Medicine Bottle Make-a-Long, Pt. 1: Wet Molding

I am thrilled to be back in my studio playing with leather and glass!

Dry leather molded on bottle, with hardware sample and sketch.

Last night, I wet-molded some fine vegtan cowhide around a gorgeous bottle given to me by a friend who appreciates excellent spirits.

This rum retails at $110 for a 750 mL bottle!

The first step is "casing" the leather, which means wetting it thoroughly front an back with water and a sponge. I wet it repeatedly until no more will soak in, and the grain side sweats lightly.

I move the bottle around on the cased leather, finding a good placement for my cut. Hides, unlike fabricated textiles, have lots of irregularities such as brands and insect bites, wrinkles, scars, and thin areas. Sometimes, it can be fun to highlight such features, other times, I have to fussy-cut further into the interior of a hide to get the best piece.

Using a Round Knife to cut my panel.

Re-case frequently for ultimate plasticity.

Position the bottle on the flesh side.

Stretch, smooth, and compress the leather to the contours by hand. Secure with clips.

Continue to refine the impression using fingers and modeling tools, moving clips closer to tighten the mold.

Once I am happy with the shaping I've done, I leave the piece to dry overnight. Then, my concept of how I will add carrying strap, pockets, surface decoration, etc. evolves using sketches and brown paper mock-ups.

I advertised this piece as available for customization on my fb page: https://www.facebook.com/FeraL-Clothing-162395904652/

Perhaps someone will claim it and define the colors and carvings that will grace it. Otherwise, I can see the Fool Card of the Tarot in its lunar shape.

Thanks for visiting FeraL Studio with me! I am ecstatic to be back in my element, creating artwork people can use.

Love,Cat

Part 2: https://steemit.com/art/@creationofcare/medicine-bottle-make-a-long-pt-2-surface-design