Steampunk Key Wall Art with Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Hi everyone!  I'm in a steampunk mood!  I just got this Key Wall Art Heart in the mail, and now I'm chomping at the bit to make something with it.  I had to first decide if I wanted to put it on a canvas or let it stand alone.  Well, you can see what choice I made below.

So, the first thing you need to do is remove any pieces that didn't fall out.  I just use a piercing tool for this step.  A craft knife works well, too.  I just had a few little pieces to remove.

Next we need to prime the chipboard, and for that, I'm going to use black gesso.  It will seal the chipboard surface and let me use less of my more expensive paint I'll be using for the next layer, which is also black on the key.

Paint key portion with two coats of Metal Smith Iron paint, letting first coat dry before applying the second coat.  This paint contains real iron particles.

Following directions on the bottle, spritz the key with the Rusty Activator while the second coat is still tacky.  Wait five minutes and spritz again.  It may take up to two hours for rusting to occur.  So set this piece aside and work on the heart piece.

Rusted patina complete

Paint the heart section with Metal Smith Bronze paint, letting the first coat dry  before applying the second coat.  This paint contains real metal particles.

Following directions on the bottle, spritz the heart with the Green Patina Activator while the second coat is still wet.  Patinization occurs gradually while drying.

To get random areas of blue patina, I painted random spots with the Bronze Metal Smith paint again, and while still wet, I dribbled the Turquoise Patina Activator over the wet paint.

Paint one of the  Propellers with the Metal Smith Malachite paint, letting the first coat dry  before applying the second coat.  This paint contains real metal particles, too.  Before the second coat dries, spritz with the Turquoise Patina Activator.

Choose one of the Dragonflies Fancy and paint it with the Bronze Metal Smith paint and use the Green Patina Activator.  I painted both sides of dragonfly since part of it will be hanging over the key and may be seen.  After the patina formed, I decided to paint the wings with the Metal Smith Malachite paint, then I used the Turquoise Patina Activator to get a rich blue patina with a bit of the bronze patina peeking through.

I painted one end of a bamboo skewer with Bronze and used the Green Patina Activator.  The other end I painted with Malachite and used the Turquoise Patina Activator.

Glue the heart piece over the matching area on the key.  Use an awl to make a hole in the center of the key, as shown, large enough for the skewer to fit into.

Stick the propeller onto the pointed end of the skewer and trim off at around 1/2" to 3/4".  

Remove propeller and glue skewer into hole, as shown.

Glue the propeller to the pointed end of the skewer.  Gently bend two opposing propeller blades downward for realism.   I added a small gear on top of the propeller after the glue dried. See close-up photo near end of post.

Cut a piece of the Chainlink to fit behind the heart opening.  Use Vintage Gold metallic wax over chainlink piece.

Glue the chainlink over the opening on the back of the key.

Here is what it should look like at this point.

Wrap a piece of twisted wire around the key, as shown.

Cut a piece of the bronze-painted end of the skewer the size of the dragonfly body and glue it, as shown.  

Glue dragonfly to key, as shown.  The skewer adds just enough lift to adhere the dragonfly above the wrapped wires, too.

I added metal embellishments to the key, as shown.  Here are some close-ups of those areas.

Supplies Used:

GSL Key Wall Art Heart
GSL Dragonflies Fancy
GSL Propellers
GSL Chainlink 8 by 8 Inch Panel
Miss Lillian's Metal Smith Paints
  Bronze
  Iron
  Malachite
  Rusty Activator
  Green Patina Activator
  Turquoise Patina Activator
Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Liquitex black gesso
Metal gears and embellishments
Bamboo skewer
Assorted brushes
Vintage Gold Art Alchemy Metallique Wax (Prima)
Vintaj brass twisted wire 21 gauge

I hope you enjoyed my project today, and that you may be inspired to make one of these wall art pieces for yourself.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a super crafty day!

Hugs,
Barbara



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