Graze cow done!

Done! Finished varnishing last week. Whew!

Wanted to get this uploaded before 2013, so here you go:

We all breathe a sigh of relief at the completion and varnishing of the cow.

Detail

Side 2.

Side 2, detail.

Here’s the whole progression from arrival of the white form to completion.

Cow for Graze restaurant

Graze Restaurant asked me to paint a cow for them. Here’s the progression (click any cow to enlarge), most recent progress at top.

If you want to read this from the beginning, starting with the delivery of the cow, just start reading at the bottom of this post and scroll up….

Done! Finished varnishing last week. Whew!

Wanted to get this uploaded before 2013, so here you go:

We all breathe a sigh of relief at the completion and varnishing of the cow.

Detail

Side 2.

Side 2, detail.

Pretty much done…

Side two almost done (gotta soften the pasture-to-black transition on the right side of the state, soften the udder-to-white-fur transition, and clean up the blacks and whites…)

A closer look…

Side one details corrected. Done.

November–almost December–Aaaack!

What a nightmare this has been. Should be easy-squeezy, but with the other deadlines in October/November…. Oh well. Working away on side two now–getting there! Here’s side one, pretty much finished (below):

Side one pretty much done

You can see that face is getting there–pretty much done.

Final (Side One) State of Wisconsin with products

Wisconsin products modified (got rid of those white outlines around each object–just wasn’t working).

Side One almost done

Side one almost done…still needs some rearrangement of black spots…

You can see the horns painted now (over the texture added in the step below). Face pretty much done. Eyes still need some work, but close…. Hooves made to look more realistic/3-d with painting in the shadows to create depth.

Adding texture to the horns

To build up the texture in the horns, I glob on various acrylic gel mediums. This one is a mix of Golden’s molding paste and soft gel.

October 1 progress:

Some of the locally-sourced, Wisconsin(!) products that Graze uses in it’s cooking. Products blocked in, painting in progress.

September 23 progress:

Black and white Holstein colors blocked in (with my little helpers, for scale of course).

September, 2012

Blocking in the distinctly Wisconsin Holstein fur pattern.

Underpainting begun on forehead–trully a Wisconsin Holstein….

First thing is getting the white out. A layer of orange as the colored ground to make subsequent layers on top glow…

Some info from an earlier post:
Aug. 20
Graze restaurant has commissioned me to paint a cow for their patio.

The design will be a holstein (modeled after one of the dairy cows milked at Sassy Cow Creamery, where Graze gets much of their dairy products). Incorporated onto the black/white holstein pattern, will be painted the specific, locally sourced products–produce, Highland beef, trout, etc (that Graze buys from local farmers in the area)–from which Executive Chef Tory Miller and the Graze team create the dishes on their menu.

It just arrived today…

Unwrapping

Yep, it’s a girl!

New cow (for Graze)

Graze restaurant has commissioned me to paint a cow for their patio.

The design will be a holstein (modeled after one of the dairy cows milked at Sassy Cow Creamery, where Graze gets much of their dairy products). Incorporated onto the black/white holstein pattern, will be painted the specific, locally sourced products–produce, Highland beef, trout, etc (that Graze buys from local farmers in the area)–from which Executive Chef Tory Miller and the Graze team create the dishes on their menu.

It just arrived today…

Unwrapping

Yep, it’s a girl!

Tiger #2 finished!

A Tail of Two Tigers for the Art  Zoobilee is done! Here are some photos prevarnish (easier to see detail without the glare). Click on any to enlarge:

Midwestern tiger side. This tiger is in his natural habitat on a Wisconsin farm.

Siberian Tiger side

Close-up of the Siberian Tiger side. This tiger is in his native habitat (this is Cyber, the Siberian tiger who lives at the Henry Vilas Zoo)

It really is a tail of two tigers.

The title, showing a detail of the Midwestern Tiger side--as you can see, most of the anatomy is 1/2 siberian and 1/2 midwestern tiger as well....

Tiger #2: “A Tail of Two Tigers” (in progress)

In progress:  Another fiberglass animal for the Art Zoobilee. This one called A Tail of Two Tigers, sponsored by the Wisconsin State Journal. This animal along with a few other late editions (by different artists) are due up on display – joining the rest of the Zoobilee already installed – in mid-July).

The "Siberian Tiger" side (Cyber in his natural habitat in Siberia) of "A Tail of Two Tigers"

Click either image to enlarge.

The Midwestern Tiger (Tabby) side of "A Tail of Two Tigers"

Art Zoobilee opens at Vilas Zoo today!

Just got a first glimpse of the artists’ animals today. Beautiful work. Here’s a couple. Will add more later….

My friend Alicia Rheal’s giraffe (#4 on map) and penguin, #6 on map (click any image to enlarge):

"People Watching" by Alicia Rheal, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola

"You are What You Eat" by Alicia Rheal, sponsored by Mid-West Family Broadcasting

My tiger (#14 on map) is still at its indoor location at the Visitor’s Center:

"Cats of the World" by S.V. Medaris, sponsored by Excellence in Dentistry

Billboard tiger moved down the road

Now it’s a little farther down the frontage road on West Beltline Hwy (on right, going east):

(click tiger to enlarge)

“Worldly Cat” on billboard

Cyber as Worldly Cat can be found (much bigger than life) on the frontage road of West Beltline Hwy near the Verona Road on-ramp to the Beltline (above Burne Color Lab and House of HD Custom Tattooing)—on the right as you’re heading east on West Beltline Hwy.

(click tiger to enlarge)

I’ve never had artwork up on a billboard before–it’s sort of thrilling Art Zoobilee opens this weekend, Saturday, June 19th! More info at Art Zoobilee

Since Adams Outdoor is donating the billboard space for the Art Zoobilee, this guy has moved around as needed when they have holes to fill. My tiger is getting around!

Spring Art Tour schedule is up

The Mount Horeb Area Spring Art Tour is this weekend! If you want general information, including maps, list of artists, etc., please go to MHAAA web site.

If you want to know what’s going on at my studio during the tour, go to S.V. Medaris’ 2010 Spring Art Tour page (or just click on Spring Art Tour tab above). Schedule of demos and what I’m working on is listed there. Hope you can make it!

Cowtography cow on top of hilltop greets visitors to the farm studio

On “finishing” a fiberglass animal

I’ve been getting some questions about how to finish fiberglass animal–varnishing, etc. So, here’s what I’ve found out. -Sue

QUESTION:
How do I “finish” my fiberglass animal?

ANSWER:
I finished my tiger from instructions I received from the CowParade event, plus further information from Golden Acrylics. They have a GREAT website, and their phone support is amazing. They’re used to questions from artists about painting/finishing fiberglass animals.

Golden Artist Color, Inc.

IDEALLY, yes, you should take it to a body shop to get a coating put on it, after you do the barrier coats (I believe it’s called Clear Coat? Check Golden’s website, I think it’s all in there). Golden recommends this too–to go to the body shop–they will coat it with this stuff and then harden it, etc. just like a car finish. Very durable. The artist who did the UW Band cows for CowParade did this (she had friends at a body shop I think), and her cows were very tough, professionally coated. This is the IDEAL way to finish your fiberglass sculpture.

CowParade’s instructions involved using Golden acrylics for painting:

• very hi-quality acrylic which doesn’t fade, etc, then barrier coat, plus several coats of a special order Golden varnish–it’s special order–they don’t carry it in catalogue, and it’s difficult to find at website too, but it’s there….

I didn’t have the money/means to do the auto body finish (for CowParade, nor my own 2 sculptures out here on farm–which just spent their first winter outside and did fine–nor for Zoo tiger). …I followed all of Golden’s instructions with the barrier coats and then multiple layers of their outdoor, UV-reflective gloss varnish (with MUCH drying time in-between and afterwards–very important before handling/shipping). Like I said, my lifesize cow and pig just finished the winter outside on the farm (extreme winds and weather), and seem fine:

'Cowtography' covered in hoarfrost (January, Wisconsin)

I will probably bring them in, clean them and re-varnish for the spring-fall outside, then hopefully have room to bring them inside next winter.

Hard MSA Varnish info
(pdfs with much information at that page too)

Start at Golden’s website, then go from there. Like I said, their phone service is great, and they have specialists in all different areas, including paint/finishing for outdoor sculptures. They’re experts there–it’s what they do–and their advice is better than anybody’s I’ve found so far.
-Sue

ps–I’m sure you know this, but never use “permanent” Sharpie pens for any touchups or details, etc. It’s absolutely not permanent–fades quickly in sun. I used it for some tiny details on my own farm cow here, and had to re-paint with Golden acrylics.

QUESTION:
Thank you so much for your reply!  I am still a bit confused.  I have never painted an outdoor structure before and I want to make sure that I have the right things!  So I purchased the Lascaux UV product that they recommended.  That goes on first? And then I am supposed to use the Golden UV product?  What is a barrier coat?  I am sorry if this all sounds silly but I am super confused!

ANSWERS:
I used only Golden products with all of my sculptures, but here’s the order:

1. -Paint your sculpture (I used only Golden acrylics)
2. -Coat entire sculpture with an isolation coat (sorry, I used the word “barrier”–should be “isolation”). On the actual jar of Golden’s Soft Gel Gloss, it says how to make this isolation coat–I think it’s “2:1″ gel to water, but please see jar–this could be wrong. Golden’s info page on this: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/varnapp1.php
3. -let dry per instructions. Also at: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/varnapp1.php
4. -Coat with thinned UV protective varnish (I used Golden’s special order MSA Hard UV varnish, gloss). I followed instructions for thinning from Golden’s website–all instructions are there. Used specific thinner they recommended. More at: http://www.goldenpaints.com/healthsafety/msds/index.php (download pdfs from here)
5. -Let dry recommended time, recoat, let dry recommended time, recoat. See above
6. -The final drying time is crucial too–if you move it too soon, the surface will show the marks–has to dry a very long time–see instructions. More drying time instructions for isol. coat and varnishes also at: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/varnapp1.php and http://www.goldenpaints.com/healthsafety/msds/index.php

I’m sure there’s more at Golden website, but I’ve no time to search–they have a great site. Search button at their site too.

Sorry I can’t help more–many deadlines… There’s lots online–Golden tells you what isolation coats, etc. are at their site at first link above. Hope this helps.
-Sue