As some of you probably know, I coin roll hunt from time to time. Well rolling and returning pennies to the bank is a real pain. So I was just letting them pile up for a while and as the pile started getting larger and larger I thought, "what else could I do with these?". I checked the internet for ideas and found something I thought was pretty cool. It was basically a mosaic of Lincoln made entirely from pennies. So I figured I would do that with my pile of cents. First thing I had to do was separate the cents by color/shade. This is a fraction of my supply as I was in the process of separating it into smaller piles... Next I went to a nearby art store to buy a board and glue... Once I finished sorting everything I began to glue the cents to the board. I took photos as it progressed...
Next I prepared the portrait to be glaze coated so that the color is "locked in" and doesn't change over time. It also gives it a nice smooth shiny look. Here is the portrait prepared to have the epoxy resin poured on... After coating has cured... It has a nice clear shine which also made the colors more vibrant... The pennies almost look like they're suspended in water... It took about 3 weeks from start to finish and took 846 pennies to complete. That's pretty much it. I'll probably end up framing it. If I do I will take a photo and add it here.
I epoxy coated the entire portrait to prevent it from toning. That should keep it pretty much the same for many years.
I believe thats what the epoxy was for. Kind of keeps the air off of them. I have seen this once before and thought it was pretty good looking. How much time was invested? Did you wing it, or did you have a "template" or "key" to work off of?
I copied it off a template you can easily find by doing an internet search. It took me about 3 weeks to do working on it every other day. I don't think I spent more than an hour each day I worked on it. I'm in the middle of creating another one which I'm doing off an image and not so much a "template" like this one.
I used Parks brand which I purchased at Home Depot. This is the exact same one I used: http://m.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum...laze-Finish-and-Preservative-241352/202056337 It took half a quart total (16 ounces) to coat the entire portrait. That's 8 ounces of resin and 8 ounces of activator mixed together. The box comes with a full quart so it should be enough to coat 2 portraits
Endeavor, I like it! That's a neat idea and you did a great job. How long did it take you? Planning any more projects like this? I can't even make a stick man look good. You have talent like my brother. I bet it looks better in person than the photos. Not saying you took poor photos but something like this gets lost in photography. PS. I hope you never need the $8.46. You'll have a hard time with a cashier counting them out.
Thank you. Although I would like to take credit for the creativity, I actually just copied it from one online. If I earned credit for anything, it would be patience. Gluing 846 cents gets monotonous. Especially when you glue each one obverse upright like I did. It's very meticulous but I think gives it a nice touch. You're right about it looking better in person. The gleam doesn't come out quite as good in the photos. It took me 3 weeks working on it every other day, no more than an hour each day. I am currently making another one which is not based off one that has already been done. All I have to work with for this current one is an image so it definitely requires more thought. I will post photos of it when finished.
Lol. Can you imagine if I had done that?! I didn't use any copper cents. In other words none of the coins are older than 1983. I used the common zinc stuff that was left over after coin roll hunting.
That is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The first thought I had was you should plan on sinking that into a 2 X 4 wall stud for mounting. Have you thought about a frame? Also, with a glass top cover that might make a pretty cool end table/stand. Is it way heavy? What really caught my eye was how carefully each coin was placed in upright position. Lots of care in this project. You should be very proud. How 'bout one of Washington using quarters? Franklin or Kennedy using halves, SBA using dollars?? I'm losing control here. Great job. Thanks for sharing. Jack
