Beach Art Sculpture
Project 5
Owls
This beach art sculpture features a pair of owls who have made a home for themselves on an old, gnarled, sand sculpted tree. The tree has grown on a sandy beach. Nearby but out of sight are areas of beach grass and bushes that shelter mice and other small critters for the owls dining pleasure.
Materials
3” wood base, round
1 curvy branch
1 largish seashell
2 owl figurines, about 1 inch tall
Seashells
Sand
Glue, all-purpose white
sandpaper
Optional:
Stain
Crab
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Use this beach sculpture as a guide to making your own. If you can’t find the materials in the list, substitute them with something similar. For instance, you can use a rectangle wood base, or a 5” round one instead of the 3” round I used. You can use a tree branch with angles and cut it to fit your own desires. I got my owls from a “flea” shop, and hand painted them. If you can’t find owls, try a different bird – perhaps parrots. Just try to keep them on the small side.
Prepare the Base
Take a look at your wood base. Most of the bases I have bought have rough spots. Use sand paper to smooth the wood down. Then pass the sandpaper lightly over the whole thing to remove some of the “patina”. This will help your stain appear more evenly on the wood.
Dust off the wood and apply the stain. I usually apply the stain only on the wood that will be exposed to view when the beach sculpture is done. Set aside and let the stain penetrate and dry. You can stain the whole base if you wish. It will not hurt anything.
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Prepare the Branch
The “branch” for this beach art should be cleaned of dirt. Also cut off any loose pieces and parts you don’t want to use. You may want to paint it with polyurethane before using it. This will protect the wood and give it a bit of a shine.
Prepare the figurines
Remove any stickers from your miniature figurines. If you need to paint yours, like I did mine, do so before using them.
Do a Dry Run of Your Sculpture
Before you start gluing anything down to the base, check everything for fit. Place the “tree” on the wood base. If it needs support, try placing a larger seashell behind it. If you look closely at the photo you’ll see that an upside down seashell is used to support the tree.
Also, see how the owls sit on the tree and make any adjustments to the tree so they sit nicely.
Glue Everything in Place
Begin with the tree. Apply glue to it and set it on the wood base. If a support is needed, glue that down, then apply more glue to where the tree touches the support. Wait for it to dry.
Apply a thin layer of glue to the remaining surface of the base. Sprinkle sand over this glue to cover. After the glue dries, remove any loose sand. Just tilt the base and the loose sand should fall off.
Glue the owls to the tree. Prop them in place if needed, although if the tree is prepared for them, they should sit well on it.
Now glue a “log” in front of the tree. Then, if you wish, glue a crab in front of the log. Finally, add some seashells, helter-skelter around the base.
Protect your Beach Sculpture
Once everything is in place set it aside so the glue can dry.
To add additional protection to your sculpture, paint with polyurethane. I use a liquid high gloss type. Paint the seashells, the "log", and the sand. Anything made out of glass should not be painted with poly. It will get dull.
Enjoy your sculpture. Use it as a centerpiece for a beach themed area on a shelf. Place a couple of large seashells nearby, or make a couple of tealight candle holders and place them to either side of your beach art sculpture.
Make another Sculpture
Project 1 – Sculpture with Globe
Project 2 – Fish on Reef
Project 3 – Coral with Fish
Project 4 – Leaping Dolphins at Sunset
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