365/2013 - Day 200

having to re-think things

Wow -- it is day 200 of this year already.  Where does the time go?

Tonight I have been thinking I really need to get started getting the legs attached to the torso of this rabbit-ish/cat-ish guy.  His body is made from a canister that held dishwasher pellets.  The sides are a fairly rigid cardboard and the bottom is a thin piece of aluminum.  I didn't think about just how thin that metal is until tonight when I put the hard cardboard tube legs into place, but I am getting ahead of myself.

It makes me very nervous to use the Dremel tool or the drill for anything other than wood.  My plan was to make a tiny pilot hole with the Dremel tool and then widen it as I went along with the drill.  I got a huge surprise when I used the Dremel on the can bottom.  It was bouncy and fought me, then when it pushed through it took off on me in both of the holes.  THAT scared me enough to not want to put the big drill to it.

Then I remembered I had that new 3-in-1 saw that I bought a while back.  I was hoping one of the blades would cut metal and YAY, it does!  But getting it started was quite a chore.  Once I got it established in the "pilot" hole(s), I was able to saw at it for a while...but it was exhausting to my wrists because the metal is so wobbly AND because I was trying very hard not to put any distress on the plaster cloth parts of the construction...including cracking the walls of the torso.

My plan was to cut the holes into pie slices and then push them inwards to help grip onto the hard cardboard tube legs...but it was just too difficult on my wrists/hands.  THEN I remembered the tin snips I have -- I actually just saw them a couple of days ago in the other studio.

The snips cut through the metal like buttah!  What a difference!  I made my pie shapes and pushed them in but then when I tried to insert the tubes it became apparent it would be better if I simply cut the circles out all the way -- it was just that easy to use the snips.

Okay -- so then I inserted the hard cardboard tube legs and -- gah -- the metal is so wobbly that it doesn't want to support the weight of the upper construction on the tube legs.  I thought about how perhaps the plaster cloth would stiffen the bottom and I could push the legs into that, but I want to apply the plaster cloth to the legs first (for easier working conditions and hopefully for more evenly covered legs) -- but in the end I thought it would probably be better to make everything really sturdy and use a round piece of wood as a base and find some wooden legs to screw into that base...it could be something like one of those inexpensive plaques (that I probably have in the basement somewhere already) and then attaching that assembly to the upper body assembly and then adding the arms, etc.  I will work it out when I get to that part.

In the meantime I went ahead and used the snips to cut out the metal bottom of the can.  Easy peasy.

I may even have more of this wood somewhere -- I am sure I rounded those edges.  I like the look of them better for legs, too.

365/2013 - Day 199

slow progress

This afternoon I was building more onto the rabbit-guy's face using Scott Rags and masking tape.  I do it like this so that if I have worked on a part for a while and I come back and just don't like it, it is not a problem to pull it all off and start again.

Then I was thinking about how I might like to make the arms, and how wide they should be, and what should I use to build them on.  Toilet paper and paper towel tubes seemed the easiest and most abundant...they are also easy to cut and lightweight to work with.

Tonight I was going to work in Studio B but the air was just too close so I moved everything out to the dining room table.  

First things first...cut up more plaster cloth, then tape up the arms.

I filled in the elbow area with Scott Rags pushed into the gap.

About what I was hoping for at this stage -- and they are relatively even.  I swear I will never be able to make two perfectly symmetrical pieces of anything.

I took a long enough break to dump the arms water and get new hot water for the face.  I was very pleased to find that I wasn't losing very much of the "detail" that I put on yesterday.  Granted, I am working in thin layers right now, but still...it turned out better than I was hoping for.  And his ear looks like it was never even broken.

Then I wanted to see how the arms might look so I held them in place for some quick shots.

Yep -- I am pretty pleased with this guy so far (now)...and he is definitely a combination of a cat and a rabbit.

365/2013 - Day 198

yay -- it's official!

Remember that "mystery thing" that I was so excited about and taking steps toward completing and that I wasn't saying what it was exactly until if/when it actually happened?  Well, today it happened!  I took my oath and I was officially sworn in as one of the new members of the Northville Arts Commission!  My term runs until June 30, 2016.  I am so excited and happy -- you'd think I was just crowned Queen of Northville or something.

Now...on with regular stuff...

Tonight I built up some of the features on the rabbit-guy's face.  I gave him some cheeks and filled in the area under his eyes a bit.  I haven't committed it to plaster cloth yet...I am still too giddy from today to get in there and do some serious work.   But I like how his face is becoming more round.  I think I do want him to be a combination of a cat and a rabbit.  He still needs work around his eyes and he needs his nose built up a little more.  His ear needs to be repaired, too.

As far as the long horns guy goes, I think I am pretty happy with his basic shape.  The papering and painting will finish him off.  I also decided to keep his hands/arms the way they are.

such a sweety guy

365/2013 - Day 197

starting to shape up a bit

Earlier this afternoon I did some of the printing for the current batch of Tookies finger puppets for Art-o-mat.  I forgot (already) that I need to do a couple of photos of the new Tookies for the label, placard, and for the website...gah.

This evening I knew I needed to get back into the wet plaster cloth studio and do some work on the long horns-guy and the rabbit-guy.  I was really dreading it but it needed to be done. 

before

This is more what I wanted...a definite mouth for later when I paper over it.  It will still keep changing a bit as the paper gets layered on and again when it gets painted.  The  nose is still there, it is just hard to see it in this light...I can still feel it when I slide my hands over his face.

Another view...but also to show the rabbit-guy because I forgot to take a "before" photo of him...but you can go back farther in the blog if you want to look at him.

I'm actually pretty happy with this -- this is more what I had in mind.

He almost looks like a kangaroo-guy in this view.

AND I decided to try to pop those taxidermy eyes into place.  I had to build up a bit underneath them to "aim" them -- I think they look pretty good right now.  I will need to work on his face some more.  He may turn out to be a combination cat/rabbit-guy.

Back away from the plaster cloth guys, Took...quit tweaking them for now!

365/2013 - Day 196

the part I like the best

Today has been a very long day so far.  I am usually awake between 6:30 and 8:00 in the morning -- not necessarily dressed and ready to go somewhere -- but awake.  This morning I had several errands to do before Andi and AB arrived to run to Ann Arbor with me to pick up some castoffs from another friend's stuff purging...and what great stuff!

When I got home from the bigger errand I brought in two lightweight shelving units.  Bootsy thinks these make a great new raised cat bed.

Twink agrees.

The SUPER stuff I got from Tracy -- a roll of wire mesh stuff, two blue wire racks, and a zig-zag folding-in-on-itself pet enclosure thing.  They will all become something eventually...or be parts of guys...and they don't take up much room at all in my garage.

Now for the part I like the best --  thinking of how to make the plaster cloth guys!

I have been tweaking this rabbit-guy tonight.   At first I was thinking I might try to shape his glass eyes (glass "gems" that I painted myself and don't really care for)...but I just wasn't happy with any of it.

no...not working for me

Then I remembered the bowlful of taxidermy eyes in the other studio.  Trying to "aim" the eyes and position them so that they appear to be looking at something...

...and do I dig the old glass eyes out or do I build over them???  Is this the right size? 

I decided to try one more pair...this is a smaller pair...and when I opened the packaging I found that one of the eyes was broken off a little on the edge...this is the pair I will use!  I wasn't really planning on "spending" a set of taxidermy eyes on this guy, but since these are damaged I may as well use them for him.

I like the smaller size better...but do elliptical cat eyes work for a rabbit-guy?

LOL -- how about goat-ish eyes if I turn them sideways?

More like this, I think.

I set the eyes aside and thought about the shape of his face...is it going to be okay with these new eyes?  Will I need to shape it a little more?  Will I need to build on around his eyes?  
 

I sketched on a mouth area and where I need to add little ball shapes.

Then his arms really started bugging me...I haven't been happy with the pointy shoulders and the position of his arms. 
 

"Hey...these things snap right off!"

Hmmm...I could leave a little bit of a "hinge" in place and build around it maybe.

Close up of inside of his arm/shoulder.

No...I think he probably needs new arms all together.

But right now he needs to quit lookin' at me!  Masking tape to my rescue.

 MAYbe he needs to be taller!  Yeah!!!  He needs to be taller!!!

I measured and cut this sturdy tube with my saw and balanced him on what could be new legs.

How about REALLY long legs -- yes -- I think I like this idea!

Sure, it's all fun and games until somebody falls over and gets hurt.  At least at this stage his ear is very easily fixed.

ouch

I marked where the skinnier, longer tubes could fit into his torso...now...how will I cut into that can bottom I wonder?  I will figure it out when I get to that part.

Then I went "shopping in the basement" and found a few items.  I know I am always going to build feet and a base as early as possible from now on.

I found a matching set of little wooden boxes, some MDF blocks, and I knocked the base off of what is left of that lamp (or table?) base with my rubber mallet.  Now my wrist hurts...wah.

I was thinking he should have some sort of a connection between leg and shoe/foot...a sort of ankle but not really.  The connectors will help me attach all of the pieces when the time comes.  I can screw the wooden ball into an MDF block and then tape/strap the blocks together to get more thickness.

And that wooden Easter egg can be the connector for the top of his leg that goes into the bottom of the can...I have an idea of how to wiggle it in so that it is a pretty tight fit before applying the plaster cloth.

There...all of his parts are assembled in one spot. 

Now to start thinking about his arms...