One Panel at a Time
I’m continuing to make progress on the Periodic Table of Elements project, having surpassed the 50% mark. The end result should be spectacular, if heavy and unwieldy.
I had been expecting that as I move along one panel at a time, new techniques and materials would present themselves, and the urge to redo earlier panels would emerge. Indeed, that has happened. For starters, Alclad II paints are superb for replicating the proper metallic luster I was looking for. Some metals, like sodium and lithium, have a sort of dull metallic sheen, whereas most metals have a “chrome-like” luster. So, I went back and updated some older panels in this regard. the crystalline character I’ve wanted has been achieved by sprinkling crushed glass over a bed of thick acrylic paint. Once that hardens, I spray a coat of black gloss lacquer followed by the Alclad II paints (which come in a variety of subtle colors) to achieve the high luster finish. The noble gases have consistently presented a challenge, despite their simplicity. I will be redoing these as well, in part because the transparent spray adhesive does not hold up well. But this shouldn’t be too difficult - hydrogen will be handled similarly and I started to mess with that panel to see if my new approach will work.
