99 Problems Beach Drum

by Heidi Chesterman

Introducing 99 Problems Beach Drum

This is my first blog post and my most recently finished art piece, 99 Problems Beach Drum. 

Last year was full-on, and I only managed to complete one other artwork (which is still under wraps, saved for a rainy day). This piece, though, had been waiting patiently — or taunting me — for well over a year and a half. The drum sat there daring me to finally see it through.

The idea was to create a super beachy, “give-a-f*ck” side table with attitude. Something functional, but with real personality. Bonus points that it doubles as storage and a side table.

Time & Process

Once I finally committed, the piece came together over a few weeks. The first step was spray painting the drum, which was thankfully straightforward. I used Rust-Oleum charcoal grey and Colour Lab Paua Blue Satin for the lettering. Because typography is absolutely not my strength, I designed a custom stencil on the computer, printed it to size, and hand-cut it with a craft blade.

From there, I moved into carving and design. The hibiscus elements were made from pink mussel shell, stencilled out and cut piece by piece on the tile cutter. The pāua was drilled and carved individually, and after a bit of back and forth I landed on the mirrored “sun” as a surround, finishing it with drilled pink mussel circles. I was working with my very last and smallest shell pieces by the end and genuinely sweating that I wouldn’t have enough to complete the vision. All up, the drilling and layout probably took around two full days. Once everything was finalised, I used Weldbond to glue it all down.

Grouting Lessons

Grouting is usually one of the more challenging stages for me, but this piece was surprisingly flat compared to my usual work, making it one of the easier grouts I’ve done. One thing that didn’t go quite to plan was the colour. I mixed two grouts of the same brand — one almost black and one mid-grey — aiming to match the drum colour. I’ve done this before without issue, but this time the darker grout speckled through the lighter one.

Honestly? It kind of works. It has a west coast, beachy texture to it. With hindsight, mixing more thoroughly and letting it rest longer may have helped, but I’m happy to call this one a happy accident.

After grouting and wiping down, I left the piece for two days to fully cure before starting the resin.

What I’ve Learned About Resin

Resin continues to humble me. Every project teaches me something new — often the hard way. For this piece, I initially had three different resins on hand: general purpose, surfboard resin, and casting resin. None of them were right for the job. Back to Mitre 10 I went, and $85 later I came home with doming resin and a brush.

I brushed on a thin first coat and left it to cure for about five hours. This sealing layer is crucial to stop the grout from releasing bubbles into later doming pours. Naturally, a huge storm hit right in the middle of all this. Working on my small back porch, I ended up having to move the entire piece inside onto the kitchen bench — doors and windows wide open — for the next 24 hours while I completed the next pours. My partner provided plenty of side-eye throughout this process.

I did four more pours, with roughly eight hours between each, letting the resin go past tacky so each layer could chemically bond without trapping bubbles. It took me five pours before I finally admitted I really needed to use my resin mixer instead of an ice cream stick. Once I did, I got the cleanest finish of the lot.

It’s not absolutely perfect — there are a few tiny bubbles visible in the layers — but I’m calling that a feature. The ocean has movement and bubbles too.

Final Thoughts

I’m beyond thrilled with how 99 Problems Beach Drum turned out. The vibe, the attitude, the energy — it all landed exactly where I hoped. While the resin work was at times frustrating, it was also incredibly satisfying, and I learned a huge amount along the way. That’s the best part of making art: every piece makes the next one better.

 

Materials


  • Side-table drum base
  • Spray paints
  • Handmade stencil
  • Adhesive (Weldbond)
  • Carved shell (pāua & pink mussel)
  • Tile cutter
  • Mirror tiles
  • Grout
  • Doming resin
  • Silicone mixing pots
  • Mixing tools

 

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