One of the projects I recently finished was totally different than anything I had ever done before. A client brought me 3 sets of serving tiers. I am not sure of the proper name for these things (if you know, I would love for you to leave a comment regarding such!). I have seen them in a small form usually made out of glass or china used to serve small fruits, candy and hors d’ouevres, etc. They were made of wood and metal, with gold mats to place in the trays. All were a bit rough and the client asked if I could paint wood grain on them with foxes and hounds running around the edges and some larger ones in the centers as she did not care for the mats. I said I would see what I could do, so I took them apart and got out my sand paper and latex house paints and set to work.
Here are a few parts of the tier sets ready to be painted
The smallest set was 21″ high, with only one tray that was paintable, as the other two were metal baskets. The tray measured 15″ in diameter, and grain of the wood was extremely rough, so it required a good amount of sanding prep. I brushed some paint to get coloring of wood, but the grain was so fine it barely showed through. So, I painted the grain in with a brush.
The small tier set
The middle set was 28″ high and the large tray at the bottom was 19″ in diameter. This wood was a grade better, but once again the grain did not show through well at all. So, again, I painted in the grain, then painted foxes and hounds around the edges and inside.
Medium tier set
The largest set of the three was completely different. The lower tray measured 20″ across and the entire set stood at 30″. Each layer consisted of a wood tray with deep metal sides. The wood was much better quality, so I only had to highlight the grain. However, the metal sides had to be completely painted to look like wood. These took a bit longer, but I was able to make the figures of the foxes and hounds larger.
The large tier set
I seriously think I can now paint foxes and hounds in my sleep! There are 90 figures on the three pieces, yes, I actually counted. I thoroughly enjoyed working on these, and found it challenging and fun at the same time. I almost feel guilty that I am able to do ‘work’ that is so enjoyable! Notice I said, “almost”!
Detail of figures around edges of tiers
Hope you enjoyed viewing these!
Julie
January 20, 2013 at 3:19 am
Hi Denny, I remebered us talking about this project before you started it, how nice to see them completed! I have really enjoyed looking at these and reading about how you did them. Great Job!