I just finished sanding down by hand my dolphin armature. First with 40 grade glass paper then with 100 grade glass paper. It's now ready for me to paint on the details using my dragon skin. Thats the beauty of my dragon skin it not only can be painted on directly to vertually any paper surface adding strength without compramising the weight too much once dry, but also make a fantastic 3D paint medium too. 10 minutes by a 8 inch desk fan & each new layer is ready to be added safely without ruining the previous layer. Colour can be added during the mixing stage or after you have mixed up any size of batch of dragon skin easily. For the dolphin here i am using what i call a 'bone mix'. Basically it has a 3rd more PVA glue in it to give it a harder, smoother more bone like finsih. Then once dry i can then mass copy it in a plaster split mold. The final dolpins are to be part of a medium sized water feature. There will be a mermaid sitting inside a large giant clam teasing the dolphin pod as they leap up & over some waves with water pooling up & over the dolpines too... I hope lol.
I have not added to fins or tail at this stage to make copying using a plaster split mold process easier.
When i come to do the pod & the waves they will look kind of like this statue formation, though a little more spaced out. The waves are the easiest part of course lol. Please note this is NOT my work displaid here in the image below this text. This is JUST an image i grabbed online as an example for myself as to how to make the waves & an idea of how the dolphin pod should look when leaping. i have no idea of size, shape or even where this is displaid. I can't even remember where i grabbed the image from now. I only posted this image to show roughly HOW i will be doing 'my' version of my dolpins & waves.
My dolphin armature after 2 coats of dragon skin painted on as 3D paint. I should have the face finished pretty much by the end of today.
Now after 6 coats of dragon skin.
Wow, Great! This is something that I've been thinking of doing for some time now. I'm anxious to see how you handle it.
ReplyDeleteLuella
Lol so am i lol. I have never made a dolphin before lol. The first 'face' layer is now on.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a site anywhere with your work i can see?
ReplyDeleteJonty,
ReplyDeleteSadly, no. All my original work has been lost over the years and through many, many moves. And I have done nothing new in a very long time.
In fact, I have been out of touch with my creative side for so long I thought it had been lost forever too.
As I said before, I am just now getting back into paper mache after a very long absence. An absence that took me through stints as a mom, nursing assistant, waitress, restaurant cook, store clerk, telemarketer and real estate agent.
Luckily (???) I’ve developed chronic Lymes disease and it has affected my memory and occasionally my ability to read to the point that I can no longer hold a regular job.
In the pursuit of something to do to make a living, or at least bring in a little more money into the house, I turned back to the thing I love most – art – and more precisely paper mache. I just wasn't sure what I could do with it.
Then as I wondered through the enchanted, and sometimes dangerous, world of the internet I discovered Stolloween, The Monster Man and you. When I did, my brain exploded and my excitement and creativity went into overdrive. And I hope they never go back to normal/dull again!
I am now in the process of teaching paper mache outreach classes for the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC). At least I have some scheduled. One is suppose to start next Tuesday but no one has signed up yet.
To get them off to a quick start I am using Stolloween’s jack-o-lanterns for my first class. Of course they are charging $54.00 for the 16 hour class, which I think is kinda heavy for a class being offered for the first time ever. And especially knowing that everyone has a preconceived idea about what paper mache is. Still I am persevering.
I am in the process of setting up four classes out of the Ashland campus, one out of the Rice Lake campus and two or three more out of the Superior campus for the spring term.
I will be using my own ideas and creations for these classes with some of Stolloween, the Monster Man and your techniques and ideas thrown in for good measure.
What I would really like to do is fine paper mache art that I can reproduce through casting. I have so many old sketches and drawing that I can’t wait till I can get to them.
In the meantime, I have just gotten a commission for a five foot dinosaur - my choice of a Spinosaurus, T Rex, or Raptor. It needs to be weather resistant and will be used as a target by a young boy learning how to shoot the bow and arrow. Interesting – no? Challenging – yes! But I’m very excited about figuring it all out.
I am also in the process of putting some other projects together and promise to set up a website soon.
Till then I will be a constant visitor to your site and the others that I mentioned. Please keep the great ideas coming!
Luella
You should join the PM group i am in it is full of awesome artists, Stolloween, Dan, me & hundreds more. The group IS very friendly & NO question no matter how many times it has been asked, no matter how lame it may sound or look when you type it out & post it will ever be treated as such. ALL questions & group members are treated with respect & there is ALWAYS someone to answer ANY question. Heres the link.
ReplyDeletePaperMacheArt-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Cary Tracy Pugh is the iste owner but you might get a message from Kerry one of the modferators. Just tell them Jonty sent you. You will be most welcome. There are 1000 of us there, with hundreds of album pictures, files, website links & moe. Including a couple of folders belonging to me with stuff in i have not gotten in here yet.
Come join us you'll love it. Remember tell them Jonty sent you lol.
P.S. I post there before here & am about to post the next stage of my dolphin for plaster casting. I am still adding the dragon skin details though but the dolphin is starting to emerge now lol.
ReplyDeleteSounds great! I'll give them a click.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Wow!!....After checking your creations out...I have to say...Your work is "AMAZING"...and to think it all starts with "NEWSPAPER" What a great way to give life to what would become landfill....Your Dolphins are Magnificent...So nice of you to share your techniques also...I'd Love to add a link to your work on my blog if you don't mind...There are so many people that would appreciate your work out there...
ReplyDeleteSpOOky Dreams
~adele~
Why thank you so much for the kind words. It's a great art form. Easy to do & as you say a great way of reducing land fill if only a fraction lol. Did you check out my YouTube HOW TO video's too? There i actually show my techniques in action lol.
ReplyDeleteAs to the link please i would appreciate that. As you can see i already have links here to your lol.
As to the spooky dreams - Always they are doing my head in lol.
Again thank you so much.