The Franklin Hotel Door Project

Way back in January of this year (2013) I picked up a plain old timber door so that i could paint it.

The project had been set up by The Franklin Hotel in Franklin Street Adelaide, South Australia. Pretty much right center of the Adelaide city’s CBD.

Here are the photos I took to show the projects process. Today 14/August/2013 I delivered the door to the hotel.

The door – lightly sanded back and a new timber center panel placed in by MuscularTeeth – otherwise an old door.

Timber glazing bead, which is used to lock that new center panel to the rest of the door .

Nailing the timber bead into the door thus giving a nice new flat area to paint on. Nail guns are not toys and should be used safely always.

Applying Caulk to the edges for a smooth finish. All of this work before we even begin painting!

radial air driven sander. to make the glossy paint surface rough so MY paint will bind to the door.

The door sanded, and new panel in the middle all done and nailed in with that timber beading (its an “ovolo” profile of timber beading by the way).

The door is painted a basic CHARCOAL colour using basic exterior house paint. I forgot to photo that bit. THIS photo is after that, when i begin on some designs. I started my work around the lock and handle as you can see.

Filling in that very first bit of artwork outline. Apart from the time spent DRAWING the art, is the time spent STARING at the door – unwilling to make a mark lest it be the wrong one. Each stroke has to feel right. each shape needs to work. Uncountable is the times spent about to put brush to door when you pull back and hesitate…so TIME even here early on was long…i ramble. you read. we both win i suppose.

Doesn’t seem like much of a difference from the last photo… but again that’s a lot of time spent….maybe im just slow…

What’s this madness?? Color? (or Colour if you speak English). Yes! Colour! Color. Some Hues in different spectrums of light waves bouncing off those rods and cones in your eyes and being intepreted via electric synapse into your brain.

Even MuscularTeeth’s daughter got to help. Here the lass is giving critical advice for the underlying meaning of the metaphor of the book of the play of the film of this door. Confusion reigns, or does it?

WE IS GETTING DEM DETAILS ADDED NOW!

The door also exists at night. To prove it, here i have taken a photo of it at night. Also more detail. Lines. Shapes. Colour. Color. Things.

A closer view. Some times we all need a closer view. Deep.

Clearly any child can draw like MuscularTeeth because really its child labour that does the art. Actually Mr Teeth is just some capitalist pig in a top hat and monocle and a big bag with a $ on it.

More Stuff!

FACES MAN ! A lot of detail gets lost as you step back….

MuscularTeeth's Art Supplies! Mostly hand me downs from his mum!

The required bits and bobs and thingymajiggies to paint a door.

Faces are fun to draw! Did you know YOU have a face?

More faces, on the other side.

no bees were harmed in the making of this blog.

Faces. And that deeply NeoActec style uniquely MuscularTeeth.

Did you know light is both a wave and a packet? thats why this sun has blocks of light around it.

WE ADD A SUN! top left !

Added more to the bottom. it will Balance the artwork out eventually.

Adding detail. This is MuscularTeeth’s very own left hand. Once he ruled with an iron fist, but found drawing too hard, so resorted back to normal human meat hand.

Faces before they become fleshed out so to speak. Each face is roughly a AUS $1 coin in circumference. The dollar coin was used to outline the circle then painted. Note everything with colour first gets a white undercoat. So everything you see imagine being painted at least twice over. That’s dedication. Some pandas don’t have that level of commitment and they are on the brink of extinction.

We start to see some of that coherence come together to form a sheer wall of shape and colour. Color. what ever.

Center panel. Remember that right at the start? where i beaded it in with the nailgun? remember? Here we begin to paint on it!

We add our first 2 characters to the center! Tree gets a bit more trunk and branch.

Adding more characters, because when can you get enough? Birds seem to be in prevalence early on.

MORE CHARS! LEAVES ENTER STAGE RIGHT!

See the grass ? i could have done the tree leaves like that and it would take a 10th of the time.

Now we get serious about adding foliage to the tree. I had a number of ways of possibly going, and in the end went for the stupidly most time intensive method. However the LOOK is great.

Adding leafs / leaves makes me want to cry. You need a white undercoat then I’m using two types of green. paint the greens. then go over those with black paint or pen. That’s 3 separate moves to get your leaf.