Enjoy your Tour of
Babylon Workshop
Above is a picture of the rolltop desk where I paint Jeannie Bottles. I like the rolltop because my cats can't open it. There is almost always a cup of coffee there too, and today is no exception. Yes, I have accidentally dipped my brush into my coffee, but only once. Here you can see the various bottles I had started at the time this picture was taken. When starting a new bottle, I first make sure there's no residue left from the Jim Beam labels that were originally on the bottle. Then it goes for a ride in the dishwasher and is dried in the oven to evaporate any water left inside. It's always handled with gloves after that so that skin oils and finger prints won't disturb the smooth finish of the primer or base color. All bottles are off to a good start with a coat of spray primer. This will insure that paint will stick well and not flake away from the glass. First season bottles aren't sprayed; the primer is painted only on the places that will eventually become gold. This is how the original first season bottle was done, so that the dark bottle is the original color of the glass. I'm also in the process of casting plaster bottles. Here you see how latex is brushed onto an original bottle layer after layer until it forms a mold that is thick enough to hold up when filled with plaster. The board has a dowel rod attached to it to hold the bottle steady. I'm casting copies of the bottle because I have a very cool idea for a unique (TOP SECRET) Jeannie item. 
