Tuesday, August 3, 2021

70's Inspired Mushroom Canister

Make your own vintage canister

Mushrooms have made a comeback!

I remember my Aunt having mushrooms all over her kitchen, including the canister set by Sears called "Merry Mushroom" pictured below. I thought it would be fun to go a little vintage for this tutorial. I hope you enjoy the videos, part one is the sculpture process and part two is all about bringing your vision to life with paint. Enjoy

Inspiration Photo

SUPPLY LIST

Clean glass jar with screw on top
Foil
masking tape
18 gauge wire (about 12")
wire cutters
glue
Delight air dry modeling compound (optional)
Creative Paperclay®
water
clay tools
sand paper for light sanding
gesso (optional)
acrylic paint
brushes
spay varnish (optional)
inspiration photo
imagination

TIPS

**total work time 6 1/2 hours

Choose glass over plastic when finding a jar. A lid that is fully threaded works better than one with half thread like a pickle jar. Less stress on your mushroom cap.
build a firm armature with the foil and you'll have less cracking of the clay.
masking tape is optional, but it provides a smooth surface over the foil and gives the clay something to stick to when applying on the glass. All can be done without the tape as well.
Use just enough water to work the clay. Too much and it becomes difficult to shape and takes longer to dry.
apply thin layers of clay, about 1/4" or so. Less cracking and quicker dry.
Let layers dry over night.
lightly sand and repair any cracks with some wet clay. Let the clay sink into the crack and smooth over with damp finger tip or tool.
gesso is optional for the first layer in the painting process. If you don't have it, just skip it.
build your color base with multiple layers of paint.
seal with spray varnish if desired.