because as soon as this picture was taken they decided they wanted to take the turkeys out back to play.  That was just a bonus for us adults.  :)

So the mural….Noah’s Ark…  Guess what?  It’s done.  Yep.  Done.  Well done except for the rainbow, but we can wait on that one – I’m too short and Pastor Mike’s really busy.  Maybe I can get another taller person to come up and stand up on that ladder and paint the rainbow.  I also need to seal that bad boy.  The mural, not Pastor Mike.  The walls weren’t a smooth surface – they are textured so the potential for paint to come off is  greater.  That may not be fact, but it is in my head so I’m gonna go with my theory of sealing it sooner rather than later being a good thing.

Here’s the pics:

     

And yep, I fixed Noah’s mouth problem.  But another problem cropped up.  That being I painted the butterflies the ugliest color combinations possible.  It’s like I closed my eyes and grabbed paints and decided to put them together in that manner.  Butterflies are supposed to be pretty.  Mine are color-challenged.  I’m good with that.  My excuse is I had to use every color I could find so that throughout the years, the babies could combine to end up with all the beautiful colored butterflies we have today.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it….

PROJECT: Noah’s Ark Mural, Day 3

Posted by :bcjen On : November 21, 2011
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Category: Murals

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Ok so I’m still working on the Noah’s Ark mural.  It’s huge.  But still fun.  So fun, that I took a random picture while sitting in a chair giving my legs a break.

So I sent it to G via text message.  Here’s the picture, followed by the text conversation:

G:  “Did you fall and that is the photo from the floor?”

Me:  “ROFL!! No, I was sitting in a chair!”

See why I married this guy?  He KNOWS me.  He knows it’s entirely possible- and more than likely PROBABLE- that I’d fall AND take a pic from the floor.  Man I love him.

He has every reason to ask about the falling.  4 months prior to our wedding he came home from church to a hysterical message on his answering machine:

Me:  (crying)  “Ok, so I was getting ready for church and I took a bath and when I got out of the tub I fell and I broke my wrist AND my elbow.  How am I going to have a wedding with my wrist and elbow in this horrible cast?  It’s huge!  Did you hear me?  I BROKE MY WRIST AND ELBOW!  I FELL OUT OF THE BATHTUB!”

Yep…never living that one down.  Ever.

Two months after we got married we were doing yard work or something in the back yard and I jumped across the stepping stones and managed to break the bones in the top of my foot.

And I’ve fallen down stairs.  But not in front of G.  In front of my family.  And yes, I swore like Eddie Murphy’s Aunt in his “Delirious” video.  Aunt Bunny.  Allllll the way down.

And…my family was laughing so hard at it, that no one cared that I had just fallen down the stairs.

I’m famous for falling.

Boy did they all feel guilty when they found out I had TWO rare diseases that causes this to happen?  Well, no, not really.  They still laugh about the stairs.  Secretly…so do I.

Here’s some more random shots from today.  I only have to re-outline a few animals, outline the bottom of the ark and then paint the roof and part of the wood behind the animals.  Then I have to put clouds on top of each doorway where the rainbow comes out of  and goes into.  Oh and I have to get Pastor Mike to have time to paint the rainbow stripes.  Poor guy, his life is crazy busy and Smurfette the painter can’t reach the rainbow.

(this was from Sunday, the rest are from today)

   

So yeah…click on that last one.  Check out out Noah’s face.  Specifically his nose to mouth ratio.  Um….yeah…so tomorrow I’ll be going in and fixing Noah’s nose to mouth distance.  Dude has the longest upper lip known to mankind.  At least his wife no longer looks like Shaggy in drag.  Now you can also see why I said I needed to outline the ark.  It looks like a big ol’ mess with out the wood being outlined.  Like a big brown bathtub.  Never fear!  Me and my handy dandy black Sharpie pen will be outlining that bad boy tomorrow!

Also, I get to do the Christmas bulletin board while I’m in the crafty mood.  Here’s my idea:

Translating that into the real deal will be something to behold.  Because the intent is  to make Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus out of poster board, BUT, using felt or material, clothe them.  Make it texturally interesting.  THEN, the wreath is made out of layered, painted cardboard with real bow/ribbon hanging down.  The black backings are black posterboard.  And the presents will be pieces of cardboard with real Christmas (foil hopefully) wrapping paper and ribbon.

All with a budget of $0.00.  And since this house does not have any sort of Christmas wrapping paper, ribbon, etc…this should be interesting…

Oh, and have I mentioned that I just discovered we have a guest speaker coming on Sunday?  So…yeah.  I also have these wood scroll looking signs that others are making and I have to letter, “art up” as well.  I don’t mind doing ANY of this.  I LOVE this stuff…I’m just wondering about time.  The Noah’s ark mural should be done tomorrow (except for the rainbow).  I won’t start anything new this week, mural-wise because I have Thanksgiving commitments end of week.  So I want to finish the Ark then do the bulletin board then get going on the scrolls next week and then re-visit the idea of getting Daniel and the Lion’s Den up and going pre-Christmas.

PROJECT: Day 1 painting Noah’s Ark Mural at church

Posted by :bcjen On : November 19, 2011
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Category: Murals

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Here are some pics of the Ark going up on the wall at church.  One “action” shot of me painting the cows and sheep. 10 hours on/off the ladder was interesting.  Especially since I had a fairly sick Than with me.  His allergies turned into a bad cold.  G came home early from work and came up to pick Than up so I could work into the night.  By the time I got home Than was “SUPER SICK”.  So I stayed up all night giving him medicine, breathing treatments and comfort.  Not necessarily in that order.

I decided to stay home with him today (attitude-wise, he’s doing well…it’s the cough and the trouble breathing that’s spooky) and if he’s better tomorrow I will head to church alone and stay after to continue working.  G will stay with Than any time I’m not here…I have to give him “breathing treatment” lessons.  Actually if Than is still requiring Mommy, I won’t go, but if he’s ok with “just Than and Dad” then I’ll go.

Here’s the pics:

     

I can’t really do the mural justice in the photos as it’s a very tight hallway.  Once it’s colored in the pictures will show a lot better.  The grass and sky were painted in previously by others and the picture down the hall from me in the first shot was done by someone else using the “projector” method.  I was brought in because the areas of the hall where I’m working are too narrow to be able to use a projector.  My stuff is all freehand.

I’ll be perfectly honest here….I’m having a blast.  I LOVE this stuff!!!  The only thing I can’t do is the rainbow across the top from doorway to doorway (over the Ark).  Even on the ladder I’m too short.  Plus it’s just not safe for someone with a disability and a balance problem to attempt to balance on the top of an A-frame ladder.  Speaking of, I need G to get the 2 step, step ladder off of our back patio so I can take that up tomorrow.  That way Pastor Mike can be on the big ladder painting the rainbow and I can have the step up to reach animals to paint.

All the practice of drawing these murals out on paper is really paying off.  I can’t believe that in one day I have the Ark drawn completely, inked and ready for paint!  So excited.

Next mural after Noah is Daniel in the Lion’s Den (will be on wall behind me in first pic).

PS, I had to come back and tell something funny….  So Than wasn’t well, but managed to keep a sense of humor.  At one point I was having a problem getting “Mrs. Noah” right.  She kept ending up looking like Shaggy (from Scooby Doo) in drag.  Than would say, “Mommy, I’m fairly certain Scooby Doo wasn’t on the Ark.”  As long as he can crack jokes I know he’s ok. ;)