The creative process!

 

The long awaited rain in the Campbell River area gave opportunity to stay indoors today

I always feel a little guilty that I'm not outside when the sun shines

We have a large garden, which takes a lot of up keep

 

Actually there's no reason I couldn't made driftwood stuff outdoors!

 

 

I let what wood I have collected, guide what the finished boat will look like

I've mentioned before, my first attempted looked like I'd tried too hard

These were never very pleasing!

 

This piece is already angled, so a tug boat seems the obvious choice

 

 

Safety first, I hold in place ready to cut (Love my thrift shop Workmate)

 

 

The rough edge looked great but it would be difficult to attach a cabin

The level surface won't distract from the great shape of this piece

 

 

This piece of wood already has some color so I'll use that

I mark the line to cut using the previously trimmed would to get an accurate angle

 

Next I select a flat piece of driftwood for the cabin roof and cut to size

 

 

Depending on the size of the boat, determines how I will join the cabin to the hull of the boat

One of my prized tools is my hand drill

Purchased on line this allows pre-drilling of delicate pieces of wood

Driftwood can often be unstable

Numerous times the wood will split (Usually followed by a selection of choice words!)

 

I often use a piece of bamboo skewer as a dowel to connect the two pieces

Drill both piece carefully, cut the dowel to size

Hammer into place and a spot of good glue does the trick

 

 

My work contains lots of recycled elements (is that an admission I'm a hoarder?)

Select some nails (I like rusty nails to add character)

 

 

Adding the details is the fun part

Cheap eyelets made great portholes (I've used washers in the past too)

I use 19 gauge black wire to make eyelets to secure wire detail or hold twine details

My set of pliers are another must have, in my tool kit

The Elmer's Tacky Glue is always at hand

The best brand for my craft at least

 

After a couple of hours, a splash of acrylic paint, drilling out a base and...Voila!

 

 

I love it! The natural tones and unpainted finish let you admire the beauty of the woods natural qualities.