Did someone say ribbit? No, sorry it’s probably just me, I’ve been living a very frog orientated life recently and I’m seeing and hearing frogs everywhere! As you probably know by now I was asked by Stockport BID to paint one of their frog sculptures for the Great Frogtastic Invention Trail which launched 21st July and runs until 29th September, and because I’ve never done this before I thought I’d share my experiences.
So if you’ve got 5, no sorry 15 minutes (it’s a bit longer than I thought it would be) then grab a brew and a couple of biscuits and sit back while I say frog about a million times!
It all started when I dusted off my portfolio and sent it in for consideration. I got an email a few weeks later saying I’d been selected to submit my design, why thank you! In this email it said that my chosen invention was the wheel, I’m not sure how many others received that specific invention but over 150 artists submitted designs and only 17 were picked…I honestly don’t envy that job, it must have been ridiculously hard.
Here’s the blank template that I was sent to create my design on.
Anyway, back to the wheel…I immediately dived into research mode trying to uncover a connection between Stockport and the wheel and I only went and found one that was perfect! It turns out that Stockport was home to the first water powered textile mill in the North West of England, built way back in 1732. This mill played a pivotal role in the town’s expansion, and I knew straight away that I had to feature this wheel in my design. Alongside it, I decided to incorporate the river Mersey which helped power the mill. With the hat being a focal point on the sculpture I also decided to pay homage to Stockport’s hatting industry, which has deep roots in the town, so it was only natural for me to include the Hat Museum on the design. My research also uncovered that Stockport’s football club had the nickname “The Hatters” They definitely couldn’t be left out and so I used the teams colours in the design. That left the wheel. It needed a flourish and with my experience and love of painting animals I opted to include a cheeky little mouse. I finished the design by showcasing the beautiful green belt of Stockport while giving a nod to Double Diamond, the most expensive sheep to ever be sold in the world, which just so happened to come from Stockport…I thought if that isn’t worth painting on the side of a frog I don’t know what is!
As I continued to piece together my design, it was important for me that it was easy to replicate on a 3D surface so I aimed for a relatively simple and uncomplicated colour palette, so I wouldn’t have to juggle a vast array of paints….famous last words! My goal was to create a design that would engage the whole family and bring a smile to the face of any Stockport resident. Let’s not forget, this was a completely new experience for me, so I was nervous and excited at the same time. As I sat back and looked over my final design, I was pleased with what I came up with and enjoyed the creative experience.
I only had a few weeks to wait before finding out that my design had been chosen for one of the sculptures. I was chuffed to bits!
Here’s the design that I submitted.
The Meeting
I was then invited to join my fellow artists for a visit to the Artist’s Studio, affectionately known as the ‘Frog Factory’, to familiarise ourselves with the unit, and to learn the do’s and don’ts of using the space. The frogs were to be brought to life in the old USC shop next to Waterstones in Stockport’s bustling Merseyway shopping centre. We were given access to the studio from 7am until 7pm on weekdays and until 6pm on weekends. For those burning the midnight oil, a secret basement hideaway in the shopping centre was available for after hours painting. As for me, I count myself lucky to have enjoyed the main space, as I’d heard whispers of the chilly and dark depths below.
The studio space (sorry I mean the Frog Factory) was brilliant, it provided loads of room for the artists to spread out and the lighting was great. If I’m honest the only thing I was thinking when we walked round with the organisers was that I couldn’t wait to get the place to myself so I could explore every nook and cranny. Come on you can’t blame me, it’s not very often that you get the keys to an abandoned shop and are left to your own devices for hours at a time! So as soon as we were alone my partner and I instantly became characters from a horror film who you know definitely shouldn’t go and explore dark and scary rooms but they do anyway because they’re idiots, to be fair we did have to go right to the back of the shop to turn the lights on. I didn’t however have to investigate every shadowy corner hoping to find something spooky or unusual or climb the secret staircase to who knows where, but I did anyway, my inner child had well and truly come out mwahahaha (manic laughing). It turns out even though there was ominous looking rooms and doors we shouldn’t have opened, we didn’t see anything unexplainable and mysterious which was disappointing, you can’t have it all.
Sorry, lets get back on track, let’s talk about the budget. Each artist was given £100 to spend on paint supplies, which we ordered from the Dulux trade centre in Stockport. I analysed my design and tried not to go overboard with the colours, only to be faced with a bit of a predicament at the trade centre. It turns out that our budget only covered three tubs of 1 litre paint, my heart sank. Panic quickly set in as I grappled with the daunting task of bringing my masterpiece to life with such limited colour options. Arghh decisions, decisions!
With a deep breath and a touch of resourcefulness, I made my choices… Light blue, dark green, and white made their way into my basket, then I dipped into my own pocket for black and brown. My thought process was pretty simple, these are the colours that I’d need the most of and then for anything else I could use acrylic paints for. Now if you know me then you’ll understand that I’m not easily parted from my money, but fear not I was later reimbursed for these extra supplies, phew! As the organisers said, “Don’t let the budget restrict you, if you need more, get more”, which quite honestly was a relief. I decided to set up a WhatsApp group with the other artists so we could share what paints we’d each ordered, which helped no end, and between us we had a colour wheel of paints at our disposal.
Now armed with an array of supplies and having fully acquainted myself with the painting location, it was time to roll up my sleeves and embark on this frogtastic journey…
Day 1
Let’s dive into my first day of froggy adventures! The mission was clear: get the design drawn onto the sculpture, all ready and raring to go for a colourful painting extravaganza the following day. To tackle this challenge, I armed myself with a trusty white water soluble pencil. It worked like a charm for outlining the design, even better than graphite, which I was told was difficult to cover up with the paints.
The first major task occurred almost straight away. It was the wheel! A circle on a 3D sculpture, was I mad? I honestly thought it would be a piece of cake to draw… I was wrong! I think I went a bit insane while I was drawing it on, I was using a tried and tested method of a pin, pencil and string, but nope it refused to look anything like a circle. I messed up the measurements and did it again, then it looked like an oval, so I did it again. Rinse and repeat for an hour. Did I get a little stressed? Yes! Did I consider throwing in the pencil? Maybe, just for a fleeting moment. Did I start to forget what a circle even looked like? Definitely! But hey, my theme was all about the wheel, and we all know wheels are notorious for their roundness. So, I summoned all my courage and with a much needed pep talk from my partner I pushed forward. In the end, I made a little adjustment and made the wheel a tad smaller than in my initial design. Blame it on the frog’s adorable chubby tummy (don’t tell him I said that).
Next up, my artistic focus shifted to the wonderful Hat Museum. “Measure twice, paint once”, became my mantra. With the help of my flexible ruler I meticulously measured every inch to ensure perfect symmetry and proportion, and the rest of the design went on like a dream. Surprisingly, I made more progress than I had expected and by the end of the first day, I had applied two coats of a lovely light blue sky and got a start on the white sections. With a contented sigh, I headed home, ready to relax…that’s a lie I ended up spending the next 2 hours mixing paints!
I made a decision to do all my mixing at home, mainly so I could just jump straight into work upon reaching the Frog Factory each day. And with a multitude of shades to create, it’s no wonder I ended up with 24 different colours. I did have to make a few concessions along the way, as not every colour from my design could be perfectly replicated, but acrylic paints mixed brilliantly with the weathershield so I was very happy with it all. Plastic takeaway tubs were a must for the larger quantities and the hoarding side of me smiled as I finally got to use some glass jars that I’d been saving. Ha I knew they’d come in useful!
And with that, the first day was complete.
Day 2
As I strolled in the the Frog Factory the second day, I had to do a double take. The colours from the previous day had dried beautifully. I knew that the white sections would demand a few more layers out of me, but the light blue of the sky with just two coats looked stunning! But there wasn’t time to stand around and gorp at the frog…I had work to do!
The first colour on the agenda was brown, so the hat section and the hat museum had my focus for a while as I tried to steady my hand around the windows, it was a tad tricky but spoiler alert I managed it. Next came the green rolling hills (with a little assistance from my partner), and by the end of the day I’d made lots of progress. The frog was really starting to come to life, and he looked magnificent.
But just when I was feeling really good about the days work, a realisation suddenly dawned on me…I had underestimated the shear magnitude of this project. I had estimated that it would only take me about 2-3 days to complete the frog. I don’t remember how I came up with this number, but it felt about right. As I looked over how far I’d come and then down to the 24 tubs of mixed paints, well I knew I’d have to recalculate. First off some of the greens were extremely rude and went on rather thin, which wasn’t very nice of them, they were not so subtly hinting at me that they’d need more of my attention. Secondly, I thought perhaps, just maybe, I’d bitten off a tad more than I could chew. Oh the audacity of an ambitious artist! The design, at first I thought to be relatively simple, was proving to be at little more trouble than anticipated.
When I started planning the design, I deliberately opted for block colours, I was trying to avoid blending techniques as I wasn’t sure how that would work on a carbon fibre sculpture. After chatting with some of my fellow artists I discovered that blending proved to be quite challenging, so I’m glad I stuck with my original strategy. Yet as I surveyed the paint pots, I couldn’t help but judge my past self…why I did I opt for such an array of shades? And why did I clearly hate my future self? Don’t get me wrong, I’m genuinely proud of the design, along with the ideas behind it but if I was to embark of a similar project in the future, I might tone down the colour complexity…just a smidge!
As I stepped back and admired my happy frog, I did chuckle at this colourful rollercoaster I’d put myself on, but you live and learn…and I was definitely learning a lot.
Day 3
The plan for the third day was to work my way from the hat down the sculpture and then dive headfirst into the watery colours at the base of the frog.The green weathershield paint I was using went on thinly, leaving me pulling my hair out, so it took a little longer than expected but once all the layers were on, it looked great so it was worth the unexpected time invested.
I’d wisely purchased some knee pads (which my knees thanked me for), but the thought of crouching and sprawling on the floor for hours on end didn’t quite tickle my fancy. So my froggy companion found himself perched on a table for the lower areas, sparing me the agony of an aching back.
I allowed myself a quick break and as I took a stroll around to peruse the works of my fellow artists a pang of jealousy hit me. Many of them were absolutely breezing through their project with vast swaths of a single colour. Doubts crept in again like mischievous art critics. Did I make a mistake with my choice of intricate detail and a kaleidoscope of colours? I cast the thoughts aside as really at this point there was nothing I could do anyway, just accept the lesson and move on. While walking around the Frog Factory I gained a few insights as to how the others were working and what issues or revelations they’d come across. Some were able to swiftly apply their paint using rolling brushes or even by using the mystical powers of spray paint. Others mentioned that yellow and red were the trickiest colours to work with, needing countless coats to get the desired look. I was glad that my design steered clear of these colours…Note to self: remember this valuable lesson for future artistic escapades.
As the sun set on the third day, my frog sat high upon his table surveying the scene of his half painted froggy friends…he was looking good, if I do say so myself.
Day 4
The frog factory welcomed me with open arms on the fourth day, and when I looked at my frog the blues from the day before were looking good and the word snazzy came to mind. Oh, this would be a productive day, I could just feel it!
As had become my daily ritual, I strolled around my sculpture, eyes eager to find any imperfections or areas that needed a touch up. Lucky I did as I found a bit of work requiring my artistic touch. The watery section had a slight imbalance, it was lower on one side than the other, and when I looked at it from the front the hills lacked the symmetry I thought I’d initially achieved when I drew on my design. Oh no, this wouldn’t do…this wouldn’t do at all! Now to many this may not seem like a massive issue, but the perfectionist woke up inside me and the urge to correct this was overwhelming. So I grabbed my trusty water soluble pencil and added a few extra blue areas and adjusted the hills every so slightly. Would anyone have even noticed? Probably not, but I would have and that’s reason enough to indulge my artistic fussiness (that’s what I told myself anyway).
So with adjustment complete, I got to work on the blues, and oh the paint went on so smooth! Then I turned my attention to the cute little sheep, adding the finishing touches of a crown and a cheeky tongue, it had to be done. After a brew and a biscuit it was about time to tackle the focal point…the wheel. Finally! Like many artists before me I wished for a steadier hand as I got started on the intricate details, it certainly had some challenges but by the end of the day I’d triumphantly laid down the first coat. I even managed to squeeze in a third coat of the lightest blue on the river. I told you it would be a productive day. Before I knew it 6 hours had whizzed by and it was time to get home before the dreaded rush hour traffic swallowed us whole. We locked up for the night leaving the frog army in darkness, knowing that it would soon be time to say goodbye to him.
The progress I’d made filled me with determination, I planned my next moves, one more full day of painting and maybe a few more hours to deal with the task of the outlines. The end was now definitely in sight.
Day 5 and 6
After a few days away from the frog factory to focus on other projects. and to recharge a little, I bounced in on the fifth day with a newfound energy. I did my usual walk around the sculpture about a million times looking for anything that might need a touch up. Ah, it was all coming together! I thought I might even finish it that day.
Then my focus shifted onto the wheel, with it’s fiddly sections and array of colours, I knew the second layer would have to be applied with precision…no rushing allowed. The blue areas of the scarf were acting up for some reason, they needed far too many layers and if I’m honest when it dried some patches of it looked black. Was I going to let my inner perfectionist triumph and redo it? You know I did, and it looked all the better for it. I was on a roll, and before I knew it my wheel was a masterpiece in its own right!
Next came the moment of truth…the dreaded outline! Originally I thought I’d paint it on using the black weathershield paint, but it was far too thin to paint with so I quickly changed my mind and opted for Posca markers instead. I’d brought a few that I had lying around at home and I held my breath as I experimented with which size would be best. My first line was size 1.7mm, I stepped back (still not breathing for some reason) and yep I’d found the right one. The only problem was I had one in that size, and 3 of each other size, which is just typical isn’t it? So a quick trip to HobbyCraft and The Range it was, to stock up on more and then I could return to my lines. I don’t want to say that it was slow going…but it was slow going! It took me 3 and a half hours just to add the detailing to the river and the wheel, any fleeting hope I’d had about finishing that day were quickly erased and replaced with acceptance that I would indeed have to allow for another day. Not a problem as I refused to rush it now, so if it meant returning if only for an hour or two to finish my frog…then so be it.
In the end I only needed two more hours to complete the line work on his hat and to circle him far too many times, inspecting for any sneaky mistakes or patches that needed covering. As I completed my final lap around my sculpture, a bittersweet realisation dawned on…it was all over. I had finished the task and now I’d have to bid my friend farewell and leave him in isolation for nearly two months before the trail began. It was a mix of emotions, I’d grown used to the routine of venturing to Stockport each day, getting immersed in a painting frenzy, chatting with fellow artists, marvelling at their progress, oh and also exploring every inch of the unit. But I had to say goodbye to him, and I did that the only way you should…with a big fat kiss. It would be rude not to!
Top Tips for anyone considering taking on a similar project.
- Knee pads are a must…I repeat, knee pads are a must! If you can’t afford good quality ones then a cushion will do, just protect those knees at all costs!
- Lots of tubs for mixing paint, plastic takeaway tubs are brilliant as well as old jars.
- If you can, pre mix your paints at home before going to the painting space as this saves so much time…don’t forget to label which colour is for each section.
- Wrags for dusting and to wipe brushes on.
- Pots for water.
- Yellow and red require a lot more coats than you think…white obviously does too but you probably knew that.
- Rolling brushes work brilliantly for larger surface areas, I used a 2” goat hair brush for my largest areas and then a range of brushes for the other areas, angled brushes were my favourite to use.
- Weathershield water based paint was what was provided but will easily mix with any water based artist acrylic paint. Some artists said that a 1 litre pot would easily cover the whole area three times so you don’t really need that much.
- I used a matt finish, I’d strongly advise against using a gloss finish as other artists had difficulties applying it. It seems to smear and easily scratched off.
- Water soluble pencil works better than graphite.
- Flexible ruler helped me no end.
The Great Frogtastic Inventions Trail is now live until 22nd September 2023.
Please visit Totally Stockport to download the trail map…have fun finding all the amazing frogs!
