Creating a Painted Dipper Gourd

Ginger Summit of Los Altos, Calif., has written several books on gourds, including “The Complete Book of Gourd Craft,” which is in its 10th printing (Lark Books, $18.95), and “Gourd Crafts: 20 Great Projects to Dye, Paint, Carve, Bead, and Woodburn in a Weekend,” which will be released this winter by Lark Books.

She says gourd dippers have been used as cups, spoons and ladles for thousands of years.

Here are her instructions for creating a festive dipper gourd:

* Clean the outside of the gourd. Cut in half lengthwise and clean the interior. File and sand the cut edge.

* Brush a coat of salad oil on the interior of the gourd.

* Draw decorations--such as autumn leaves or sprigs of holly--on the gourd in pencil. Extend the design to the gourd handle.

* Use acrylic paints to fill in the design.

* With black pen or permanent marker, outline the design and add details. Let dry.

* Use dimensional paints to create texture. Let dry.

* Seal with clear polyurethane. (Before spraying on, test on a scrap of gourd to make sure that the polyurethane won’t make the design run.)