Materials , Techniques and processes

Materials, Techniques and Processes

Materials:

Plaster: plaster comes in two forms; 'One Coat' and 'Casting plaster'. 'One coat' has a grittier texture to it compared to 'casting plaster', it is also a more off white/brown colour. One coat is sometimes referred to as ‘builders plaster’ as it is the plaster used to cover walls/ ceilings. One coat is as it sounds; the plaster used to cover over a surface to create a stronger surface to a sculpture, and is normally coated over armatures that would later be sent off to a firm to be cast in bronze or another retardant material. Casting plaster is a faster drying plaster used to create casts of indentations; it dries pure white leaving a fairly clean surface. Casting plaster is however, very brittle and prone to breaking if not handled properly. The correct way of preparing plaster is to fill a bowl/ bucket with water about 2-5 inches depending on the amount of plaster needed, then to pour the plaster in slowly either outside or with an extractor fan nearby. Next the plaster must be stirred with a gloved hand until it develops peaks; the plaster must be used as swiftly as possible to avoid it drying in the bucket. You must never leave a still limb in plaster as when it solidifies the chemical reaction generates heat at a temperature of around 90 degrees centigrade. If you begin to have any bad reactions to the plaster, immediately stop using it and wash the affected area thoroughly.

Clay: clay is a fine-grained soil that combines one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. It doesn't need any human interaction to create it other the heating it to make it set. Clay can be used to create small scale versions of large sculptures to see if they are possible to build. It is reusable if kept both cold and damp and it has an incredibly long expiration time if these conditions are upheld. When using clay it is best to work on a covered surface e.g. paper as it can be difficult to clean from tables. If whilst using clay your skin begins to feel irritated immediately stop using the clay and wash hands thoroughly.

Mod rock: mod rock is a tight weaved material coated in a form of fast acting plaster; it is used to create a strong skin over an armature. Mod rock is similar to the material used to cast injured limbs. Mod rock is safe to be used in body casts as long as the area is covered in plastic wrap to begin with. When using mod rock, cut it into small strips but never tear it as this can send dust into the air. As well as this, you must submerge it in cold water rather than hot as it slows the reaction.

Wire: Wire comes in different thicknesses depending on the size of the structure you’re trying to build. It also comes in different types of metals such as steel used for strong designs or aluminium for more complex shapes. It can be used to make free standing structures or as a armature to build over. Wire is very malleable and can be used to create an array of interesting complex designs. When using wire it is compulsory for you to wear goggles and gloves as the end of cut wire is very sharp and can cause injury.

Techniques:

Armature: an armature is a supporting skeleton for a sculpture; they are needed when a sculpture becomes too intricate to be made of one material. An armature would usually be made of wire, ether in it's normal form of in the form of chicken wire that can be strengthened further by stuffing it with paper. Armatures can be used for almost any 3d material to be built around creating free standing strong structures.

Body/Brass Casting: Body casting is simply the process of casting a body part in mod rock, it must be noted not to cover the entirety of the body part as this can make it difficult to remove the cast once set. Another note to remember is to wrap the body part you wish to cast in cling film so not to remove any body hair with the cast. Brass casting is usually a costly process but can allow sculptures to become a lot more hard wearing and resistant. The process begins when an artist creates a sculpture from plaster. The sculpture would next be sent off to a firm where it will be cast in brass preserving it from any wear and tear.

Relief: a relief sculpture is as close to a 2D piece that sculpture can get. They are usually made of clay in the form of a slab and cut away, but can also be built up from a surface as well. However they can also be cast in both plaster and brass as well.

Research:

George Segal:

Although Segal started his art career as a painter, his best known works are cast life size figures. In place of traditional casting techniques, Segal pioneered the use of plaster bandages (plaster-impregnated gauze strips designed for making casts) as a sculptural medium.

Pompeii:

In 79AD, Vesuvius erupted, destroying the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. In Herculaneum, the inhabitants were incinerated when a single fiery blast hit the town. But in Pompeii, the eruption preserved as well as destroyed.
Archaeologists have discovered approximately 1150 bodies since excavations of the city began. The unique set of circumstances created by the eruption has allowed archaeologists to bring one hundred of those bodies ‘back to life’ in the form of casts that preserve the body at the moment of death.


My Work:

For my work I used a body and face cast I created and then covered them in a layer of one coat plaster to create a relief style piece. It was inspired by the body casts of people preserved from the Pompeii blast. Before it was able to set I distorted the plaster to give a rippled texture much like the bodies found at Pompeii. 

My piece ended up as I intended it to look however the plaster was rather weak and cracked, therefore to improve it I need to give it a second coat of plaster in order to strengthen it.