Transforming a gourd
This is a gourd, about 8" in diameter and
6" high. I have laid out a geometric pattern using only radii,
woodburned the pattern, then textured the surface in preparation for a
wild paint job. I want this entire piece to look like a turned hollow
form.

I will turn a base and a finial for the top when all the
other work is done. Near the bottom left you can see a green and a
copper area. These are powdered metals that I want to incorporate in
this kind of work. This is my first try with these. The 2 brownish areas
near the middle are sawdust from my bandsaw which I glued on for a
different texture.

Here is a close up picture of the texturing. I used a
different tool for each different texture. It took about 8 hours to get
this far.

I painted all the textured surfaces using a
poly coat scheme. Each of the colors is at least 2 colors, sometimes 3.
I turned a base and a finial for it and ebonized them with India ink.
The finial can be removed.

Top view of this gourd. After the painting
was completed I had to go back and burn all the lines again because I
had obscured them with paint.