Yakity Yak.

Christmas of 2011, Bear, his brudders, and his dad built skin on frame kayaks. They took the time to steam, bend, and lash the wood to make these beautiful nautical skeletons. Each creator had a little 'something different' about the frame of his kayak. Seriously, this is one talented family. The final paint jobs of the 'yaks were also very personal to each boy. The exterior is a nylon fabric that is painted with oil-based paint to a point where it is impenetrable within reason.

 Bear's kayak stayed south until the summer, until Bear's parents brought the 'yak to the homestead. There she sat in the barn, waiting to be painted and loved. Bear and I discussed cool paint ideas and we settled on our apparent obsession: The Kraken. We like stories of the Kraken, we like the rum, and we most definitely liked the logo on the bottle of Kraken rum. I took quite a bit of time planning the paint job. Will I do a dot-matrix type technique? Will I just use small dashes? I was pretty torn on how to execute the project. I wasn't sure what to do until I had my materials and started to paint. I ended up using the wedge of a foam brush and stippled the paint to form the sea creature.

Before I got started on the detailing, Bear tested the 'yak at a nearby lake. She floats! Thank goodness! She kept a fairly straight course while Bear paddled. He looked most graceful gliding through the water. 

 
Once we knew the 'yak was stable and waterproof, it was time for me to do my portion of the project. So, naturally, the 'yak sat in the barn for a few more months! It wasn't until after the Christmas hub-bub that we took 'er indoors to paint. Now, its cold up here. Really cold. I wasn't going to stand in a dark, cold barn to paint this masterpiece. I wanted to be somewhere comfortable. We first thought the 'yak would fit in the basement. Nope.  Won't even get down the stairs. Ooookay... living room it is! Our house is pretty compact. The 'yak seems compact until you put it somewhere enclosed. The 15 foot 'yak juuuuuuust fit into the living room-- diagonally. It was a tight squeeze, that's for sure. I have issues with clutter and boy did this 'yak test my nerves!
As I said above, the technique I went with was stippling with the edge of a foam brush. The result was a sweet, gradient triangle that could be built up for depth. I stippled the nights away, praying I didn't get any black paint on the floor or my white couches. I'd like to think as time went on, I perfected my stippling skills. I also used a fine brush for outlining and tidying up my mistakes.
I wish I had been able to get more of a 3D effect with the paint, but my skills are not quite honed. Oh well! I'm still pretty proud of the finished product, as is Bear.

Now we wait for the lakes to thaw so we can unleash the Kraken!


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