| Lindsay Balfour -- Intergrative Project Schedule | |
| Fall 2011 | |
| Oct 15 -- 21 | Continue to experiment -- look at artists and contiune to study and test techniques |
| Oct 22 -- 28 | Finish experimentation -- Paper pulp cast vs Wet Fold sculpture. Start planning final installation piece -- Planning scale, how to display, what the subject is focused on. |
| Oct 29 -- Nov 4 | Start a mini model of the large piece combining the skill of pulp casting and wet folding, and any other techniques from paper artists |
| Nov 5 -- 11 | Finish model, think how to install and how to recreate on a larger scale, determine how large the installation will be. Nov 10: Grant Application due. |
| Nov 12 -- 18 | If model is finished, map out what part of the installation needs to be started in order and begin a large drawing EXACTLY the size of the final piece. If not finished, finish the model immediately. |
| Nov 19 -- 25 | Finish large drawing, make paper drafts of the 3D forms to visualize how large -- think of measurements |
Nov 26 -- Dec 2 | Finish drafts of large scale. |
Dec 3 -- 9 | Dec 5th: Materials Due |
Dec 10 -- 16 | Dec 14/15th: Presentations |
| Dec 17 -- 23 | Take suggestions of IP Faculty and make changes if necessary |
| Winter 2012 | |
| Jan 4 -- 6 | Finalize revisions, start armatures, and start sculpting (This varies on the final experiment -- Clay, wire armature, molds, wet folding). January 4/5: First Draft of thesis due |
| Jan 7 -- 13 | Sculpting and making revisions to installation piece if necessary |
Jan 14 -- 20 | Sculpting |
| Jan 21 -- 27 | Sculpting |
| Jan 28 -- Feb 3 | Sculpting, Start making molds. |
| Feb 4 -- 10 | Sculpting, making molds, preparing to cast. |
| Feb 11 -- 17 | Sculpting, moldmaking, and casting from finished molds. |
| Feb 18 -- 24 | Aim to finish all MOLDS. |
| Feb 25 -- Mar 2 | Spring Break! Finish any extra molds |
| Mar 3 -- 9 | Casting and piecing things together |
| Mar 10 -- 16 | Casting continued |
| Mar 17 -- 23 | Casting continued |
Mar 24 -- 30 | Finish casting, piecing the installation together. |
| Mar 31 -- Apr 6 | Finishing installation pieces, preparing for gallery space installation. April 2/3: IP DUE to gallery |
Apr 7 -- 13 | IP Show setup, April 13th: Show Opening |
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
IP Schedule
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Experimentation Critique
I brought in my paper materials into class today -- over the weekend I made several sheets of paper with colors and textures and pressed fresh pulp into a mold I made. The critique I received today was minimal, since I have a good idea of my project -- but the process and technique is what I'm ultimately working on right now. Right now it is hard to show my project since I'm not actually working on the concept, but the material processes itself, but now that I have some visuals as to what I'm trying to achieve I believe people are starting to see what I am ultimately making.
I made a press mold of a Bison/Highlander Cow and popped out the piece into a successful smooth paper sculpture. It was suggested that I try looking into different types of relief carvings made out of stone by Chinese sculptors or plaster carvings by Italian and Greek sculptors so I can try layering different levels of paper sculptures on top of each other to get better effects. I need to make my sculpture a little "deeper" as someone suggested. Another suggestion I received was to try rubber molds for more detail. I can purchase some latex mold supplies at a local hobby store just to see how the pulp responds, but my major concern with that is the water might "pool" between the latex and the paper, so that might be the reason why my experiment last week took so long to dry. The drying process is what concerns me the most where I need to think about the time I have for the upcoming year. Some parts of the bison cast was too shallow to see and I need to figure out the right time to pull the pulp out of my mold without worrying out the paper getting "stuck" and tearing. That was a problem I had in my sample today -- my cast was still too wet and it tore in fragile areas. The next stage is that I will be making a mold with a 3D form combined with a 2D form and make one universal piece. (As in a muliple piece mold rather than a press mold so I can figure out how to make a paper sculpture with a 360 view all around rather than the press mold and only seeing 180 degrees) I'm going to layer various levels on top of each other and see how it goes. Just visualizing how I will plan this mold has elevated the difficulty of this next step by a lot.
Friday, October 7, 2011
IP Weekly Progress -- #4
What I did:
Monday: (2 hours) Sketches of trees and flora. Sat outdoors at the Arb while thinking about the meaning of my project.
Tuesday: (4 hours) Sketched some organic forms like leaves and vines, dedicated time to ordering more supplies after finding a good recipe – Calcium Carbonate and Cotton Fibers. Drew a lot of leaves on a large piece of paper, cut them out, soaked them, and folded them into shapes using a wet folding technique. Also watched the movie, Between the Lines (A paper engineer documentary) while folding these forms.
Wednesday: (1 hour) Picked up wood, staples, and other supplies around my house to bring to my studio. Composed a plan of how to work on Thursday and make my time much more efficient.
Thursday: (8 hours) After sketching and looking up animal anatomy -- built a wire armature and blocked it with pink foam for a Jackson’s Chameleon and a Buffalo relief sculpture to make molds out of in order to test the paper pulp recipe (Once the materials arrive). Made a few more leaves using the wet folding technique and created flowers and other organic forms.
Process:
Once I gathered the materials, I got right to work. Tuesday I didn’t waste time nor on Thursday at all and because of that I managed to accomplish 2 sculptures simultaneously and started folding paper. I’m happy to see physical pieces of work developing in my studio.
Folded flowers from wet paper drying on my wall.
Start of my Chameleon armature.
A relief sculpture just to try two different forms of cast paper pulp.
What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
I really wanted to dive into my work rather than keep thinking about it. So this week I really pushed myself to make two different kinds of sculptures and start making molds of them this weekend. I will just make the relief sculpture mold, because I’m low on rubber and have to order more, but while waiting for my materials to come in I’ve been developing handmade sculpture from wet paper and letting it air-dry into these delicate and natural forms. When paper is wet it changes the quality of the medium. Rather than have these sharp, straight corners when folded, the edges become rounded and sculpted – it looks more organic and lively. Akira Yoshizawa is an artist who introduced the technique of wet paper folding – an offspring of traditional Origami. His models look alive and have inspired paper folders to explore organic forms through the wonder of paper.
Folded by Akira Yoshizawa
Another artist I've been looking at is Kevin Dyer. He does quite a bit of 2D paper pulp work and paints on his pieces. There is something unique and enticing about his use of color on soft pulp. I'm still considering painting my pulp pieces -- but until I find the right recipe, I cannot be sure if I even want to yet.
Cast paper by Kevin Dyer
Through folding basic leaf and petal forms, I have found myself caught in a whirlwind of creative problem solving. I’ve made leaves following the same pattern over and over just so I learn how I made that certain leaf. Although once I move on to another method I find myself forgetting my previous technique if I try it again. After repeating this frustrating process I have learned to make three models of the same leaf: One of the completed leaf, one with fold creases, and one flat leaf with lines drawn on it. I hang up the successful leaves on my wall and keep the rejected leaves in a small pile to go back to later. It seems like such a simplified process that nothing spectacular is produced from it, but I feel that through this “drafting” stage I have more drive and a much better thought process than just researching. My research is used to supplement, but I’m at a stage now where I really should be making rather than just thinking.
On Thursday I dedicated myself to the studio almost all day away from the computer and books to producing more physical pieces of work. I started building my armature (Later to be put into a mold) and my relief sculpture to be placed in a mold this weekend. Once the materials arrive at my house I will be making a 3rd batch of paper pulp to see if this one is more successful than the previous recipes. I finished the relief sculpture, but the armature still needs more clay blocking and detailing to the figure. On the side I continued my paper leaf folding by hand, but I see an issue arising: should keep this technique of hand folding flora with thicker paper or make molds of individual leaves and use paper pulp? I see a lack of consistency between how I make flora and fauna – so I have to consider using the same paper for the paper pulp and the wet folding technique, but how drastic will the cotton fibers change the material? Ultimately I was planning on using recycled paper for the paper pulp, but most recycled paper is poor quality for wet folding. I would need something thicker like watercolor paper, but that could get expensive. I could try making my own sheets of paper FRM recycled paper which would guarantee nice thick paper, but that would involve an additional amount of work to my process. With the limited amount of time I have, I need to try making my own paper this Saturday at Hollinder’s to see if making my own paper is a possible variable to my IP progress. Once I get a good feel for making my own paper I can decide how things will fare.
What I think I should do next:
On Saturday I will be taking a papermaking class at Hollinder’s for a couple of hours and see if making my own paper would be a possibility in my project. I need to be realistic of the time I have this year – so I will be making a huge decision based off how this Saturday class goes. I will also start making a mold of relief sculptures while I wait for the cotton and calcium to arrive. I’m hoping to have some nice sculptures casted and wet fold sculptures done by Monday afternoon. Worst case, I have an alternate recipe to use from last time. Wish me luck this weekend!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
IP Weekly Progress -- #3
What I did:
Monday: (4 hours) Sketched imaginary flora to help figure out possible foliage for my final layout for my final project. Also went out and gathered materials to start the paper pulp making process: recycled paper, a bucket, a cheap blender, dryer lint, and a measuring cup.
Tuesday: (3 hours) Researched paper artists Allen Eckman, Kevin Dyer, Dana Major Kanovitz, Peter Callesen, Debbie Wijskamp and took notes on their paper pulp processes. Looked at various paper recipes online. Also wrote a list of questions about the possibilities of using paper pulp (More on this below).
Wednesday: (3 hours) Went to the Museum of Natural History and drew in the back room of the Bird Range.
Thursday: (2 hours) Started the paper making process. Tested different samples of consistency and made the first batch. Filled one of my older mold with the first batch and will let dry for one day.
I used my time, but I don't think I used it wisely at all. I didn't feel quite as productive as I originally hoped to be. I wish I started making the paper pulp earlier this week and focusing on the actual sketch of the paper installation. Next week I think I might be on better track because I've finally reached the point where my IP project is physical and beginning it's life. I started learning the material so the next step is to continue this, but simultaneously working on my sketches of what I will be making out of the paper pulp.
What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
As a brief side note to my sketching ability: I've found that sketching while listening to lectures, friends, radio has been incredibly helpful to my thought process this week. I watched a TED video online by Sunni Brown on doodling (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sunni_brown.html) and how it improves your comprehension and and creative thought. After watching it, I doodled while listening to a book on tape and found some truth to this video. It was a fantastic discovery for me to find. Rather than sitting down and sketching myself -- listening to someone helped me retain information and translate it into diverse and thoughtful plant sketches this week.
I took the time to head to the museum sketching birds. Did some drawing studies on a few species I found unique: Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus), Helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), Kakapo (Strigops habroptila), and a Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa).
Other things I've been up to is working on creating my own paper pulp recipe. I found my old mold of a bust I made a year ago and decided to use that as a test dummy for my pulp. It's my most detailed mold -- so if I wanted to find the right pulp recipe it would be successful with this mold. I went through several iterations of pulp where I had to mince it into a liquid, scoop it out, and squeeze the water out in order for it to properly attach to the mold though until it completely dries I'm not sure. I've let it dry for 8 hours, but still too wet. I'll take it out this weekend.
Some questions I have now that I started making the pulp is:
What kind of binder/bonding agent should I use with the paper pulp? Glue, wax, bleach ... ? (Juliet made an excellent point of watching out of mold if it's just paper and water)
How thick should the paper be when applying it to the mold?
Could I make a sheet of paper from pulp, soak it once it adhered together, and then break it down into the mold?
Should I leave the paper a specific color? White or grey (From the newsprint) or try and dye it?
Should I paint on the paper once I finished the sculpture? What kind of paint would look the best?
These are questions I hope I can start to answer in the next few weeks ...
What I think I should do next:
Continue working with the paper pulp material to see if I can actually go forward with it. I started the process this week, but the recipe might need more work. I'm taking a class at Hollandar's next Saturday on paper making so I hope to learn something new. I plan to keep drawing around campus -- specifically at the Museum of Natural Science and hopefully the Botanical Gardens soon. I'm gaining a hands-on experience with some animals rather than just look at them online. Allen Eckman has a tutorial online that I will try to follow in terms of creating the paper material and Kevin Dyer as a technique for painting on paper pulp, so I may try and experiment with the idea of adding color.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
IP Weekly Progress -- #2
What I did:
Sunday -- Came into the studio for 2 hours to brainstorm ideas and look for inspiration photos of animals
Monday -- 2 hours dedicated to scanning and composing concept ideas.
Thursday – 2 1/2 hours dedicated to reflecting on my recent work and considering new techniques after speaking to Hannah. Researched the process of papermaking for paper pulp sculptures and possible recipes of combining cotton + paper pulp. I looked through my books some more during this time as well.
What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
After speaking to Hannah today, I think I really want to go large. Whether it’s 2D or 3D, big is the answer for me. There is something to making larger pieces that will probably be much more rewarding in the long run and this would be the time to do it. The context of my sculptures are still a little vague, but I believe that adding an educational aspect is the missing link that I’ve been looking for all along. Perhaps I’ll consider making a huge pop up book suggested by my partner Chelsea or make large installations of unique/unknown/extinct animals to show actual scale of them compared to the human body. I am going to try developing my idea of human and animal relationships and re-establish a lost connection and bring back a childish sense of wonder.
What also sparked my idea was today’s Penny Stamps lecture with Francois Delaroziere. His work is influenced by nature and life. His mechanical animals all have attributes that make them distinct and recognize it’s audience. The spider, which I first thought of as creepy was actually a creature with a nurturing personality. It’s legs caressed the crowd and acknowledged the waves of people surrounding it – it was a touching scene when Francois showed a film of the spider extending it’s legs into the crowd to touch and that is probably one of the moments that drew me in the most.
What I think I should do next:
I definitely need to try an experiment with paper pulp and see how successful/frustrating the process might be. I have some plaster and rubber molds that I can test once I seek advice from some experienced paper makers and find a good recipe. I need to also start selecting a group of animals I find enticing and study them. I’d like to do a few pieces with at least 5 animals, made of my own design or real.
Make Something Update -- Last Thursday
This is a Siphonophore study I drew and speed painted (20 minutes of painting)-- I did a few illustrations of the animal on the side and then composed a brand new creature inspired by my sketches. The Rhizophysa is a real animal that lurks within the dark depths of the deep sea. This specific species lurks around the Philippines a few meters down, but they are terrifying because of how long their "fishing line" tendrils stretch to capture prey. The reference photo (Philippines Marine Photography, http://www.poppe-images.com/) is an actual image of the animal in it's natural habitat. In some ways the delicate nature and shape of the animal in the photograph reminded me of a woman. There is a bulbous shape at the top, which could be a head on top of the creature's shoulders with multiple arms reaching out to snare prey. The first picture to the left is a character sheet of my creature just because I wanted to try it out. It's a mock-up of a basic character sheet after looking through other concept artist's layout designs for their characters/creatures for display. It's playing off the educational informative aspect of concept design. It seems that whatever I create has some sort of educational benefit to it and I'm curious to try making another one of these character sheets for a more "scientific" benefit such as displaying the species, genus, location, etc. rather than just display the health point statistics and personality traits of my creatures. I'm interested in the biological background of these "fantasy" monsters and am kind of taking the route of a naturalist sitting down with a sketchbook and observing these pretend creatures as if they were real. With what little is left this week or possibly over the weekend I will try exploring another animal and playing with the "character sheet" again. 
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Reflection: Two Ideas, One Issue, What to Do?
After my IDEA proposals to Stephanie's Group Gathering:
Words:
Empathy for animals, connection, natural world, nature, texture, interaction, intricate, delicate, details, animals, illustration, color, paper, clay, hand made/hands on, education, cause, exotic, display, 2D/3D relationship.
Interested In:
Animals and Plants
Craft and Process
Merging 2D and 3D
Detailed color and texture
Education/Public Awareness
Developing personalities and characters
At this point, it's no secret that I love animals. It's pretty natural to have animals make their way into my work despite whatever I'm doing. My overall concept is still under wraps, but I like the idea of creatures that are not common knowledge. I like researching and exploring the possibilities of flora and fauna in unreachable parts of the world (Arctic Deep Sea, Siberian Tundra), organisms that no longer exist (Dodos, Quagga, English wolf), made of creatures (Fantasy, mythological animals) and the relationships of humans and the natural world.
I originally brought 4 ideas to Tuesday’s class, but I decided to only present 2 of them because the both of them I’m seriously considering. The most pressing issue I seem to have is whether my project should focus on 2D or 3D, and depending on what medium I pick the concept will travel different routes. I recently discovered that my journey for detail in illustrations/sculptures is a slow process and the more time I spend with the piece I begin to develop a personality and relationship with the subject. I normally draw plants and animals because I believe they have personalities and I illustrate/sculpt them emphasizing their playfulness. 3D I tend to focus on the pose and position – like I am trying to bring the creature to life. They are never standing still, but are active and living their lives. My 3D sculpture tends to acknowledge its audience just by looking back at them. My 2D pieces, however, tend to be drawings of animals/plants living their lives. They normally don’t acknowledge the audience, but my drawings portray their true character in their environment.
IDEA 1:
(Idea 2, Illustration and Papercraft/Pop Ups)
IDEA 2:
Technically I managed to sneak in 3D into my original 2D oriented idea. I would really like to combine the two elements together such as through a pop up book or the art of papercraft models. The major different between this and IDEA 1 is that I have manage to merge my illustration skills with my sculpting prowess. The process is specifically related to paper engineering techniques and drawing in the digital realm. The process is tedious and similar to the mold making project in IDEA 1, but something I definitely wouldn't mind in. I love long processes -- the research, learning, and practicing gives me such nostalgia once the end result is complete. There will be a lot of mock-ups and some will not work, so the time placed into this project has to have a couple of months set aside for possible paper folding "failures."
What's next?
Studying the relationships between humans and animals. I'll be taking out books on cultural relationships with animals -- (Inuit Art, Korean Art, the Reindeer People of Siberia, Celtic Societies, Zuni Indians, Hindu Faith Societies) just to explore other concepts and see how they portray animals in their art.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)