Altered Elephant

I recently picked up an inexpensive paper mache elephant at the craft store to try my hand at altering something Finnabair-style. I love her altered horses, and set off to alter my elephant in the same vein. 

I started by painting the whole thing with black gesso to prevent mediums from soaking through or making the paper mache soggy. I then added doodled circles and dots to the haunches and details to the trunk, tail and toes with pearl pen and repainted the whole thing with a second coat of black gesso. I then added a generous coat of clear crackle paste to the elephant's back, and left the whole thing to air dry. Once it was dry, the fun began. I mixed many different colours of mica powder with gloss gel, painted on mica-rich paints, and rubbed mica powder on with my fingers. Once all the paint had dried, I rubbed gold Inka Gold over the raised doodles and crackles for extra texture and definition. 

 

A chain lead-rope and some additional metal embellishments finished this beauty off. 

Thank you for stopping by today!