Skills Rotation: Plaster Moulds

In this two week workshop we were taught how to create plaster moulds to produce press moulded pieces from clay. Last time I produced a plaster mould was 3 years ago during GCSE when I produced latex prosthetic makeup wounds, so I was excited to repeat the process at a higher skill level. 

We were told to bring in an object that we wouldn't mind getting ruined, and all I could really find was an old barbie doll from when I planned on making my own prom dress. I decided to create a two piece mould as I'd only ever made a one piece mould before, and prepared the object for moulding by removing the clothing and I pulled her head off so the hair didn't get stuck in the clay. I rolled out a clay base, then built up walls half way up the doll's body and outer walls that were at least 1 inch above the highest point of the object. I ensured there was a pouring hole and no undercuts, as well as adding key holes so the second piece would lock together with the first. 

Next I mixed the plaster by sprinkling the powdered plaster into a bucket of water and mixing it with my hand - squeezing out any lumps and removing air bubbles. I poured this into my clay forma and left it to cure for at least 24 hours before de-moulding.

For the second piece I followed the same process, but before I could do this I had to clean the object, wall up undercuts and add 3 layers of a soft soap release agent as I was adding plaster to plaster. 

Finally I cleaned my two piece mould with a damp sponge and it was then ready for me to make a cast from the plaster. 

I really enjoyed this process and I would like to try including it in my other college projects. However, next time I need to keep in mind the few mistakes I made:

• I used the doll's neck as a pouring hole but and built the walls around the legs so when the cast was made the material I pour into the mould would go straight through, so I would need to fill these gaps with clay before casting.
• Do not mix the plaster to vigorously as it can add air bubbles and make the plaster set before it's poured it into the clay forma. 

Skills Rotation: Experimental Textiles

Experimental textiles is where you combine and alter fabrics with other art materials and techniques such as paint, and burning fabric to distress it. 

Our lessons on this subject linked in with our main project, 'A Tale of Two Words', where we were given two words and had to develop our outcomes based on them. For experimental textiles, the outcome aimed towards creating a wall mounted piece that was at least 1 metre squared in surface area.

I was given the words 'calm' and 'foxtrot'. When I think of the word calm I am instantly reminded of the ocean / water as I find it a very relaxing and feel somewhat connected to that type of environment (hence the username Amber Atlantis!), and Foxtrot is a ballroom dance, so I played around with the idea of combining ballroom dresses with [elements of] aquatic environments. After producing several experiments in my sketchbook of how I could merge these ideas and also manipulate materials, some under the influence of artists such as Ira Wood, Cyril Rolando and Michael Brennand Wood, I came up with the idea of creating a dress that metamorphosed into a waterfall at the bottom. 

I started by creating a small scale 'dress' by creating a torso shaped pillow to add dimension, and then sewed fabric around the waist line to create the lower section. I created samples from strips of the same fabric to find the best way of creating the waterfall. I tried using acrylic paint, spray enamel paint, plaster, and marbling nail polish onto the material. I decided to combine the acrylic and plaster as I thought it resembled the waterfall the most, and I liked the expressive quality it portrayed. 

To produce my final wall mounted piece, I made I bigger version of the 'dress' I previously made from the same material and technique. I cut separate strips, painted them with blue tones of acrylic and then applied plaster to the bottom. I attached a wire inside the dress at the waist line, and then used this as a base for hanging the other strips of fabric. Finally, I tied a ribbon around the waist and added and handmade bow around the waist for decoration / details, as well as adding some other strips of white fabric which I coloured with chalk and some other ribbons to the bottom. I'm quite happy with my final outcome because it has a dramatic sense of flow due to the resemblance of the waterfall, although I think it would be more effective as a hanging / suspended piece as opposed to wall mounted as it would heighten the hint of movement. Given more time, I would like to add more details, especially to the torso area as I left it plain to focus on the bottom. Here are some photos of my final design! :