Invitation to Artists - Los Altos Bears
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Invitation to Artists
Calling all talented artists and student artists! You are invited to decorate a Bear as part of Los
Altos Bears, an exciting community-wide public art and fundraising project, produced by the
Rotary Club of Los Altos. Decorated Bears will be prominently placed in Los Altos from July
through October 2021, where thousands will enjoy them.
A plaque affixed to the Bear will identify you as its artist. You will be promoted in the media and
in a Rotary-sponsored gala and live auction in approximately October 2021.
Donate your talent to a project sure to delight the community and raise funds for a variety of
charitable causes.
Be the creative part of Bears of Los Altos! Have fun!
The Process:
1. The Los Altos Bears Committee matches you with a Bear’s sponsor who may request a
specific theme and design.
2. Go to the Bear Store to see the fiberglass Bear that will be your canvas.
3. Print a line drawing of the Bear you plan to decorate and create a color sketch of your
design.
4. Submit your color sketch and a completed Artist’s Agreement or a Student Artist’s at the
bottom of the form. Send the agreement to Carol Dabb at caroldabb@gmail.com or by mail
it to: Carol Dabb, 38 Deep Well Lane, Los Altos, CA 94022.
5. Pick up cleaned and prepped fiberglass bears from Courtyard Marriott 4320 El Camino Real,
Los Altos, 94022. Or Rotarians can arrange delivery to you. Pick-up dates and times will be
provided later.
6. Receive 25% of the auction price.
7. Look at http://caironybears.org/2019-cairo-bears/of decorated bears.
8. Decorate and varnish the Bear according to the Decorating Details (See below). You have
two months to complete your decorated Bear.
19. Return your Bear to the Garden House, or request pick-up by a Rotarian. Return dates and
times will be provided later.
10. Rotarians apply clear coat to weatherproof the Bear, mount it on a base, and display it in
Los Altos during 2021.
Decorating Details
adapted from Cowpainters.com
For more detailed instructions, call the Cowpainters hotline: (773) 525-5720.
You may paint, sculpt, and adorn the Bear. If you add objects, securely attach them to
discourage vandalism and to protect the Bear from weather. Use sturdy glue products such as
Liquid Nails, jeweler’s cement, epoxy adhesives, or Bond 527 multi-purpose cement.
See the topics below for recommended products and instructions.
Glues and Adhesives: Choose a non-aqueous glue such as jeweler’s cement or Gorilla Glue.
You can also use MagicSculp epoxy putty as glue, as described in Putty below. Do not use
Elmer’s glue or other water-soluble glues. Choose one of these adhesives: Liquid Nails, Loctite
Stik ‘n Seal outdoor adhesive, or Bond 527 multi-purpose cement, available at Walmart and
Michael’s.
Putty: To repair defects in the fiberglass Bear, purchase Bondo All-Purpose Putty from
Amazon, Home Depot, or auto supply stores. To alter the bear’s surface or to add sculptural
elements to it, purchase MagicSculpt Epoxy Putty, available at tapplastics.com, amazon.com,
etc. First, rough up the Bear’s surface. Then drill a few small holes, apply glue to the surface
around the holes, and push the putty into those holes for a better bond. Allow two hours for it
to set up and twelve hours to dry. Then sand and paint the Bear. Note: MagicSculpt is
polymer-based and will fade in UV light. To prevent color fading, use Lascaux epoxy putty, and
prime and paint your Bear.
Paint: All professional-grade artist’s acrylic paints will do the job. We recommend acrylic paint
such as Liquitex, Golden, Windsor-Newton, Daler-Rowney, Pebeo, Lascaux, and other
professional-grade paint. We favor medium-viscosity Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics for ease of
application, good color stability, and availability. Be sure to purchase enough paint to cover
your Bear. Be sure you paint is dry (about 20 minutes) before applying another layer. After you
have finished painting the Bear, allow the paint to cure completely before varnishing the Bear.
Avoid high-viscosity paints, which are too “gluey” to move around with ease. Avoid the
following: (1) latex wall or house paints, (2) craft-quality paints such as Delta Ceramcoat
Acrylics, which are not formulated to withstand outdoor conditions, and (3) paints that lack a
high colorfast rating.
Varnish: To protect your acrylic-painted Bear, varnish it with a coat of Lascaux UV-1 Gloss
varnish. Do not use another brand. Shop at your art supply store, Michael’s, or Amazon. Order
enough varnish to cover your Bear. Mix 3 parts varnish to 1 part water and filter the solution
through gauze. Have handy a large jar of water and a nylon brush. Apply the varnish with the
brush, removing air bubbles. The varnish will look cloudy, but it dries crystal-clear in 15
2minutes. If you pause, immediately place the brush into the water, and don’t begin again until
the varnish has dried (about one hour).
Additional Decorating Details:
For more detailed instructions, call the Cowpainters hotline: (773) 525-5720.
Additions and Extensions: Anything you add to the bear will be vulnerable because of
vandals and weather. Think permanence when planning and executing your design. To
sculpt other forms onto your fiberglass form, see Putty above. To glue objects onto your
Bear, see Glues and Adhesives above. If you decide to add elements to the Bear, read Add
Decoupaged Images, Add Mosaic Tile or Mirrors, and Add Fabrics below.
Add Decoupaged Images: Select images (hard copies of photographs, pictures from
magazines, etc.) and take photographs of them with your iPhone. Send the iPhone
photographs to your color laser printer or to a business (Kinko’s, Office Depot, or Copy
Factory) that has a color laser printer. The inks in color copies are more permanent than
ink in the originals, and the copy paper is stronger than that of the originals.
Next, immerse the copy paper in full-strength Golden Polymer Medium-Gloss and apply it
to the Bear. Remove air bubbles with your hands. Remove excess gloss with an almost-dry
sponge, and let the gloss dry for several days before applying protective varnish (See
Varnish above). Order from dickblick.com or amazon.com.
Add Mosaic Tile or Mirrors: Follow your tile store’s directions for applying mosaics over a
primed surface. Seal the form with mosaic sealer, not auto body clear coat.
Add Fabrics: If you plan to apply a fabric such as cotton to the Bear, use Golden Polymer
Medium-Gloss, which can be transparent or colored. If you need more staying power, use
Paverpol. You may also use MagicSculp’s more viscous cousin, MagicSmooth, a two-part
epoxy resin medium that can be applied to heavier organic fibers/materials.
Pens and Markers: Avoid using pens or markers on the fiberglass forms because they tend
to run when sealed and fade quickly in direct sunlight.
3Artist’s Agreement
Please print, complete, and sign this agreement. Email the agreement to caroldabb@gmail.com
or US-mail it to Carol Dabb , 38 Deep Well Lane, Los Altos, CA 94022
Please print the information requested in this agreement.
Your Name _____________________________________
Address (Street, City, State, and Zip) _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Phone (include area code)__________________________________________________
Email address____________________________________________________________
Title of your Bear_________________________________________________________
Size of your Bear_________________________________________________________
Brief description of your design______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
I acknowledge that all materials added to the Bear will become property of the Los Altos Bears
project, and no materials will be returned to the artist. I agree to the terms of the Artist’s
Agreement.
Artist’s Signature_______________________________________Date________________
4Student Artist’s Agreement
Please print, complete, and sign this agreement. Email the agreement to caroldabb@gmail.com
or US-mail it to Carol Dabb , 38 Deep Well Lane, Los Altos, CA 94022
Please print the information requested in this agreement.
Artist’s Name _____________________________________
Name of Parent/Guardian_____________________________________
Address (Street, City, State, and Zip) _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
School__________________________________________________________________
Phone (include area code)__________________________________________________
Email address____________________________________________________________
Title of your Bear_________________________________________________________
Size of your Bear_________________________________________________________
Brief description of your design______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
I acknowledge that all materials added to the Bear will become property of the Los Altos Bears
project, and no materials will be returned to the artist. I agree to the terms of the Artist’s
Agreement.
Artist’s Signature________________________________ Date__________________
Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature________________________ Date________________
5You can also read
