Making 13

Making 12

Because of the plastics 2-4 minute cure time I had to work fast. For a novice this was difficult to get used to both mixing and pouring in 2-4 minutes while trying to avoid air bubbles.
I wouldnt say i was able to perfect the craft however  with some trial and error I was able to turn out a complete figure.
If I were to do this again knowing the speed of the resins curing I think I would be able to deal with working at speed.

Making 11

Once all the molds had fully cured I was able to start casting, stetting up for casting was easy, using safety precautions such as gloves and a mask. Then taking the mold and securing it tight shut with elastic bands before mixing the 2part resin liquid.

At this point I had to rectify the holes that were left to pour the liquid, they were much too small and wouldnt let the liquid flow in or the air to get out.

making 10

The final parts going under the silicon where the body and legs, another 48hrs (both halves) of waiting would have been long enough. however the mold for the legs split and so after restoration took and extra 8 to cure.

Making 9

 After waiting a further 24hrs for the larger molds to cure (48hrs total) the silicon is ready to be removed from the clay.
For first time molds the end result is strong. The head has casted in full detail and there are no airbubbles that can ruin any of the molds.
The only problem I have faced with the silicon is that it will pick up the most minute detail, so I can already tell the final model will feature imperfections.
retrospectively i should have spent more time perfect the figure and even choosing a better material to sculpt around the styrofoam.

Making 8

The rig/ set up for the model to be set in were made from clay as it was strong enough to hold its shape and soft enough to mold into place. The model part is then set halfway down in the clay so you will only be casting half the mold.
To help the mold hold together once both sides are casted I have used small pegs which will create joins in the mold later on.
because of size and space I can only mold 2 parts at a time (head/ arms). This is something that will slow down the process especially with the 24 hour curing time.
This is something I would like to rectify if i were to do the project again and look for a silicone with a shorter curing period.

Making 7

 The spray primer was applied twice and lightly sanded between coats to try and make the finish as smooth as possible ready to be casted.
The head was difficult to spray because of the deep crevasses where the eyes and brow are supposed to be. Once primed the clay becomes less porous and should be better at holding up against the silicone mixture that has to cure for 12-14 hours per half mold.

Making 6 -redesign

 the first main part of the redesign was to remove the feet and design 2 singular feet to attach that already have the design of shoes. therefore keeping a regular size in relation to the rest of the figure.
this was successful, the only problem is attaching them again is fiddly as I will have to carve small pegs and holes into each part.

 the same has been done for the head and body. this redesign was in aid of being able to assemble the model once fully casted which thus far seems to be working to my advantage in comparison to the first method.
now that i have dealt with my own design faults and the clay on the outer of the figure is fully dried I will be able to safely spray the figure without fear of it melting.

Making 5

 The first major hurdle I have faced during the production was shoes, it is too hard to make them a reasonable size while surrounding the foot. this meant I had to redesign the foot, which lead to redesigning the way the whole figure fit together.

Making 4

Having successfully covered the body in clay, the only difficulty I had was the detail of the face, notoriously the nose. after 5 attempts I was happy with the end result.
If I were to attempt this type of detail again I would have used a better quality molding clay or even Plasticine to make it easier to sculpt.

Making 3

making the arms and the head were two of the more detailed and delicate parts to make and took more time than the body/legs.
A problem that I encountered while trying to progress with the legs was that trying to spray prime styrofoam doesnt work, as it starts to dissolve. This means I will have to completely cover the parts in filler/ airdry clay for my next step

Making 2

This shows the progression between the initial cutting and the subsequent sanding of the model. here there has been some filling of gaps using a general purpose filler to ultimately give the model a smooth finish. next to be made is the arms which are thinner and will have to be made more delicately, as i had learnt with the legs and cracking while trying to sand between them.

Making

First and foremost the size of the model is marked out, then the real shaping could commence, this is the initial shape being prepared.
Need sandpaper/ wet&dry to make smooth ready for the clay exterior.

Final Design

for the final design illustrations i have focused on using similar techniques as previous in the project, sticking to the urban style (titi freak) and concentrating on pulling out many triats from myself as possible I have come up with this. Removing the eyes gives an impact that people said eyes gave, the awkward mouth has been hidden and embellished with a red bandanna. in terms of clothing i have stuck to clothing/ style that I would have which fits with the overall designs. from these designs i am intending to make the final figure and cast it using resin.

Traits

looking at the primary research of myself and creating sketches from the images you start to notice traits.
I have recognized that there is barely eye contact with the camera, and that my own mouth is usually tensed/ pursed. these are signs that show awkwardness. linking back to my previous research i think that this is something that can be communicated by removing the eyes and maybe even the moth in the image.
in terms of structure and being able to exaggerate, i have a strong brow line and cheek bones, something that play well into the previous styles i have used.
I would like to go back and experiment further with the style however at this point it is imperative that I move onto the actual figure design as i know the whole process will take time.

Idea

Looking over the research completed so far i think that it would be interesting to look at myself in terms of the same questions I had asked others, then to try and pick up out my own traits and communicate them through the figure. This I feel carries the idea of looking at myself as a product. something that is linked to style and clothing but in terms of me becoming a product.to start with I will need to gather primary research of myself to draw from and analyse.

Casting 2

I will have to plan my initial design before turning it into a model that can be molded around. I think the best way to go about this process of making the model is to make a basic shape from styrofoam and applying clay around this to mould the shape, keeping it lightweight yet stable. Although not quite yet at that stage in the design process to stay on track I have ordered the materials needed to be able to cast and are waiting on there delivery. I will need to locate the styrofoam in the next week while I begin working on finalizing an idea

Casting 1

My initial casting research would suggest would that the most effective way of making a cast would be to use the 2 part mold method. I think this is the most suited option for me because although pricey (£50-£90) it is accessible. The way I understand it to work is very much outlined in the video. this method is good because you get one solid part. The second choice I have is vacuum forming, this however would not get the same level of detail as resin casting would give. The very best method is suggestible rotocasting, but without a machine this is too difficult.

Artist research

the street artwork of hamilton yokota 'titi freak' is very interesting as it has the same feeling as the recent work I have done using found imagery. both have a gritty urban feeling and i think this comes through in the themes and styles in the imagery aswell. Clothing is as much a feature here as well as my own images. something also very interesting is the removal of the eyes.The artist may have his own stylistic reason for this however I am unsure about it. Street artwork is something that could have an influence on the style of my outcome because of artwork like this and the clear similarities in style.  I think that this may be key in taking my own designs a step further.
my own drawings are becoming more rounded as the style progresses between each showing the clear link. At this point in the project I feel I need to pick up pace and stick with my action plan, meaning that I have to start researching the appropriate methods for figure casting.

Style development

Style

Working on finding a style is difficult when soley working from life; using a progression of found imagery I have tried to play on the traits seen and draw more character like stylised versions around them. Concentrating on 2 main elements the face and the style I have tried to make play on what I had earlier researched asking people questions about people.

By exaggerating the facial features like brow and nose the faces become more comic, while holding resemblance to the original image.  My earlier findings suggested that people recognise eyes as being a main part of the face and something they notice/ look for in a person. By removing the eyes of the images I feel that it gives you a chance to recognise the other elements of the image more rather than being sucked into focusing on one thing.

I like this style of work and I feel the drawings have potential to progress into something 3D.