Monday, July 22, 2013

DIY Weeping Angel Tree Topper

Happy Christmas in July! Thanks to a nudge from a reader, I'm finally getting around to sharing how I made my Weeping Angel tree topper. It's not a true replica of the sinister statues from Doctor Who, but there's no question what it is...

DIY - How to make a Weeping Angel tree topper
I've wanted a Weeping Angel statue ever since I first saw Blink. I'd really love a life size one made of stone for my front garden, but as that's not realistic, I decided to settle for a small one to put on top of our Christmas tree. Having neither the sculpting talent nor the desire to create one from scratch, I set out to repurpose a lovely (& inexpensive) non-threatening angel tree topper I bought from a department store.

DIY - How to make a Weeping Angel tree topper
You will need:
  • An angel tree topper. Make sure the arms and hands are poseable!  
  • Stone textured spray paint. I used 2 cans of Krylon Make It Stone!
  • Clear sealer. I used Krylon Make It Last Spray Sealer
  • Paper or drop sheet for spraying against - it's messy stuff!
  • A ventilated but not windy place to spray, and leave to dry for hours

Since it was actually nearing Christmas when I started my project, there were many angel tree toppers in the department store. I chose one of the plainest, since I'd be cutting all her ribbons and beads off anyways. I bought Krylon Make It Stone! Black Granite textured spray paint because that was the closest to gray the store had.


I also looked for an angel with sculpted rather than real hair, thinking it might be easier to cover with the spray. And I tried to find one with solid wings but they were all feathered. Solid would have made much less mess - when I cut that fluff off it flew everywhere! Like the down of a thistle ;)

 

STEP 1: Remove and cut off all the angel's embellishments, including tinsel & wing fluff. Trim the dress sleeves to the shoulders if possible. 

Poor trimmed angel. I bent her arms into the weeping position.


STEP 2: Place trimmed angel on covered work surface and follow paint directions to give it a light even coating of textured paint. I used my driveway covered with paper, but underestimated how far the mist would fly, and now have a lighter stone outline of the paper. I'm sure it will fade eventually...


I realized I'd need to bend the angel's arms back out to be able to paint them. So... 
Step 3. Give arms an all-over coat before carefully bending them into "weeping" position while paint is still tacky. Continue spraying until completely covered.


Step 4: Allow to dry in a well-ventilated but not windy place, for about 4 hours. I set mine on my covered porch. 

Step 5. Once the paint has dried, trim any straggly feathers from the wings. Give it another coat and allow to dry another 4 hours.


Step 6. Set angel atop something to allow you to spray right to the bottom and in the folds of the skirt. I used an empty coffee can. Give it another good layer of spray paint and allow to dry. Continue until you are happy with the coverage.


Step 7: After the final coat has dried, give it a light coating of clear sealer if you wish.


All done! Now don't take your eyes off it!

      

Click the pic to see how my Angel looked atop my Doctor Who Christmas Tree:

Doctor Who Christmas Tree