I hope to get better at acanthus leaves...someday...but I'm pretty happy with the pedestal.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
A bit more progress on the fan
'Real Life' intruded and has eaten up the vast majority of my weekend thus far but I did manage to get in some work on the fan handle.
I hope to get better at acanthus leaves...someday...but I'm pretty happy with the pedestal.
I hope to get better at acanthus leaves...someday...but I'm pretty happy with the pedestal.
Friday, June 21, 2013
News. Some good, some...well...?!
The bad news is that acanthus leaves are, apparently, very hard for me to sculpt. I keep applying some paperclay and working it into something almost entirely un-like an acanthus leaf. (Sigh) Perhaps the 4th or 5th or 18th try will be the charm!
The good, but rather surprising news is that I can sculpt faces! (Who knew?) And even some fairly good hair!
My little man is coming together! In fact he is coming together so well that I couldn't resist sticking some feathers in for a peek.
Nice!
The good, but rather surprising news is that I can sculpt faces! (Who knew?) And even some fairly good hair!
My little man is coming together! In fact he is coming together so well that I couldn't resist sticking some feathers in for a peek.
Nice!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Can't...Resist...! Must...Show Off...Progress!
Still loving the paper clay!
Bit by bit...
It's coming together!
Bit by bit...
It's coming together!
IRCC3-4b: Fan handle in progress...
...Ooooo! that's better!
The plastic wood seems to be providing good framing and structure but it's completely lacking in suitability for fine detail work so after I roughed-in some arms I went looking for an alternative material to use for a sculptural topcoat on my fan handle. I found air-hardening paper clay and I think I'm in love!
The plastic wood seems to be providing good framing and structure but it's completely lacking in suitability for fine detail work so after I roughed-in some arms I went looking for an alternative material to use for a sculptural topcoat on my fan handle. I found air-hardening paper clay and I think I'm in love!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
IRCC 3 - 4b: The great fan adventure continues...
After roughing in the carving for the handle I cut a groove across the top plate of my handle base and inserted a craft wood oval to provide support for the feathers of my fan and also the fantastic animals which project to the sides.
Since I couldn't find my coping saw, or any of my other, more suitable, saws. I made the grove by working at it a whole lot with a combination of the tools I could find, a drywall saw, chisel and my wonderful hand drills. Really, the proper tools would have made this stage a whole lot easier but, as you can see, it worked!
I glued the craft wood oval into place with ordinary white glue and let it dry overnight.
Then I sized Orsi's original design to the appropriate scale and printed it out so that I would have a reference for the next stage-modeling the figures!
I should probably mention that I have been very tempted to just finish the fan handle at this stage. It is very comfortable to hold and has a lovely shape. All that is needed is some smoothing, sanding, and a cover for the place where the brass ring joins the wood and it would be ready to paint. But it wouldn't be Orsi's fan. :) Thus, I persevere.
Although I cannot find it at present, another period artwork inspired me to try making a feather fan in which one side is white feathers, the other black, and you see the reverse color where the feathers curl over at the tips. Since I've given my handle a central support structure I need to create spaces between that central piece and the outer cover in which to insert my feathers.
I stacked up cut up pieces of a cardboard box and sections of the cardboard core of a paper towel roll until they seemed thick enough and then wrapped them in plastic wrap in the hope that the plastic wood won't adhere.
I tied the assembled spacer to my framing with thread. I hope it will be easy to cut free when the time comes.
Next up: Plastic wood! I started applying the plastic wood at the acorn knob at the bottom of my fan and discovered that it doesn't really mold and model in the way I remember. It is too soft at the start, and cracks and flakes off as it dries as I'm working it. Furthermore, it doesn't really want to adhere to the existing framework. It seems to respond best to repeated tapping and thinner layers so I am going to try roughing in the sculpted shapes I need and adding in depth and detail in layers.
Here is my first pass at side one.
It doesn't look like much right now, but I think it has potential.
Since I couldn't find my coping saw, or any of my other, more suitable, saws. I made the grove by working at it a whole lot with a combination of the tools I could find, a drywall saw, chisel and my wonderful hand drills. Really, the proper tools would have made this stage a whole lot easier but, as you can see, it worked!
I glued the craft wood oval into place with ordinary white glue and let it dry overnight.
Then I sized Orsi's original design to the appropriate scale and printed it out so that I would have a reference for the next stage-modeling the figures!
I should probably mention that I have been very tempted to just finish the fan handle at this stage. It is very comfortable to hold and has a lovely shape. All that is needed is some smoothing, sanding, and a cover for the place where the brass ring joins the wood and it would be ready to paint. But it wouldn't be Orsi's fan. :) Thus, I persevere.
Although I cannot find it at present, another period artwork inspired me to try making a feather fan in which one side is white feathers, the other black, and you see the reverse color where the feathers curl over at the tips. Since I've given my handle a central support structure I need to create spaces between that central piece and the outer cover in which to insert my feathers.
I stacked up cut up pieces of a cardboard box and sections of the cardboard core of a paper towel roll until they seemed thick enough and then wrapped them in plastic wrap in the hope that the plastic wood won't adhere.
I tied the assembled spacer to my framing with thread. I hope it will be easy to cut free when the time comes.
Next up: Plastic wood! I started applying the plastic wood at the acorn knob at the bottom of my fan and discovered that it doesn't really mold and model in the way I remember. It is too soft at the start, and cracks and flakes off as it dries as I'm working it. Furthermore, it doesn't really want to adhere to the existing framework. It seems to respond best to repeated tapping and thinner layers so I am going to try roughing in the sculpted shapes I need and adding in depth and detail in layers.
Here is my first pass at side one.
It doesn't look like much right now, but I think it has potential.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Oops!
So I'm happily stitching away at my camicia sleeve and feeling good that I *finally* have the first pass of the pattern done on all the long "seam" edges. You know, thinking that I'm finally going to see some progress and get the full pattern stitched near the top and bottom of each row so I can assemble at least this one sleeve...
I'm working away at the acorns on an edge and I decide to unfold the whole piece a little more so I can see the two sections together and gloat a bit. Gloating about how pretty something is going to be keeps me going :) And this *is* pretty! I feel so clever and talented!...and then...hmm...
Then I realize that I've laid out my pattern in two different directions.
No! I was so careful! That can't be! But yes, most of the edges go one way but the first two, the section with the most stitching done, go the other way. Sigh.
So, I'm trying to put myself into the headspace of 16th century me. Do I take something out? Or do I just keep going.
Remember. Mechanized perfection is not the goal...
Aack!
OK calmer now.
Maybe it's not so bad.
I'm working away at the acorns on an edge and I decide to unfold the whole piece a little more so I can see the two sections together and gloat a bit. Gloating about how pretty something is going to be keeps me going :) And this *is* pretty! I feel so clever and talented!...and then...hmm...
Then I realize that I've laid out my pattern in two different directions.
No! I was so careful! That can't be! But yes, most of the edges go one way but the first two, the section with the most stitching done, go the other way. Sigh.
So, I'm trying to put myself into the headspace of 16th century me. Do I take something out? Or do I just keep going.
Remember. Mechanized perfection is not the goal...
Aack!
OK calmer now.
Maybe it's not so bad.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
IRCC3 Layer 4b - Fan handle in progress
I too am inspired to make an interpretation based on Lelio Orsi's lovely fan design held in the collection of the British Museum. I'm not much of a carver so I had been thinking about the possibility of sculpting in fimo over a metal wire armature...but it just strikes me as being to flimsy, especially at the attachment points for feathers and a girdle cord.
While pondering, it struck me that the shape of the common craft-wood candleholder strongly echoed the overall outline of the handle section of Orsi's design and I think that as it is actually made of solid wood it could probably endure the rigors of a metal eye bolt so I'm starting with a candle holder as my armature.
I've removed the brass cup which is supposed to protect the wood from candle flames and started shaping the wood by flattening the front and back of the main stem and original foot. I also removed the original cup portion and reshaped the remaining wood to something closer to the acorn/knob shape before the ring on the original design.
Craft basic
My version so far
Orsi's design
My plan is to Frakenstein this basic handle together with some pieces of craft wood, wire and an eyebolt, sculpt on detailing in plastic-wood (and possibly sculpty for the cameos) gild it and attach feathers.
I'll keep you posted. :)
While pondering, it struck me that the shape of the common craft-wood candleholder strongly echoed the overall outline of the handle section of Orsi's design and I think that as it is actually made of solid wood it could probably endure the rigors of a metal eye bolt so I'm starting with a candle holder as my armature.
I've removed the brass cup which is supposed to protect the wood from candle flames and started shaping the wood by flattening the front and back of the main stem and original foot. I also removed the original cup portion and reshaped the remaining wood to something closer to the acorn/knob shape before the ring on the original design.
Craft basic
My version so far
Orsi's design
My plan is to Frakenstein this basic handle together with some pieces of craft wood, wire and an eyebolt, sculpt on detailing in plastic-wood (and possibly sculpty for the cameos) gild it and attach feathers.
I'll keep you posted. :)
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