I position the pieces to form a frame, adjusting slightly to bring best point to do so, Just follow the directions on your stain can.
it into balance.I held together and drilled a pilot hole all the way I took this frame outside and gave it a good all over coat of
through both pieces of the frame quarters where they meet at Krylon crystal clear. Be sure to clear your frame, es-pecially if
the corners. Then I immediately screwed them together with a you stain it.After the frame dried I placed it over a large piece of
wood screw of appropriate length. I go from corner to corner leather and marked out the basic shape desired for the center
repeating this process until the frame is together. Your frame piece. I used a white china marker, leaving three to four inches
should feel sturdy. I decided not to stain this frame, but instead on the edges as space is needed between the center piece and
to leave it ‘natural’. If you wish to stain your frame, this is the frame.
I then cut out the leather center piece with an Exacto knife. I brick wall, or other rough surface. This step may cause discol-
distress the edges of the leather with a bench grinder. It frays oration but that is acceptable.This is how the leather looks with
the edges a bit, roughing them up for a more authentic look. If the edges distressed. Notice the red discoloration.
you have no grinder try rubbing the edges against a corner of a
I stretched the leather and tacked it to a board shiny side out. ing. I then print the photo with the ‘palette’ on it. I mix my colors
I cleaned the leather thoroughly with rubbing alcohol. I primed to match this printout. This is a very useful step to help you
the leather with white gesso and a roller. This step is not neces- determine color while painting. I set up the leather, still tacked
sary, painting directly on the leather is fine, but remember to to the board, on my easel. I pro-jected the image of Timbre onto
clean first with the alcohol.I chose a reference photo of a female the leather and drew it on with Prisma Color colored pencils. I
Arctic wolf that resides at The Wolf Sanctum. Her name is Tim- painted in the black parts so that I wouldn’t lose the detail later.
bre and she was kind enough to let me snap a few photos of her I used a small paint brush for this step, however an airbrush is
during feeding time. I take the photo into Photoshop and use the just as effective and easy.
color picker to create a ‘palette’ of colors to mix for this paint-
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