3DD - Skin + Bones

The biggest problem I encountered this week was not finding what I felt was a suitable final outcome.

We started the week off with some more workshop time - experimenting with different methods of sculpting. I also investigated dying plaster - using violet ink dye. The result was certainly different. I also harvested the skins, although I didn’t get a chance to use them in the end.

I made a clay model of my first design for the central structure - intending to use the model as a base to warp acrylic around (using a heat gun). However, I was not happy with the final shape, and the clay would have taken too long to dry out. Still, it is an interesting structure, just not useful for this project.

Running out of time and ideas, I went back to basics and sketched out a central “spine” for the structure on the train. I also came up with the laser cutting plan as well. Why laser cutting? To ensure uniformity & provide a cleaner, easier, adhesion using solvent (which has no gap-filling ability at all). It was also a lot quicker than cutting the pieces individually.

I used couched nylon w/ interfacing to provide the exterior “shroud”, however I am not happy with the shapes of the shroud. I am quite pleased with the central spine though.

Where did January go?

That is it. We have our final non-graded assessment next week (mine is on Monday), and we hand in our proposal for the Final Major Project (the graded one which decides whether or not we get into our chosen undergraduate degree).

We have 10 weeks (+ 2 week Easter Break - unofficially) to get this project done. I need to brainstorm this tomorrow, as right now, I am absolutely knackered.

3DD - Skin + Bones

Silicon! Pink Strawberry Silicon!

Pink - well, it is pink. Strawberry? It smelt like strawberry syrup.

Picking up from the failure to create a uniform sheet of skin (out of copydex) to play with, I turned to silicon.

For timeframe reference, I did the copydex experimentation on Tuesday & Wednesday, the London Trip was on Thursday, & the silicon experimentation I did on Friday morning.

With help from Sim (the sculpture tutor & tech), I sorted out a roughly A1 sized silicon sheet that will hopefully be roughly uniform come Monday.

3DD - Skin + Bones

Ahahaha.

Copydex.

Experimentation… well, I wouldn’t say that it was an abject failure. My intention was to create a skin of copydex which I could then play with. First, I used an old skirt (you may recognise it as formally being attached to a cheongsam, or wait, did I blog about that?), and coated the inside of that with a layer of copydex. I fully intended to peel it off, but it kinda soaked into the fabric…

Experiment 2. Same principal, I wanted to have a sheet of copydex/skin to play with. So I bought a nice big A1 acetate sheet to use as a base, and basically emptied an entire bottle of copydex onto it. I left it to set. The resultant sheet isn’t exactly uniform, but I’ll figure out a use for it. (The cured sheet isn’t pictured… yet).

3DD - Skin + Bones

One cool thing that happened last week was the acid etching workshop. First time I’ve played with a CuSO(4) solution since… well a long time ago. We used Zn as the etching plate, although we also have access to Cu & Al plates. (Cu is obscenely expensive though now, Al is cheap but the etch is a bit messier).

This was the process:

1. Pick up Zn plate, and using Brasso, give it a good polish

2. Use cream cleaner to get rid of the grease

3. Rinse with water - there should be no surface resistance

4. Place Zn plate on the hot surface

5. Apply hard wax (can also use soft depending on the desired etch)
   

6. Use roller to provide smooth, even coating onto the Zn surface, moving the Zn to the cooler surface when necessary to aid process

7. Get a sharp implement, and etch away at the wax until you’ve obtained the desired image

8. Apply tape, or some other protectant to the back of the plate (to prevent it from corroding)

9. Place the plate in the solution/etching bath for the desired time (wearing appropriate protection - in this case full-face goggle mask & thick gloves)
   

10. Remove, rinse off etching solution, check etching depth.

11. Repeat process if necessary, adding “paint-out” or “block-out” (basically varnish) to areas of the etch which do not require further oxidation.

12. Use white spirits & methylated spirits to clean the plate post-etch.

Afterwards, Georgia (another student) kindly showed me how to create a print out of the etch.

• Chamfer the edges of the plate to a 45 degree angle (etch up)
  

• Apply sparingly a coat of block ink, then wipe off the excess

• Place onto the press, followed by the print paper, then then a layer of thinner paper, and then the mats.

• Gently turn the handle.

• Remove the print.
  

That was a really busy week...

…and yet I feel like I got nothing done? Eh?

Things that happened last week:

• 3DD Trip to London

• Acid Etching & Printing Workshop

• Architecture Applicant Day

• Exhibition Opening & Fashion Show

• Played with Copydex

• Played with Silicon

• Mounted research images

• A little bit of sketching… !

That last one is why I feel like I got nothing done. As I don’t know what my final product/outcome is going to be, and I need to be able to hit the ground running on Monday morning. The only thing I know for certain, is that I’m going to be using silicon as part of the final design. Today is going to be a sketch-a-thon.

Also, all of my previous project work is a mess… I am not looking forward to sorting this all out next weekend. *gulp*

3DD - Skin + Bones

So, this week saw the beginning of our penultimate project - or final, non-graded, project. It is 3 weeks long, focused around the theme of “Skin & Bones”.

As an aside, I am getting increasingly frustrated with this course, and how suffocating it is.

Along with the standard research and poorly explained drawing tasks we had this week, I decided to create this sculpture - based on a representation of the microscopic structure of bone - to try and breathe life back into my work. We also have a Foundation exhibition on Monday, and I wanted to show something in that, other than a model I created back during the Carousel in September.

Inspired by an image of bone taken by a tunneling electron microscope, I did a quick sketch of the sculpture, deciding that I wanted it to be reasonably substantial & made out of materials I haven’t really played with yet. So, I settled on a thick (25mm) foam base painted in white acrylic, with an aluminium wire frame on which to wrap the mod-roc. The mod-roc itself needs a few coats of white acrylic paint, which I will do on Monday.

On the Thursday we were tasked with making collages, so along with a collage of Neto’s work, I decided to create a layered representation of bone again, this time just using layers of foam cut out using a scalpel. It is still a WIP.