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!

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

“Worldly Cat” at the Overture

Check out Worldly Cat next time you’re at the Overture’s Rotunda Lobby:

He’s in the Rotunda Lobby, after spending February at the Dane County Airport. Then off to the Zoo!

Zoobilee 2010 schedule
JUNE 19-SEPT 26:
The animals will be displayed throughout the zoo. The art display will consist of life-size and small fiberglass zoo animal sculptures painted or decorated by local artists.

OCTOBER 22:
The art will be sold at a live and silent auction event at Marriott West. Proceeds from the event will be split evenly to benefit American Family Children’s Hospital and the Friends of the Zoo.

More info at Henry Vilas Zoo’s Zoobilee

Zoobilee tiger

was finally finished in mid-December. A great opportunity, but much too much detail to get done quickly (as I’d originally planned). Grad school work suffered, but then again, the stipend earned helped pay for this spring semester’s courses. So I can’t complain.

See the tiger’s progression here, plus further information about the event, dates, sponsors…. Coming soon to the Henry Vilas Zoo this summer! More info about the Zoobilee. A few pics:

1.) Worldly Cat features a world map of the current populations of big cats (on the left side of the tiger’s body). The final tiger, lifesize, face modeled after Cyber, the Siberian tiger at the Henry Vilas Zoo. The actual tiger (Cyber) at the zoo is well worth the trip–he’s a real cutie and just gorgeous.

2.) With the littles for scale (ah who am I kidding? I just love posing them):

3.) Right side features a map of Madison, WI with some popular points of interest…

Fiberglass form is from Cowpainters in Chicago. They make the greatest forms!! (my cow and pig, from other shows, also came from there)

Wanna see where Worldly Cat is these days? This month (January) he is at Hilldale. Then the tentative schedule: The tiger will be moving to the Monona Terrace for the month of February and then the plan is to move to the Dane County Airport at the end of February through March. They hope to bring it to the Zoo in April. This is the schedule as of now.

See more painted forms…