Day 308 - 365/2014

Day Three Hundred Eight

I was going to try to allow myself to slide by with merely first layering the other side of the bowling pin cat-creature...but it really wasn't enough work for tonight.

Now the whole bowling pin cat-creature has it's entire first layer of tissue on it.  Time to start thinking of how I am going to finish him.


The rabbit guy needed some tweaking and I also needed to decide whether he will get a tail or not.  I printed out a couple of Wonderland White Rabbit drawings that show a tail...I am still on the fence about it.  I also marked the area that for sure needs to have plaster cloth added to fill in the low spots.

Naturally, once I started working on him and filled in the initial area I could feel other small spots that needed tweaking...so I just tried to level it all out and/or round off areas...and then it turned into I-might-as-well-get-his-hands-put-in-while-I'm-at-it.  The hands part was something I needed to work on pretty quickly once I started, so I couldn't really take many photos...I needed to keep each area wet and slippery and I swore I wouldn't muck up this camera with plaster cloth slime.

The hands went in pretty well with a lot of breath holding.  I needed to build up the inside of the sleeves a little because they were still just the bare cardboard tubes and needed to be thicker, and the wrists were deliberately left thin when I made the hands so that I could adjust them as I went along when this time rolled around.  Anyway...fast work...no individual process/step-by-step pictures...just before and after.

I think I am fairly happy with his progress...I am still not sure how his clothes will be or if he will be papered or painted.  I hope to have him done by a deadline but it is not very likely.

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!