How it's Done

Small bottle gourd in my garden.

Gourds are annuals that thrive where the temperature is 20 to 27°C.  Most varieties required 100 to 180 days  to mature . 
Gourds take a long time to dry - small ones take at least a month - large gourds can take six months or more. They must be stored in a cool, well ventilated area. The gourds are dry when the seeds rattle inside. The gourd will be very light - and very fragile. 
The gourds must be cleaned with a solution of water and  bleach to kill any bacteria. Place gourds in a large vat or tub, making sure that they don't touch each other. Cover them with a wet towel and let soak for an hour or two. A stiff nylon brush will clean the waxy build-up. Dry really well and you are ready to create.

I look at each gourd for inspiration- I then draw pictures on paper and I scan them so that I can size up or down. For some reason I always draw bigger than what fits best on the gourd so I learned the hard way that I often need to re-size my drawing. Scanning also allows me to cut elements out of the drawing or even to reposition  a tree or animal, whatever I am working with.  "At the Watering Hole" (The Serengeti Plains) gourd I drew each animal separately an then taped the drawings to the gourd, moving and repositioning each piece until I was satisfied.

I live with the drawings taped to the gourd for 2 or 3 days-making changes if needed. I then use carbon paper to transfer the images to the gourd- I usually work with cotton gloves on and go from left to right so as not to smudge the drawing. Thus far I have put in about 40 hours.

Now I decide where I am going to make my cut. I wear a mask because the dust inside the dried gourd can make some people sick- I carefully cut the gourd and hollow out the seeds and membrane, I usually sand the inside until smooth and paint it.

Now the real drawing, shading and work begins. I use graphite and coloured pencils a lot so I need to "fix" the drawings as I move along. The final details can take anywhere from 3 days to 1 week.

I then seal the gourd to preserve the art. I use floor wax or varnish. This project has taken just over 80 hours!

Then, I am very careful to put it where it will not fall over- there is nothing more humbling, putting in all this work, only to have your masterpiece roll off the table and smash to the floor.

It is fun though- deciding what to do, experimenting with paint, pencils, leather dyes and pyrography. You are limited only by your imagination.

If  I can help you in with your endeavour in anyway please contact me.

Happy Gourding!