New Northern Lights!

Where’s my Aurora Borealis fans? I have 2 new Northern Lights pieces, both animals.  There’s a difference with these ones, though, from my Northern Lights Bears you can see HERE and HERE. Oh, and don’t forget about my Aurora Wolf pieces, HERE and HERE!  I’ve done one more Bear, and a new 3 layer Raven.

THE RAVEN

We have a lot of ravens and crows here in B.C., and a lot of them visit our yard. They are so clever! Did you know that they recognize faces, and can remember individuals? Fortunately, we’re in their ‘good’ memories, because we always make sure that they have nuts & peanuts to eat. By giving them their own ‘big’ food, the smaller birds are able to eat their own seeds.

The raven is 3 layers of 1/8″ laser cut MDF, and measures approximately 18″ x 9″. The first layer is the body front with trees; second layers is the mountians, and the final layer is solid, with the Northern Lights applied.

To create the texture on the raven, I applied a layer of resin, and then applied natural stone Mica flakes in a hue called ‘Smoky Eye’. The irregular shape of the flakes, and their base colour of black with grey & silver hues give an interesting texture and colour to the body of the raven. Much like how their feathers seem to shift from black to blue, The legs and beak are kept smooth, just like the real bird. For the trees, the resin is tinted with a Jade pigment.

For the second layer, I used a grey/brown pigment mixed with the resin for the mountains.  Finally, the back 3rd layer is for the Northern Lights sky. Where in my previous Norther Lights pieces I’ve used mica powders or glitters, this time I used a pre-printed vinyl application.

After completing the 3 layers and allowing them to cure, all 3 are secured together, and a purple/red synthetic stone is added for the eye. Here’s another picture, below, so that you can see the details.

I have done 1 other multi-layer animal; another Bear, and it is 4 layers thick! You can see it in my Shop HERE. Spoiler alert – it has Northern Lights, too! (yes, they’re on my bucket list to see in real life).

NEWEST BEAR

This bear that I just completed along with the Raven is like the first 2 that I linked; it’s a single layer wood cut frame. This time, I used another colour scheme of the pre-printed vinyl for the Northern Lights.

How do you like this colour scheme? Definitely more purple in the lights! For the mountains, I used a black pigment in the resin. For the mountain tops, I wanted it to look like a bit of reflected light from the Aurora, so I mixed a bit of grey/silver mix glitter into a clear resin, and added it.  Finally, the bear is stained with alcohol ink in Sepia and Teakwood.  I think I like the natural look of the stained wood, and will leave it without resin.

The Aurora part is covered with clear resin – you can tell by the shine!

LISTED SOON

I’ve just completed these 2 pieces, and will have them listed for purchase in my Shop by this weekend.  They are ‘one of a kind’, so if you’d like to claim either the Raven or Aurora Bear for yourself (or as a gift!), before they’re listed, drop me an email right away at thistledesigns@shaw.ca.

So tell me – what kind of items do you like to see in my Shop? Functional items like coasters, key chains, trays, etc.? Or the decorative pieces like this Raven and Bear, and the Suncatchers and Dream Catchers? I’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment on this post, or drop me an email. Thanks!