November 17 -- postcard!

The postcards for my show arrived -- I am very pleased with them.  I never thought I'd ever be making a postcard for my own show...still not quite believing this is happening.

I am pretty much forced to take the night off -- massive, throbbing sinus/allergy headache.  It is even effecting my vision...gah!  Oh well, there is always tomorrow!

Day 140 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Forty

First things first -- I packaged up my four postcards for Wish You Were Here (postcard sale/show) at Paint Creek Center for the Arts and sent it off in the mail...it should arrive by Thursday.  I really want to attend the show...I hope it works out that I can go.

And -- here is a shot of my crazy boys...just to show how much they enjoy being in my bedroom (I sometimes have to put them in there when company is over) -- they put themselves back to bed after breakfast...no coaxing could get them to leave.  They usually see me off when I am leaving the house but this morning they just stayed on my bed.

 But the biggest part of today was about an accompanying Juana on an adventure out to Shelby Township to a supplier of materials for molding and casting.  Juana has been interested for some time in making her own molds and casting small toys and things.  She recently attended a demo at Penguicon and learned a bit more and cast a little toy penguin from the artist's mold.  She did some research, made a shopping list of basics materials, and off we went to TFB Plastics Incorporated.

I already knew ahead of time that I will not be pursuing this fascinating process myself, so I knew it was "safe" for me to go along with her...no shopping for me...good thing, too -- man, what a cool place and SO many things to choose from!  Juana already pretty much knew what she was looking for but needed a little guidance and had questions and the folks there were really helpful and easy to talk to.  Me...I was just wowed by all of the textures and surfaces that were TOTALLY different to the touch than to the eye.  NOTHING was what I thought it was or what I was expecting to feel when I touched stuff.

TCB Plastics Incorporated in Shelby Township, MI.

And this was just the very first thing that began my exploration of things not being what they looked like.  Seemingly this is a very full glass of cool, clear water...it really made me thirsty.

But nope...solid whatever it is!

When we first walked into this room I was closer to the wall and didn't even SEE the gigantic face/stones.  Kinda hard to miss it...LOL

This is made of some sort of foam stuff...it looks so solid and heavy.

A very angry man in the moon, creepy tree and (not creepy) dog.

Man -- this is SO life like...the more you stand there and look at it the more you see and I was really expecting the eyes to pop open!

And there is a small section for taxidermy stuff...but no glass eyes (thank goodness) or I would have been in serious trouble.

The fish are so colorful and life like...except that they are in a bag hanging on the wall.

A fox guy holding a couple of bracelets.

Lookout behind you, pheasant!

Just oblivious.

Catfish.

Juana shopping and being helped.

I am not a fan of clown masks, but this was really cool -- that candy looked so real.

Then there is a section for body casting...and this fisherman guy.

This is on the desk in the front...just your average goop spilling into a cup with no visible means of support.

After we were done, Juana and I went to lunch at Athens Coney Island...good, simple food.  FUN day!

Day 131 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Thirty-One

Yikes!  I checked the time and it was already 11:30 -- no time for a second try with the plaster cloth project!  Must. post. entry. before. midnight.

Okay -- I fixed the chronology of the photos...it is really 12:02 now.  

Today I did a lot of thinking, prepping, layouts, etc.  I worked on three projects and have a few things to show for it.  Here is how it went...

I want to make a few more postcards for the Paint Creek postcards sale/show.  I remembered this eraser carving I really like that I already had printed on nice handmade art paper.  I sprayed it with varnish to make sure the glue wouldn't make the ink run...that was then set aside to dry.

I hacked away at the head of this alligator toy.  I took off all of the alterations I put on it a long time ago (and was never very happy with) and started over...that is what prompted just cutting the old head off all together.  THAT was a long process and I had to keep coming back to it and turning it and sawing more, etc.  I finally broke through and it came off.  I was kinda "done" at that point.

Then I went back to thinking about another possible postcard.  I knew I wanted to do an Animal People assembled cat girl that was too large for the Art-o-mat block as a postcard. 

I traced the 4x6 size onto Bristol board and started digging around for things she could be sitting on.  The main problem was that the item would also need to have something for her to be leaning her elbow on, not just sitting.  I like these colorful spools...but it was too far of a stretch for her elbow...she'd have to be leaning backwards to touch the one behind her and it even though I really liked the colors and dimensions, it just wasn't working for her elbow.

Hey -- a rattan chair...

...maybe.

A couple of sofas...

...the leather one is just too plain...

I like the striped one...and I found a little dog, too.

Here is a possible idea...she is maybe thinking of what she wants to plant in her garden this season...not sure I will stay with this...not glued down yet.

Then I went back to the alligator toy.  I knew the new shape I wanted for the head...but how to make the transition from thick neck to new head?  I found a small section of cardboard tube that already had a few layers of plaster cloth and gesso.  It cut pretty easily with scissors.  I wanted to give it something to hold onto the body with.

Then I cut slits into the other end for the head parts to be inserted into for strength/stability.

I wanted to use very lightweight materials so that the plaster cloth won't be too heavy and push the head downwards.  I ended up not using the plastic lid.

I like the flatter head better...for now.

I put masking tape all around it and secured it to the toy body.  By this time I needed a break from this again.

I thought about how I could put the bear print onto the Bristol board and just went with the easiest/driest method...glue stick.

The back of the postcard (for now).

The front of the postcard (for now) -- I am happy with how close I got the edges...the carving is not exactly 4x6.

The tonight I decided I wanted to get some plaster cloth onto the alligator toy.  I took this small project out to the dining room table and worked on a plastic trash bag.  No time to take process photos...just the end results.

His new head -- so far.

The repaired section of tail...so far.

I couldn't get the two body sections to work with plaster cloth.  I am going to have to make the surfaces as smooth as possible (take away more of the old joining cloth) and try to epoxy the two halves together first...then put on the plaster cloth.  A project for another day.

How it is looking so far...not too bad.

Okay -- I finished the update/edit at 12:26...that is enough for tonight!