Okay, so yesterday I decided to mess around with making a “skunk totem.” Don’t ask me why, just felt like it. I’ve been seeing skunks around my neighborhood lately, and I guess they were on my mind.
Getting Started
First, I gathered some stuff I had lying around. I’m talking about:
- Some old scrap wood.
- Black and white paint I had leftover from painting a fence.
- A couple of brushes – a big one and a tiny one for details.
- Some sandpaper, because the wood was rough.
The Process
I started by sketching a rough outline of a skunk on the wood. I’m no artist, so it looked more like a lumpy potato with a tail, to be honest. Then, I grabbed the sandpaper and smoothed out the wood as best as I could. Didn’t want any splinters messing up my masterpiece.
Next, I took the big brush and slapped on a coat of white paint all over the wood. I waited for that to dry, which took forever, so I made some coffee and watched some YouTube. I needed another layer because the first layer looked grey. I slapped the second white layer and waited again.
Once the base was dry, I grabbed the black paint and, with the big brush again, started painting the skunk’s body, leaving a big white stripe down the back. I messed up a few times, but hey, that’s what paint is for, right? I just painted over my mistakes.
For the eyes and nose, I used the tiny brush. I just dabbed on some little black dots. I tried to make them look cute, but they ended up looking kind of deranged. Oh well.
The Final Result
After everything dried, I looked at my skunk totem. It’s definitely… something. It’s not going to win any art awards, that’s for sure. But I made it, and it’s got its own weird charm. I stuck it out in my garden, near the flowers. Maybe it’ll keep the real skunks away, or maybe it’ll attract them. Who knows?
It was a fun little project, and I didn’t have to buy anything, i just use something old to make a new thing. I might try making other animal totems later. Maybe a raccoon next time?
