Painting Gourds

[madmax]

Does anyone else do gourd craft? I paint gourds I have grown and dried, here are a couple that I did not turn into bird houses, painted with images of my minis. I used metallic paint on the one on the right. I seal them with clear acrylic. Photo might be too small, might have to correct.

 

[Charley]

Very creative! I am in awe of people who can draw and paint. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Very nice painted gourds!

I collect the little wild buffalo gourds that grow on the roadside here and use them to make snowmen. I use paperclay to sculpt a few facial features. Usually make a couple every winter, depending on what kind of bases I can find.

www.cassphoto.com/2012full.jpg

I made a lantern out of large gourds. Cut a larger hole with paper over it, so light can shine through. Then a small hole in back to push in a string of little lights.

I could never paint one as beautifully as yours.

I bought a painted gourd ornament this year on Etsy for my Garden Club gift exchange. Like yours, it had some metallic paint on it.

I like gourds!

 

[madmax]

I love your snowman, how clever! Tell me about buffalo gourds, I assume they are growing wild.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I love your snowman, how clever! Tell me about buffalo gourds, I assume they are growing wild.

Thanks! Some of my snowmen are several years old. Gourds are so cool.

The buffalo gourd is "cucurbita foetidissima". It is a perennial vine with a large tuberous root. They say the gourd was boiled and eaten by Indians and the crushed roots were used for washing clothes. It's related to regular gourds, luffas, and the melons. It grows wild on the roadsides here. The gourds seem to need to lay out for a year before they are good to use. I stop when I see their khaki color on the roadside and gather what I can in the fall. Many are broken or rotten, so even though there may be dozens laying in a spot, there aren't that many useable ones. I've tried picking them before they're dried up and saving them and haven't had much luck. When the gourds are green, they are green/yellow striped. They have a big yellow flower. The gourds are about the size of a baseball or a little smaller. They're a nice size to make into ornaments, but I've never done that. Can't paint that well! I have a few I could send you if you want to play with them.

 

[Marty]

There are a lot of gourd people in my neck of the woods. Never ceases to amaze me. Your work is very exceptional compared to what I've seen. You've got serious talent!

 

[madmax]

Marsha, most of my gourds are larger, when I do get a smaller one I make an ornament out of it, a snowman or covered with stars, etc. The ones I grow I leave on the vine until the vine dies, or just let them hang on the dead vine for weeks to harden. If they fall I hang them with twine to encourge them to continue hardening or else the shell is too thin and cracks easily. Some just never harden well naturally.

When I make a birdhouse I usually paint something whimsical, I do give some away,wish I had taken more photos, but I do have a couple of photos I will try to post later.

I am still having troubles with 'empty post' and have to clear the cache if I want to post.

I took a photo of wrens nesting in one gourd with the babies sticking their heads out, but it is very poor quality, but they were so cute.

Thanks for the offer, right now I have about 30 gourds staring at me waiting for me to get an inspiration! Or the time.

 

[Shari]

The one on the right looks like pottery! Your gourds are stunning!

 

[madmax]

Thank you everyone for your nice comments.

 

[REO]

They are beautiful!!!!! WOW!

 

[Annabellarose]

I agree with the comment about the one on the right looking like pottery! It is lovely.

 

[AngC]

Those are beautiful! You are very talented. (...and I'm envious; I wish I could paint/draw something more than a stick figure.)

I think gourdcraft is pretty interesting and have thought about growing some. Can you tell me if there is a way to seal them; not for eating utensils/bowls or anything, but is there some sort of sealer that makes them waterproof for use as like a vase? Thanks.

 

[madmax]

Angc , Thanks! As for being waterproofed, I have not put water in my 'vases' so I cannot say if it would be okay. However, I put a sealer on the finished gourds, spraying the interiors with a clear spray acrylic. I paint them with acrylic paint, and brush them when dry with a decoupage type sealer. I use "Plaid" Royal Coat. Short term water in a good hard shell gourd should be okay I think, like a ladle that scoops water, but does not hold it for days. I can't say.

My experience is the gourds need to 'season' well by letting them dry naturally for several months. I can get a clue they are ready for cleaning in a few weeks by shaking them to listen for the seeds to rattle meaning that the interior has dried and separated from the shell. I usually then go ahead and clean the mold off by using water and a round plastic bottle cap (that keeps me from accidently poking a hole!) and judging which ones appear to be forming a good thick hard shell from the ones that are going to stay too thin and end up cracking. I hang them up and let them continue to harden. I do not cut the stems off----I most often utilize them with the craft in someway--------when I cut the tops to form a 'vase', I use that piece to paint as a 'flower' and use the stem to place in the 'vase' sometimes.

Gourds can be purchased online, but I never have, they are fun to grow and see the different sizes forming.

 

[AngC]

Well, I ordered some seeds; with shortest growing season I could find. I'm dubious how they'll do here. Thanks madmax.