These handmade book ends depicting the ornamental acanthus leaves from the Roman era are made using Shilpkar and painted with acrylic colours to give an ancient look. These book ends will add a touch of design to your lovely book collection. A perfect craft project for the people who treasure their books.
Fevicryl Acrylic Colours – Burnt Sienna 01, Dark Brown 05, Orange 17, Fevicryl Non Sticky Shilpkar, Fevicryl Fabric Glue, Fine Art Brushes, Colour Palette, Pencil, A4 Sized White Paper, Wooden Bracket, Carving Tools, Rolling Pin, Paper Cutter, Water Container.
Place the rolled out slabs on the body of a broad bottle You will get a curved shape similar to an inverted question mark Make two such shapes in a mirror image.
Make long acanthus leaves from the Shilpkar dough using the pinching technique Using the carving tools make the veins and edges of the leaves in a prominent manner. Make about 17 - 18 such leaves for the two sides.
Take Shilpkar Resin Base and Hardener Mix it thoroughly to make an even dough
Roll the dough into a ball of clay
Then roll it further into a thick coil Place the coil on the work surface and roll it into a long, thin slab using a rolling pin Make two such slabs You will need about 1 and 1/2 packets of Shilpkar (75 gms ) to make the two slabs Cut the slab into a size measuring 3" x 9"inches.
Take a wooden bracket as seen in the image.
Stick the curved slab on the two lateral sides of the wooden bracket using Fevicryl Fabric Glue Leave it to dry.
Make a long coil from the Shilpkar dough and border the "S" shaped curve for a neater look using Fevicryl Fabric Glue
Arrange and stick the semi dried leaves appropriately on the slab using Fevicryl Fabric Glue.
Make 6 to 7 more leaves in the same way as you have made the earlier leaves Arrange them on the upper curve of the book ends with the tip of the leaves facing downwards .
Details the veins and textures using the carving tools
Paint the bracket and the leaves in a shade of brown made by mixing Acrylic Colours – Burnt Sienna 01, Dark Brown 05 and Orange 17 respectively, to give a way a wooden effect. Let it dry.