"Self Portrait, With Ambition"
Only thing lacking is a coat of paint.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Things I wish I'd Made For 1000
From a great site called Old Chum. There was a few really nice totems to choose from, but the crutches on this one sold me.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Endless 10%
Gotten a bit behind in my posting, but suffice it to say, I'm still working on the damn figure.
Going for my third attempt at the arrow today.Two weeks ago I finally managed see the sculpture with the arrow installed.It looked like this.
The good news was that the arrow attached to the body pretty much like I'd hoped. The bad news was two-fold. First, while the arrow was the same size as all the others, it looked much, much too long. In the end we decided it looked about 10.5 inches too long. That's a lot to trim off a man's arrow, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The second problem was that it sagged, and a sagging arrow is a metaphor I don't need.
Round two. I decided that the best solution would be to use square steel rod stock. Good in theory, but at the last minute, it turned out that it sticks up too far at the rounded edges, and would be too visible. Round two point five. Back to the hardware store for some brass tubing. Not as strong or rigid as square steel, but lighter. Hopefully that will make the difference.
At the same time, I've been working on paint finishes. Having a failed casting has been unexpected helpful in this regard. Hydrostone is not the same as Forton MG, but I'm guessing it's close enough. They don't really show up well in pictures, but here's a nice image of the two of them stacked together. Makes me think, as always, that it would be even cooler to have millions of them.
Finally, in the face of all this endless work on the last 10%, I've been thinking about why this is taking so long, and I think I have at least half an answer. I'm hoping that this process represents a shift from making things that look good to making things that are good. It's easy to make work that looks good in slides, or looks good on the internet. In the end, that's a lot more about the quality of the photo than it is about the quality of the work. Making something that is good - that can hold it's own in person, from all angles - is a much trickier proposition. And if you're a sculptor, that's what it's got to be about.
Going for my third attempt at the arrow today.Two weeks ago I finally managed see the sculpture with the arrow installed.It looked like this.
The good news was that the arrow attached to the body pretty much like I'd hoped. The bad news was two-fold. First, while the arrow was the same size as all the others, it looked much, much too long. In the end we decided it looked about 10.5 inches too long. That's a lot to trim off a man's arrow, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The second problem was that it sagged, and a sagging arrow is a metaphor I don't need.
Round two. I decided that the best solution would be to use square steel rod stock. Good in theory, but at the last minute, it turned out that it sticks up too far at the rounded edges, and would be too visible. Round two point five. Back to the hardware store for some brass tubing. Not as strong or rigid as square steel, but lighter. Hopefully that will make the difference.
At the same time, I've been working on paint finishes. Having a failed casting has been unexpected helpful in this regard. Hydrostone is not the same as Forton MG, but I'm guessing it's close enough. They don't really show up well in pictures, but here's a nice image of the two of them stacked together. Makes me think, as always, that it would be even cooler to have millions of them.
Finally, in the face of all this endless work on the last 10%, I've been thinking about why this is taking so long, and I think I have at least half an answer. I'm hoping that this process represents a shift from making things that look good to making things that are good. It's easy to make work that looks good in slides, or looks good on the internet. In the end, that's a lot more about the quality of the photo than it is about the quality of the work. Making something that is good - that can hold it's own in person, from all angles - is a much trickier proposition. And if you're a sculptor, that's what it's got to be about.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Endless 10%
Gotten a bit behind in my posting, but suffice it to say, I'm still working on the damn figure.
Going for my third attempt at the arrow today.
Two weeks ago I finally managed see the sculpture with the arrow installed.
It looked like this.
The good news was that the arrow attached to the body pretty much like I'd hoped. The bad news was two-fold. First, while the arrow was the same size as all the others, it looked much, much too long. In the end, Jess, Rob and I decided it looked about 10.5 inches too long. That's a lot to trim off a man's arrow, but so be it. The second problem was that it sagged, and a sagging arrow is a metaphor I don't need.
So, round two. I decided that the best solution would be
Going for my third attempt at the arrow today.
Two weeks ago I finally managed see the sculpture with the arrow installed.
It looked like this.
The good news was that the arrow attached to the body pretty much like I'd hoped. The bad news was two-fold. First, while the arrow was the same size as all the others, it looked much, much too long. In the end, Jess, Rob and I decided it looked about 10.5 inches too long. That's a lot to trim off a man's arrow, but so be it. The second problem was that it sagged, and a sagging arrow is a metaphor I don't need.
So, round two. I decided that the best solution would be
Thursday, December 2, 2010
EZMOLD-123
Quick mold tonight
Spent the last couple evenings making a few last little Sculpey pieces to go with the arrows.
Once I got them all squared away, I used superglue to stick them all down onto a piece of melamine.
Once they were all stuck down, I hot-glued some foam core walls around them. I make the melamine level, so the mold will be level when I pour into it. Or that's the theory. So far that hasn't totally worked out, but I keep hoping. That broken arrow in the middle is a gluing error that snapped when I tried to fix it . On the flip side, the other arrows were a bit warped, and I managed to glue them straight, so we'll call it even.
Then I mixed up an old smooth-on pmc121/30 kit I had left over from school and poured away. Almost, almost not enough material, which would have been a bummer. As it is, it's a bit too close for comfort, but since that's all the urethane rubber I had on hand, I can't complain.
Let the record show that at this moment, Even though I don't seem to be able to finish anything, I'm feeling optimistic. I've got the digital system in place (more on that later), hired someone to make the frames, and got some help coming tomorrow. Things are looking efficient. Things are looking good.
Spent the last couple evenings making a few last little Sculpey pieces to go with the arrows.
Once I got them all squared away, I used superglue to stick them all down onto a piece of melamine.
Once they were all stuck down, I hot-glued some foam core walls around them. I make the melamine level, so the mold will be level when I pour into it. Or that's the theory. So far that hasn't totally worked out, but I keep hoping. That broken arrow in the middle is a gluing error that snapped when I tried to fix it . On the flip side, the other arrows were a bit warped, and I managed to glue them straight, so we'll call it even.
Then I mixed up an old smooth-on pmc121/30 kit I had left over from school and poured away. Almost, almost not enough material, which would have been a bummer. As it is, it's a bit too close for comfort, but since that's all the urethane rubber I had on hand, I can't complain.
Let the record show that at this moment, Even though I don't seem to be able to finish anything, I'm feeling optimistic. I've got the digital system in place (more on that later), hired someone to make the frames, and got some help coming tomorrow. Things are looking efficient. Things are looking good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
