Santa Belt

[jestermg]

Just finished up my new Santa Belt. After experimenting with dyes, stains, stain resists and such this is the outcome of the project. It is pretty close to what I had hoped for. I would have liked the green leaves to be a bit brighter, because in a dark room they almost look black. In reality, I wanted an aged, antiqued look and I think after I applied the black stain over the leaves and berries it did just that, in doing so it lost some brightness, it is a give and take with this sort of work. In the sunlight it looks awesome and really "pops". the gold highlights on the vine bring out the gold in the buckle and I also applied some gold on the veining of the holly to add depth. All that is left is to let it dry throughly and then to buff and apply a finish and the buckle and it is a compleated piece.

[furrayone]

Good job I like the Holly and berries.

Give it the white glove test when your through.

Sometimes that black dye likes to rub off on the fur of your suit.

[rblalock]

Nice work. I have a flowery one I'm working on for my daughter between other projects. I know how much time even a belt can take. As far as making the green lighter, if using water based stains, put some green into a container and add a little bit of acrylic white. Mix and test until you get the color you want. Some tole paints soak into the leather well and can be used to mix custom colors. Dont be afraid to step outside of the "rules" and experiment.