Jabberwocky: Foam Rubber

After all the armatures were finished, it was time to cast them in foam rubber, this is where Kane took over, the plaster molds are coated with a releasing agent and the carefully measured and mixed foam rubber is spread into both halves of the molds and the armature put into place before fitting the molds together and applying pressure to squeeze out any excess. the baked in a oven for a few hours. The puppets come out looking like this: 

Then they came back to me to be cut out.

Mothers Day Present

Couldn't think of a decent present for mothers day, and since my mother is recently retired, I thought about what she wanted to do more of with her freedom, two that stuck out to me were travelling to see old friends and art. So my idea was to allow her to carry something with her, that would fit in her bag and that she cant draw where ever she goes. So I bought a small sketch book and drew up some designs and ideas, sketched one onto the cover of the book, and painted it up with acrylic. Then cut out a label, dipped it in coffee and penned my message.

Jabberwocky: making hands

Jabberwocky: Making the molds

Myself and Kane started making the molds by lying all three sculpts down on boards and building clay half way up the sculpt making sure there are no undercuts, the we tied/clamped them together around the clay, then sealed any gaps with more clay and poured over the plaster. When the plaster had set we pulled the boards away and were left with this:

Next all the clay was peeled off leaving the sculpt in the plaster, bored holes into the plaster (this makes sure that the molds fit together perfectly).

Next three layer of soft soap over all the plaster and the sculpt, dabbing it off with water between each layer, this stops the plaster sticking together and allowed you to separate the two halves of the molds. 

Next more boards and more clay.

And more plaster:

Then the mold can be pulled apart and the sculpt removed. Then into a drying room over night and its ready to be used.

Puppet Fabrication

Jabberwocky:

The sculpture for the Old Soldier. I used the ball and socket armature that will be used in the finished puppet to model over, this ensures that the armature will fit the mould when it comes to casting the puppet in foam rubber. The old soldier character will stay sitting through out the whole piece, so we decided that only the top half of the puppet will have a ball and socket armature, so for the purposed of sculpting i made some very basic wire legs and feet, I then wrapped the whole armature in clingfilm - so the Plasticine didn't get stuck to/in the armature. Then I sculpted this....

The hands were altered and made larger before the moulds were made.

The head was based on designs by Rob Millard, who also sculpted the other soldier.