Ric Rac Orchid Cactus Plate Bowl
Last month, I found these old photos that I never got around to writing up.
They are still relevant. Thus, here is my Ric Rac Cactus Plate Bowl.
I created this plate bowl back in 2013. Not long after taking a
class with Al Stirt at The Center for Furniture Craftsmenship in Maine.
I used Al's pattern layout, and sgraffito process.
My inspiration for the pattern was my Ric Rac Orchid Cactus. See
photo above.
Note: I call a plate with a small blow in the center a "Plate
Bowl". Sgraffito definition "decoration by cutting away parts of
a surface layer (as of plaster or clay) to expose a different colored
ground".
Here is how I created the decoration on my plate bowl:
My inspiration for the pattern was my Ric Rac Orchid Cactus.
Boy this cactus was small back in 2013. It is now a big boy. I have
propagated it into numerous plants. See photo at end.
Here I have traced the leaf (stalk?) pattern onto the plate bowl with a
yellow water color pencil.
I am using a WATER COLOR pencil because I can easily remove it with
a wet paper towel. Water color pencils are easy to find in art supply
stores.
I turned the plate bowl out of maple wood. Then, I prepped it with
(one or two coats, I don't remember) of black acrylic gesso paint. I
thined the gesso a little with some water. The gesso dries flat. I like to
use a good quality gesso. I use either Golden or Liquitex brand.
Latter, I will top coat the finished piece with a semi gloss or
gloss finish. For now, I just want a nice flat surface I can draw on.
After the gesso dried, I sprayed it with flat lacquer to toughen up
the gesso and make it water proof. In 2013, I probably used Deft brand flat
lacquer. Sprayed on from a rattle can. Today (in 2019) I would use 2 to 3
VERY LIGHT coats of Krylon brand "Matte Finish 1311". Matte is
the name of the finish. It dries fast and makes a great surface to work on
top of.
Transfer the Pattern to a Template
After I create a pattern that I like, I need to replicate it over and over
on the plate. I do this by creating a template.
I get some thin, yet rigid, see thru plastic sheet from local craft
or fabric store. Quilters use this stuff. Low cost. You can get it with or
with out a grid on the plastic. It looks like I had the grid stuff back in
2013. I now prefer it, with out the grid.
I trace the pattern I like onto the plastic with a run of the mill
#2 pencil. Click on the photo for a better view.
I cut out the template with an X-acto knife.
Note: Should I call it a Template or Stencil? I am going with
template.
Here I am testing out the template. It looks good.
Notice that I discarded the part in the middle. The part that most
people would keep. I want the outline of the shape. Not the shape. Why,
will become obvious in the next couple of photos.
Now I need a way to rotate the template around the center of the bowl and
position it at the same angle.
The photo shows the gizmo, I came up with. I cut a piece of plywood
that fits in the center bowl. Then I attached the plywood to a chunk of
scrap metal.
Then I taped the template to the metal with some masking tape. Now,
I have a template that can be rotated to any position on the bowl.
This gizmo works on any outside shape plate (square, oval or round)
with a round bowl in the center (or off center).
Now I play around. I move the pattern around and decide what visually looks
best. How close together, do I want the leaves? How many leaves fit nicely
all the way around the plate?
I can use my yellow WATER COLOR pencil to temporarily draw things
on and see how they look. Because I can easily erase the water color with a
damp paper towel.
I decided, I wanted 7 leaves. 7 is an odd number. Things often
occur in nature in odd numbers. 3, 5, 7, etc. Odd numbers often look best.
7 leaves allows the widest part of the leaves to almost touch.
About 3/16" apart. The pattern will visually fill up most of the
plate. But, not to much! See photos below.
Now it is time to make some reference marks that will allow me to evenly
space the pattern.
360 degrees / 7 leaves = 51.43 degrees. Thus, I need a reference
line every 51 degrees and then fudge the last one a little if needed to
make it look good.
I used my protractor to mark the first 51 degree spot. Then, I just
attached the protractor to my gizmo and rotated it, to make a mark every 51
degrees.
I made all the marks with a WATER COLOR pencil so I can easily
erase them latter with a damp paper towel.
This photo shows the 7 reference marks.
Why didn't I use the index in the lathe? Well, I find indexes
built into lathes, are generally, completely and totally useless in my not
so humble opinion! They are way to hard to use. They are often buried
inside and/or hard to see. They have way to many holes. I only need like
12! Counting every fifth hole or what ever is for the birds! It never comes
out right! Are they zero or one origin? Err……
In this case, there is no doubt, any lathe index is completely and
totally useless! I want 7, an odd number. Lathe indexes are always even
numbers!
Here I have taped the template to my gizmo. I am rotating the gizmo. Lining it up on my reference marks. Drawing on the pattern with a WATER COLOR pencil.
This photos shows my circle T-Square. I got this from Al Stirt. The
t-square has been adapted to ride on the outside edge of a circle.
In this case, my outside bowl is circular (rather than square or
oval) and my inside bowl is in the center, thus I could have used this
rather than my gizmo.
I could have just taped my template to the t-square and then
rotated the t-square.
Here I have started carving in the pattern with a 1/8" ball cutter
(burr) in a rotatory tool.
Note: You can only sort of see the shaft of the tool in the photo.
The cutter is not visible.
It looks like, I was using my Foredom Flex Tool back in 2013.
Today, I would just use a Dremel style tool. It's the pattern and
operator that matters. Not the tool!
Here the carving is all done. I used a 3M Radial Bristle disk to clean up
any carving fuzz.
Ready for a finish. Hum? Well, I don't really known. It may
already have a semi gloss lacquer finish on it.
Here is the finished piece.
My Ric Rac Cactus Plate Blow. 8-1/4" diameter, 1-1/4"
tall. Cherry wood. Power carved pattern. Semi gloss lacquer finish.
My Ric Rac Orchid Cactus in 2018
Here is a picture of my Ric Rac Orchid Cactus. Out on my deck in 2018.
It's a big boy now. Click on the photo for a better view.
The Ric Rac Cactus is on the right. Pointed to by magenta arrow.
There is another Orchid Cactus on the left in full bloom. I love the red
one. I don't known the name. It was a cutting from a mother plant with
fantastic flowers.
I love Orchid Cactus because they have fantastic flowers. They are
really tough. Easy to grow. But, they can be a bit ugly when not in bloom.
I love the shape of the Ric Rac Cactus leaves (stalks?) and the
flowers look great. The flowers are white and orange. However, the Ric Rac
flowers do not smell good. They have sort of an industrial smell. Not
really foul, but not sweet and pleasant.
The red one in photo smells good. But the smell is faint.
Carl, beautiful work and clever technique. Thanks for posting!