Jack Frost progress

A reader asked how I work out ideas. Here's my thought process. I imagine it will amuse you.

The last time we saw Jack Frost, he was leaning against a rejected container, surrounded by tracing paper sketches of possible containers.  OK, making a six-sided crystal out of glass. Got the rough dimensions. Must make a mock-up to test them.  Dig out chipboard (thin, like what cracker boxes are made of), craft knife (I don't like this one but my good Olfa got was appropriated for the bathroom renovation), metal ruler and scotch tape.  This has to be precise, or I won't be able to judge. And I can use these as templates for cutting the glass. How am I going to miter the glass edges? And what kind of glue? Ack, must focus. First things first...

Very neatly cut out six sides and a base. Assemble three sides and base with tape.

Insert Jack.  ...    Contemplate.

Oops. He won't be standing on the bare base! And the base will be wood, so it'll have thickness. Maybe an inch? Let's see, something to bulk up the base...  

Doesn't everyone have a small anvil lying around?

 

Okaaay, what do I think of this? Is that too much space over his head? How tall do I want it to be? Will the walls come down around the base or sit on top of it?  

Ponder.

Down around, I think, so it's more crystal-ish, in which case we need to trim down the base to fit inside the walls.  Scribble note to revise dimensions onto base. Cut second hexagon for top. Tape in place. Contemplate. Get frustrated by construction. Go eat lunch.

Hmmm. That looks about right. Seems like there's room to pose him. One hand touching the glass and frost patterns forming there.... but not too much 'blank' space behind him.... Now how to mount that top? Inside the walls or on top of them? Inside would be more crystal-y, but then there'd be no way to access the interior once it got glued shut. The glass could sit on the base like a display dome, but then I couldn't have any loose 'snow'....

Argh, how the hell can I assemble this?! Why do I always think up stuff I can't build? Why don't I just stick to collage!? I'm really good with glue..."  

Go find a snack. Google "glass glue." Check eBay. Look at Flickr. Read some blogs. See if anyone's commented on mine. Contemplate exercising. Decide to focus instead.

Yeah, OK, I think it's the right size. What next? Someone to cut the glass. Hardware store. Frame store? Can the frame store bevel it? I'll check them first. If they can't, I'll take it to the hardware...oh wait, isn't there a glass store in Ellsworth? Half hour drive. Ugh. Frame store first then. Tomorrow. But I haven't figured out the issue with the top! Should it be hinged? How the hell am I gonna hinge glass?! Epoxy hinges on? Do I really need the snow to be loose? Wouldn't it be so much simpler if the whole thing could sit over the wooden base? Hinges would look awful. Totally non-crystal.

Ugh, let Jack sit for a bit. He's fried my brain.

Meanwhile, Poor old Father Time is all dusty. Let's see what he looks like with his door. Ooh, I like that. But I've got to get some molding or something to finish off that rough edge where Brian cut the old window bigger for me. And what can I use to make his sign? Plexi? And how to mount the glass in the window?

Hmm, part of the door has a channel, part doesn't. Maybe if the molding is sort of L-shaped, I can put the glass under it? But how will that look if it sticks up on the front of the door? Argh, why is everything so complicated! And these broken metal bits on the front need to be glued down. Where's my SuperGlue? Oh crap, there's the school bus!
End of coherent thought for the rest of the day.