Testing ink clay/play-doh combo

Here is my testing of the method I was attempting to use. I used normal computer paper, a toothpick, an ink stamp, modeling clay, and “play-doh” At first, I had accidentally flipped the name, so I had to note to reverse in accordance to the mirrored image printed. For both materials, the toothpick was used to carve in initials by using a multiple poke method similar to a much slower, more careful sort of machine engraving. The play-doh picked up the ink and left an impression relatively well, but because of its softness it can be slightly difficult to mold while keeping its shape without accidental distortion. There was tiny resistance when leaving the paper, but nothing major that I can foresee causing problems, even with the thinness of vellum. It did not leave any sort of impression of oils or other ingredients in its composition, which was a relief, meaning that I could utilize this without any problems of mixing it with the ink.  Even with rolling and reuse, there was no residue from previous entries either, regardless of the color used. As far as I can tell, the only issues I might have with this are if it dries up, but that probably will not happen if it is constantly changing shape. I guess since the old days the company had made it less prone to dry as fast, as it stayed within the same density and softness as when I first picked it out, even after using the clay. Not too shabby.

The clay was where I had more fear, and was more surprised. Compared to the play-doh, it is harder, a bit tougher to remold, and a slight bit messier due to residue on my hands (I suppose you get what you pay for though, as it was not high-quality or a brand I was familiar with). Regardless of that, it was easier to engrave without fear of distortion. It was also a bit easier to smooth out in the regard of rough edges. When applying ink, there was no mixing of oils on the pad or the paper, which was a relief. It also goes on and comes off smoother than the play-doh. I tried using an alternate “deep-gash” method when working with the clay to variable success. It is a slight bit messier, but seems to leave a better impression. The only problem is that it only works well for angular letters. I could see curves and circles being a problem with the straight and angular gashing technique. The clays roughness when being engraved and impression upon stamping give a slightly more archaic feel that the play-doh from what I was able to tell. This would work a bit better to convey the ancient style I hope to accomplish in this work. My sole concern is that it might dry faster than the play-doh, so I would have to keep it contained somehow or at least constantly re-roll it.

I tried a sort of mix of the two properties, but it left my hands marred and its reaction when placed upon the paper was less than positive. Nice to get these mishaps out of the way before I do serious work, I suppose. As a result of my tests, I feel that it might be best to give the person a choice of the type of medium they would like to stamp and work with. I will also have larger quantities for stamping as these were just tests. I hope this has made the type of goal I wish to accomplish a bit clearer.

Final Project… Complete!

This sculpture scene is currently unnamed, although I did consider “Rider vs. Snake”, though I found it too simple to be effective. It is an amalgamation of various sketches I  had made that might work in a plaster cup mold. In the end, I ended up using air-dry clay with water and detailed it with toothpicks and my fingers. The original plan was to use  a fairy, but I found that idea ended up a bit whimsical for my tastes, and it was already tough enough to get the poses down. The thin wings would have only added problems. I do  like the change however. I cannot really say that I had any definite conscious influences while working on this, however, I do feel that some of my past experiences have some  slight presence in the work, such as the Kritios sculptures of old, along with other ancient scenes, my love of math and shapes, and also a bit of influence from my videogame  experiences, one here being Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (“For the Frog the Bell Tolls”), where the main adversary was a giant snake wizard. I felt an outdoor location would be  best, simply because despite the rider no longer being a fairy, and thus, not having a connection with nature, a duel with a snake indoors seems odd, even if it was made to work  with the locale (such as being set on a small patch of grass, artificial or not). I definitely wanted it in a courtyard or infront of a building, simply because that is where  these kinds of things usually are, and fit best there. In terms of Location 1, I like the use of elevation to give a sense of foreboding and tension, much stronger than flat ground. Location 2 is far more flat and conceptual, but it is neat to see how the columns play with the scene, giving a sense of placement, but also clashing slightly with its smooth curves, compared to this relatively linear kind of work. Location 3 serves as something of a mix between 1 and 2. It is more like 2, with its flatness and clashing of curves, however, if one were so inclined to assume this scene could be seen coming up a flight of stairs, then there would return that sense of tension, using the idea that two might sides clashing can even be noticed from afar.. I would say the approximate real life dimensions would be about 6 feet high for the snake, 8 feet high for the rider, 4  feet long for the snake, 8 feet long for the rider, and about 4 feet wide for the snake, 2.5 to 3 feet wide for the rider. It would likely be made out of Marble or stone relief  to best retain the model of the original, or possibly bronze if it were to be made for indoor viewing (as opposed to leaving it out to rust, although it would have an  interesting effect many years later on). Unfortunately, I do not have a map or general idea of where these places are due to finding them on Google’s search engine. I definitely  wanted to consider a sense of conflict and tension, and as a result, I managed to inadvertently stick to the project criteria. In terms of proportion, the rider is smaller than  the snake on foot. However, when riding, she actually manages to be a slight bit taller than the snake. The triangles were meant to only be for design’s sake, but it would be  interesting to try and see how big both sculptures are in terms of the average size of the triangular prisms seen on the “pyramid”. In terms of unity, the rider and her  “vehicle” are full of triangular shapes and angles. The only thing disheveled (well, intentionally, that is) is her hair, which was done that way to conceal her face. Even still,  she is still abstracted and not exactly a typical young girl of any particular ethnicity I am aware of, which was my plan to begin with. The snake is a coiled mess. One cannot  tell just how long the thing is, based on the way it is wrapped up in itself. There is a definite beginning and a definite end, but there is no real sense of actually being able  to stretch it out and lay it straight and flat. The snake also has different designs on its belly, head, and outer skin pattern, none of which really work well together either.  This kind of harmony/law vs. discordance/chaos conflict was what I had been hoping to capture since the beginning.

Final Project: Sculpting finished

That takes care of that. Now to get the actual writing and placement finished.

As a side-note: I am somewhat satisfied in how this turned out, given my current stamina and the lack of tools (I only used toothpicks and my fingers to carve). It is a bit less than ideal, and somethings were changed (rider is no longer a fairy) and some were lost (the snake had a much more sinister and outstanding tongue that fell off and broke to pieces), but in the end, I am pleased with the end result. Not as satisfied as I would hope to be, but still pleased.

Methods and Vocabulary

Methods

Subtraction

Manipulation

Addition

Substitution (in terms of hardware)

Vocabulary

Abstract

Amorphous

Anthropomorphic

Articulated

Assemblage

Attenuate

Axis

Cantilever

Casting

Composition

Concave

Content

Contour

Well, now that this is done, it is time to detail.

Final Project status: Rough stage

This has been relatively smooth going so far.  I added water to the air-dry clay to soften it up. It didn’t turn out as I had hoped, but it was still a boon nonetheless.  I decided to change the position of the left model to have everything face the right. Hopefully it will add better support. I am letting it dry for now, but it should be ready to detail after I finish French and the other blog assignment I need to do.

As a side note: This stuff is awfully sticky and dirty once wet. It got all over the tablecloth, tablemat, the plates, my hands, the towel, and the floor; but, to top that off, it barely splashed at all. Just a few drops and it starts spreading out like nobody’s business. I cannot even wipe my forehead of sweat, because the clay instantly takes liquid form again. It is an inconvenience to say the least, but at least it is holding up well. I would not recommend it for anybody else to use however, at least not in the way I worked with it.

Final Project: Not quite started yet, but will be finished by tonight.

These are some rough ideas I had that I just jotted down. I did not like any of them in particular.  I decided to fuse different ideas together, and that will be my project, well, along with the picture insert. I will probably put it outside of a library. This is going to get done tonight (along with my French work) even if I have to work, well:

Project 4: Pup Bellies

This project turned out rather unexpectedly, but thankfully, decent.  The brush-on, plaster, and mold-making/utilizing were rather new to me. I had done similar things before, not exactly like this. At the very least, I am glad it turned out well. I did run into a few problems though, such as heads and tails falling off, but those were no problem to fix. The biggest challenge early on for me was trying to figure out how to make it work with the “belly” hanging and the work standing upon its four paws, as opposed to most peoples, which ended up on a flat base of some kind. The brush-on had actually slid under the stomach while I was working on the legs, creating an x-shaped hole along with the leg wholes, with four flaps that allowed it to be opened, while still retaining the four legs as well. Some carving and smoothing was required of course, but I was glad to actually have it so close to the original plan nonetheless.  One of my plaster models came out looking weird, full of holes and other issues, and I had tried to cover up some of his problem areas. When I had wanted to take off and carve off some of the parts I added for a smoother overall model, I was unable to, due to hardening so much. This would have been a problem, but since my original plan was to make a Halloween themed subject (it was around that time that the project was mentioned), I decided to work with it as is, an effort I had not utilized since my first project, as both of which were unintentional, but ended up working after all. I made a secondary model of the odd-model, using the same color scheme, just to make sure I could still present two “normal” models. I have grown a bit fond of the off-model, as it was the most fun to work with, even if it  took the most time. Special thanks this time go out to Daniel (the one that actually comes to class), as I would have had great difficulty with this, had he not been considerate enough to lend me some materials.

Project 3(?): A new start, and a new resolve.

After my failure with the previous project, I decided to hopefully steel myself for the next. This turned out rather well, if I am allowed to say so, that is. I was happy to have done more than the standard fold and twist most people had done, even if it was not as smooth or accurate as I had hoped. It was not a “difficult” project, but it did provide a nice challenge, especially with regards to weight, balance, and support. Clay was a particularly “cautious” material to work with, as it was tough to get it to do just what I wanted, but after hardening somewhat, it became more approachable, as long as I kept using a gentle touch. Special thanks go out to Leanne for helping with photos.

On a side-note: One of the angles looks disturbingly phallic. Poor Leanne. That was unintentional, and fridge logic should have told me to look more carefully, but considering its bands are now gone, I cannot really do much to it now, as it no longer resembles its original shape.

Project 2: Plans, Process, and failure.

First of all, I apologize for not updating in a while. I have been pretty busy and tired, so this always slipped to the back of my mind.

This project was the result of unfortunate choices (mostly of the type of fabric chosen, less so the subject) and time consumed by outside courses. By the time I had started seriously working on this, it ended up unraveling, falling apart, and overall not working. I did not even use any of my original pieces because the fabric was so weak. The end result was far from satisfactory and just a mark of shame on my academic career. It is better if I did not post it here. I could not if, even if I wanted to, as I deleted the picture file.

Project 1: Completed(?)

I’m finally “done”. It did not turn out quite as I had hoped, but I worked on it as much as I could.  I hope the next project is easier.