Book Box No.2 - The Little Mermaid

***This box has been purchased and mailed to its new home! Thanks!***

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

I remember hearing the story of the Little Mermaid a very, very long time ago. Yes, yes, there is a perky little Disney movie, and it is really quite adorable. But! The original, like most old fairy tales, is quite a bit darker. There is some scholarly squabbling over the intended ending, and I found it very humorous that furor over "retcon" is not entirely confined to modern era comics and movies. I prefer the original ending. I found it tragic and yet very compelling as a child.

After playing with resin one day, I realized I must do a book box based on the Andersen tale. The only idea I had going into the project was that I needed to recreate the ocean in a book. I decided to use a section from the tale where the Little Mermaid is making her fateful bargain with the sea witch.

I knew I wanted something to represent the love of the mermaid for her prince, and I struggled with that element for a while. Finally, I imagined the story in a slightly more modern setting, namely the Victorian era. There was so much social constraint in that time period between classes. The mermaid could have been a human scullery maid and still have never had her love. Knowing deviantArt has some wonderful stock images for derivative works, I went searching for a prince.

I found this rather dashing fellow on MementoMori-stock's page.

So armed with my prince, I began work!

First, I painted the inside of my box with a antique white craft paint that is a very close match to the paper I planned on using for the text. I also painted the "page" edges, finishing them with a very diluted wash of dark brown. I used a sponge to soak up the wash in the middle of these sides, leaving the wash in the recesses and edges close to the book cover.
Next, I tackled the spine and cover of the book. I used 3-4 shades of green, building it up with a sea sponge, to get the base color. To develop the scales, I cut a stencil out of heavy cardstock, and, working in off set rows, I sponged on a green metal patina. The cardstock was very saturated at the end; I was worried it might degrade as a stencil, but it managed to make it to the end.

On to the inside!

I glued my text in and sealed it with basic matte Modge Podge. Because it was an inkjet printout, I knew it was going to smear a bit, but, being a book based on water, I felt it was a good effect.

I glued the sand in two layers, as I wanted the gradual buildup of sand in the corner. Once it was completely dry, I mixed up and poured in the first layer of resin. It was lightly tinted using glass stain from the local craft store. I set the box at an angle, so the resin would collect in the corner and simulate the tide washing up onto the shore.

For the next layer, I wanted three things.
1) I wanted more color in the resin.
2) I wanted to get the Prince's image laid in.
3) I wanted to make sea foam.

Two out of three isn't horrible.
See, this resin is design to resist bubbles. Most bubbles that form in mixing can be removed by blowing on the piece lightly. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to achieve any sort of foam.

(Side note: I did intentionally arrange the photograph so the prince's gaze would point to "grief". I love little details.)

I did try a third, and final, time to get some sea foam. Ultimately, I decided I had to be ok with the results.


Most of this was created by allowing the resin to set slightly and then, using a stirring straw, to create pockets of air and whip in some bubbles. It took quite some effort to get - and keep - the resultant bubbles.

Finally, after all resin was set, I decided on a font. Choosing a font for the spine of a book box can be a tricky process! I printed out the title in a large group and asked for some input from friends. I try to balance the look of the outside with the tone of the text.


I also have to be able to freehand it. I may try transferring it in the future, but the finishes on the box can be very delicate, so I fear transfers may mar surfaces not covered by the lettering. So far, freehand has worked, so I will stick with it for some time. I did the lettering in the same patina as the scales, and, though it almost blends with the scales in some spots, I think the result was very in keeping with the entire project.




DONE!
Things to remember:

• The 2 part resin I use does not keep bubbles easily.

• The more you agitate the resin, the longer it takes to set.

Book Box no.1 -The Tell-Tale Heart

Book boxes. I kept picking them up at my local craft store and wondering what the heck I could do with them. I love books, but the boxes aren't particularly well-made or pretty on their own. Staining them, as for a jewelry box, would not elevate them very much, as the wood is just not of a very high quality. And yet, they called to me. So I did what any good craft supply hoarder would do. I bought one. It sat around for a while. I'd pick it up, turn it over, slide the tray out, and then put it away again. It wasn't until I was playing with resin one day that I realized what I wanted to do with it.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
Not the first tale one thinks of relating to Valentine's Day, but it does include hearts! This box was specifically made for a pair of my friends who have a Steampunk themed room. I "heart" them, so I gave them a heart.

I printed a suitable section of story and an unrelated quote that pertained to Valentine's Day on my inkjet printer. I didn't foresee that this might lead to a bleeding image when decoupaged, but I went with it when that cropped up. Originally, I was going to put a paper texture on the book edges, but I wound up using a light wash of paint to play up the wood grain as paper edges.

The resin heart was made using a two-part mix from the hobby store. I mixed in some glass stain to get the color, poured it into an Ikea heart shaped ice mold, and added some watch parts at various points in the setting process. After decoupaging the base text, I glued in the heart with E-6000. This stuff is almost akin to epoxy.

I used 3-4 shades of brown craft paint applied with a sea sponge in layers to get a suede-like finish on the outside.

Finally, I selected a font I liked, printed out the title, and used it as a reference to do the lettering on the spine in copper metallic craft paint.


Things to Remember:

• Inkjet printouts will run when decoupaged without prior prep.
• Be prepared to deal with some wiggle room when laying in the text background. No two book boxes are sized alike. And many of them are slightly askew.
• Careful careful careful when deciding how the box will open. Make note of this on the box and the "spine".

Unfortunately, I did not take very many pictures in process. I promise to do a better job of documenting in the future!