elephant ear paper cast

Here it is, my paper cast elephant ear, sealed and painted.

I am so pleased with how well the strong veining show up - it seems to lend a sense of strength and vitality to the leaf. I painted it with several different shades of green acrylic mixed with Perfect Paper Adhesive to form a translucent glaze. I also added an iridescent medium to the veins which gives them a subtle sunlight-like sparkle when viewed up close.

My next challenge is to come up with a way to display it. My art friend Bonnielynn suggested using a large shadow box, which I'm look into, and I'm also toying with the idea of attaching a hook on the back so that I can hang it directly on a wall. We'll see!