Now i have the moon finally finished i can get the stars finished too & hang the project. For MY 3D moon & stars project i made 2 large, 2 medium & 6 small stars. Because the method of adding the tissue IS identical on each of the stars i will use one of the largest stars to show to the process. It will make it easier to see because of the poor lighting here.
I some how lost the video footage of how to attach the string to the moon & stars so can not show you this as ALL the stars have been strung & tissued at this time. Since it would be a waste of materials for me to make a new star simply to show the process i will hope you except my apology & the text explination of how to do this?
To attach the string (wire if used) to the moon & stars IS identical in method.
Using a star as a refference: Choose ANY one of the stars points. CAREFULLY using a craft knife CUT DOWN the point to around 1cm or so. A depth YOU are comfortable working with. TIE or wind a knot or clump of wire end in the string/wire. Hold the knotted/clumped end in the cut you just made in the stars point.
Squeeze in enough HOT GLUE to fill the 1cm area covering the knot/wire clump end. BEFORE the hot glue fully cools gently squeeze the cut back together again. HOLD IT for a minute or wrap in a short piece of masking tape. place to one side until TOTALLY COOLED!. DO NOT attempt to lift the star by the string/wire for a few moments or you WILL dislodge the string/wires hold before the hot glue fully cools.
MY three sizes of stars i created. I went with 5 pointed for the large & medium stars but chose a 4 pointed star for the smaller 6. Simply to add some variety in the final grouping when hung.
The cheapest tissues you can find makes the perfect wrinkles. You WILL need to use at least two layers of the x2 ply tissues for best effect however. When i say the cheapest ANY 'none brand name' tissues will be fine.
On larger projects you CAN use whole sheets but for my stars i tore the tissues down to half sheets to reduce overlapping when attached & of course quarter for the smallest stars i made. As with news print strips etc. Some artists prefer to tear ALL paper(s) used. Some cut the strips. The argument being in favour of torn edges smooth down better. For BOTH cases MY methods produce smooth surfaces anyway. When it comes to tissue paper it IS easy to 'lose' the hard edges so tearing tissues is no real issue in any project i find.
Place a single strip at a time on the 'dry' star. Because i am using cheap thin tissues if i wet the project first before placing the tissue any last minute adjustments would risk tearing the tissue & having to replace it. Laying the tissue onto a dry surface gives me a few seconds to peel off & place the first layer of tissue in the right place if need be. Once you have the first layer on the second layer can go as it pleases the mistakes WILL be lost in the final design later. KEEP the brush WET. Brush over the tissue VERY GENTLY. I prefer to go in one direction if possible to control the way the wrinkles form.
This is just the first of 2 layers i will be doing on each star. Already you can see the strong wrinkles forming nicely here.
As you place each single strip of tissue turn the star over & fold the overlapping tissue over the back of each point. TOP...
Then bottom works best for ME but YOU do it how YOU feel more comfortable with.
ALWAYS make sure to get the CENTER of the star definition back by gently 'dabbing' the WET brush around the central area GENTLY. Do not worry too much about the overlapping tissue building up here at this point. The glue then the paint WILL combine to level out the edges.
Do not forget to keep the string out the way when adding the tissue.
ONLY work on one side at a time. Let each side FULLY DRY before doing the reverse side. The tissue WILL tear or be pushed around when still wet. Hang or lay the star on a plastic sheet (carrier bag etc) to dry.
To attach the stars to the moon simply pierce each finger tip with a craft knife creating a small 'cut'. Repeat the knotting or clumped wire end method mentioned above then insert gently into the small cut you made. Inject a small amount of hot glue then lay on a free surface to cool before hanging the project.
I will post pictures of this project once it both finishes drying (the stars) & i can figure out 'where' i can hang the thing. MOST average houses here in the UK only have 8 feet ceilings & medium sized rooms (around 10 square yards). So finding a location to hang it with a full flat wall behind it is 'tricky' at the moment. I WILL get some pictures posted as quickly as i can, i promise.
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