# My new Leo Vivarium built from scratch (pic heavy)...



## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

Hi all, not been on here in a while as i've been preoccupied with work..........................and THIS BAD BOY!...











Built from an old melamine bookcase, ply for backboard (handpainted before fitting), an old fish tank which I 'dismantled' to use for doors (not pictured) and various bits and bobs from ebay.

The viv is 3foot long x 1foot deep with 1/3 of the floor on the right raised for the heatmat underneath to get airflow. 
It also has a small 15w red bulb to add light and give a small amount of additional heat to the warm end and a 12v red LED strip light on the left concealed behind the top glass runner and controlled by a switch.










Don't ask about the speech bubble, just something me and my friends used to say lol

And here is the lucky occupant...











And here in all his yellow glory...










Thanks for looking, feel free to comment/ask questions...

...ALSO feel free to PM me if you are interested in having a painting or similar project for your own viv!

-Ads

:2thumb:


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## Lilemz (Aug 3, 2008)

That is some nice art work. How would you go about doing that for other peoples vivs n how much would it cost lol I got 3 that it would look Amazin in


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## amylovesreptiles (Apr 22, 2009)

wow, they're great! 
lovely leo btw


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## cmmercer (Aug 6, 2008)

that looks fantastic. Am loving the artwork idea. we see a lot of these rock builds and planted vivs to make our front rooms look nice with the reps in - don't see many works of art though. Good stuff


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## parkiboy (Sep 13, 2009)

that is genius!! i love it, nice work


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## Street (Oct 30, 2009)

That looks really cool! You've got some good talent there!


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

Lilemz said:


> That is some nice art work. How would you go about doing that for other peoples vivs n how much would it cost lol I got 3 that it would look Amazin in



Hiya, thankyou for the appreciation! 

If I was to offer this service to others it would have to be arranged that the customer sends me either the back board from their viv or measurements so that i can supply wood which the customer will then have to fix and seal themselves, although i could offer a guide on where to get very good quality CHEAP silicone for sealing and a step by step for those of a nervous disposition lol.

The "artwork" can be anything you want (within reason lol) as I am a fully qualified artist and designer plus said artwork would be finished to a high standard with non-toxic acrylic sprays/paints then triple sealed with an acrylic varnish.

As with any commissioned artwork it all depends on the detail of the image the customer wants when it comes to pricing! A ball park figure would be somewhere between £40 and £80 for a 3foot back board but as i say it all depends on the design and the size.
Also as with any artwork i've sold in the past, the more you commission the cheaper they work out each! 

If you have a design in mind let me know so as to better quote costs.

Cheers -Ads


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

amylovesreptiles said:


> wow, they're great!
> lovely leo btw


Thankyou very much, hoping his last few spots on his back will disappear in the next few sheds then he'll be even lovelier! lol


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

cmmercer said:


> that looks fantastic. Am loving the artwork idea. we see a lot of these rock builds and planted vivs to make our front rooms look nice with the reps in - don't see many works of art though. Good stuff


Cheers cmmercer,hopefully it'll inspire more people to add colourful artworks to their vivs! we'll see... I just wanted something out of the ordinary that looked bright and attractive as the viv is over 3 foot and takes up a lot of my small living room lol.


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

Cheers parkiboy and street, i try!


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## Barsh (Sep 12, 2009)

omg, ur viv is AMAZING!!!!!!!


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

cheers dude.


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## chelseanlee (Feb 9, 2009)

well impressed :2thumb:
its nice to see something different and original.

:no1:


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## Josh-sama (Sep 26, 2008)

What sort of paints did you use? ANd you should get a website (if you haven't already) with all your work on


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

Josh-sama said:


> What sort of paints did you use? ANd you should get a website (if you haven't already) with all your work on


http://messymedia.org

http://messymedia.deviantart.com

 Cheers for takin an interest matey, check the links out if you wanna see more examples of my work. 

I use good old acrylic paints as they are water based and non-toxic. I hope you all understand that i don't wanna give too much away as this is my profession!

It's not good... i wanna get another lizard now just so i can build another viv lol!


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## Josh-sama (Sep 26, 2008)

messymedia said:


> http://messymedia.org
> 
> http://messymedia.deviantart.com
> Cheers for takin an interest matey, check the links out if you wanna see more examples of my work.
> ...


I understand haha!

You're work is great! You dabble in PS at all? I'm a Graphics Designer (Well, hope to be!) myself


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## Cheeky-x (Feb 2, 2009)

Wow, love the viv!! I'm in the middle of making a fake rock build....But may have to change my mind now :whistling2: ..Not sure if i could do the artwork that well though!!


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## messymedia (Jul 26, 2009)

I found it equally as fun (only a lot more time consuming lol) to make fake rock builds, i'm not gonna lie i was being impatient and couldn't be bothered with any more god damn grout! lol. So that's kinda why i went with the simple design of just painting the back and adding a couple of fake rock shelves.

Cheers for the comments.

-Ads

Meant to say, if anyone likes the look of a handpainted background but doesn't feel confident in doing it themselves, i am a qualified artist/designer and my prices are very good for the quality of work produced (and the current economical climate lol). So feel free to drop me a message if you'd like a quote on some artwork.

(I supply the painted wood fully protected and ready to be sealed into place by you, either to replace an old viv backboard or for use in the construction of a new viv. You get to choose pretty much any artwork you'd like and all pieces are made to measure from the material of your choice).

Don't mean to ramble, i just really like painting these sorts of things in my spare time.

-Ads


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## Superfreak (Mar 10, 2009)

nice viv background mate, good to see something a bit different


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