Thunderbird Gourd Art – Lessons in Learning

Representing hours and hours of work, this thunderbird gourd was my best learning experience to date.

Measuring 6″ x 8.25″, this canteen gourd is painted rather than dyed. I had planned on dyeing but the natural variations in the skin were too great, causing difficulty with the design. I thoroughly cleaned the interior and painted it black to coordinate with the design. The circled thunderbird pattern is repeated around the gourd a total of three times.

Although I don’t think she recalls it as I do, my gourd art teacher DID 🙂 give me a challenge when I started this project – use every gourd art technique I had learned to date – cutting (sawing), drilling, woodburning (pyrography), carving, embedding cabochons, and a new one I added for this project – adding studs around the rim. It certainly was a challenge – one of the greatest being the curving design of the woodburning.

I had decided I was designing all my gourd art from this point on and with all my enthusiasm for my new found art love, I definitely planned big, entering “too difficult for my level of skill” territory. And therefore – the practice gourd came into play.

My sad little practice gourd. The week I learned gourd art isn’t a breeze.

The black gourd you see here was my first try at this assignment. I made so many mistakes (and I am a perfectionist so I saw MANY) that after I finished, I decided to do it all over again – thus the above red gourd of the same design.

I also discovered that burning and painting the doodle design (what I still refer to as Zentangle but that is trademarked somehow) that encircles the gourd is Hard and Tedious. I don’t think I’ll be choosing to repeat doodling on gourds until I have a great deal more experience.

And then there is the fact that gourds are natural products so even the best specimens aren’t exactly the same on every side. A straight design encircling a slightly off kilter gourd? Even cutting the top off evenly – almost impossible. More of my perfectionist tendencies challenged!

I measured each of the three thunderbirds ever so carefully from the top of the gourd. Although true to the measurements, the bird looks crooked. Gah!

But I did learn how to add studs although measuring from the rim doesn’t mean a straight line! And I further developed my technique of embedding cabochons – carving perfect circles – whew! I learned I’m a long way from burning curving lines on imperfect gourds. And I discovered that I love carving although this represents the most basic gourd carving.

Anyway, not for sale, I’m sharing here my experience in learning. I loved every minute – even the tedious painting of all those doodles!

Vicky