Embedded Files
My goal in this project is to make something similar to Alebrijes Oaxacan painted wood carving.
I am sure this is a bit crazy, but I love these painted wood carvings.
Many years ago, we went to The Hill restaurant in Austin, TX. The restaurant had many Alebrijes crawling on its walls. When it was going out of business, I asked if I could buy one, and it sold me a lizard for about $200.
I have 2 that were bought: an axolotl and a lizard. My youngest son and I painted an alligator.
I am using the reference photo on the left, which is of a real p. metallica tarantula.
I got this huge, unpainted tarantula years ago (~1.5 feet around). I don't know where I bought it.
After painting, it will not be a true Alebrijes because it is not carved in Oaxaca from a single piece of wood, nor was it painted by an Oaxacan artist.
Step 1. Get brown paper to protect the table.
Step 2. Get painting tools: brushes, a water cup, and Sandy's Mandela point tools
Step 3. Remove legs and label them. So, I know where to put them back.
Step 4. Get Liquitex colors: black, gesso, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, black, teal, ultramarine blue
Step 5. Remove legs, glue legs, and let dry
Step 6. Create a gray base coat using Liquitex neutral black and Liquitex Gesso
Neutral black is made by mixing equal parts of burnt umber and ultramarine blue, and then adding a touch of dioxazine purple. This makes a more vibrant black than lamp or Mars black.
Coat the whole spider except the bottom
Paint all sides of the legs
Add a second coat of gesso. The photo only has one coat. There are some small pinholes and other spots that the first gesso coat didn't fully cover
Step 7. Create an Oaxacan geometric pattern on the spider using rulers and a mechanical pencil on top of a gesso base
Oaxacan style has geometric shapes (dots, triangles, pentagons, concentric circles, and so on). See the photo on the left.
The abdomen should have a design similar to the p. Metallica design (and not the style of the Oaxacan tarantula shown in Step 7.)
Note: the abdomen of the wood piece is not the same shape as the real p. metallica
Sandy likes the orange and yellow on tthee thorax
Step 8. Paint the tarantula similar to a real p. Metallica tarantula (see top photo). However, the legs in Step 7 are better looking than on the real spider.
Paint it in Oaxacan style: middle back (thorax), legs, and far back (abdomen)
Be sure to include yellow on the legs by joints, as in the photo. The yellow dots are also a good addition.
Step 9. Spray with a matte or satin Liquitex finish
Add a Gamvar coat to protect
take photo
Google Sites
Report abuse