Plaster Fall 2014

 In the plaster shop, much of the focus this semester was placed on model and mold making.  One of the key aspects of this class was gaining a firm grasp on sketching techniques and shade and shadow effects.  Conveying artistic ideas and concepts to an audience is of utmost importance, and
sketches are one of the simplest and most effective ways of getting the artistic message across.  Learning how light will reflect off of objects and where shadows would appear was topic of much attention.  The first third, if not more, of the semester was dedicated to geometrical shapes that were under a light source.  Below are images of how shadows are cast off of cylinders, cones, and spheres.

  Highlights are the areas of the sketch where the light source strikes the object directly and no shadow is cast.  Shadows progress from light to dark around the object.  The neutral or true color zone is the area on the object not directly in the path of the light source and reflects the true color of the object.  Shadow tint gradually increases in darkness in the form of reflected shadow and the darkest portion being the cast shadow of the object.  These are important concepts to understand because, while simply sketching something is amazing, the ability to accurately render a sketch takes it to a totally different level.  We were privileged to have professional artists stop by this semester and share their wisdom on the subject.

       

  After spending much time fine - tuning our sketching ability, the first real attempt at model and mold making came in the form of a GFRG (Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum) project for a private client.  The client was a local contractor that was well versed in the building arts and had an association with the college.  On first approach, the client had some ideas of what he wanted and allowed each student to collaborate ideas which were used to derive the final Moorish design.

The design was laid out on paper to the specifications of being 1 ft. by 1 ft.  Plaster was then run radially on the table and cut at the proper angles to meet the design requirements.  Once all of the pieces were cut, they were attached to a 1 ft. square of plaster that was reinforced with fiberglass and had a thickness of 1/2 in.  After pointing the design together, Mold Max 40 was the rubber used to produce a negative mold of the design.  The picture above shows the resulting rubber mold resting in a plaster jacket for support.

Six cast of the design were produced and pointed together to form the 3 ft. x 2 ft. ceiling panel prototype.  Through the design process, we discovered that we could create a base panel that was even thinner than the 1/2" design by applying additional layers of fiberglass.  GFRG is a method of strengthening the plaster panel while making in lighter and thinner through the use of fiberglass layering.  The project was not completed during the semester, but the intention is to produce a 2 ft. x 2 ft. panel at 1/4" thickness and create a mold of the entire panel in the future.  This mold would allow us to produce panels in a more timely manner and allow for time for installing.

 Scagliola

     Scagliola is a plaster technique that consists of using plaster mixed with various color values in order to replicate marble.  Different concentrations of hide glue are used for strength and for retarding the plaster to allow for the addition and mixture of color.  We were very fortunate to have Jim Grandifolia come in for a two day workshop and give us a compacted scagliola tutorial.  Normally all plaster and tints would be measured and recorded by volume to ensure exact replication in the future, but we were simply trying to learn the techniques and will have an entire class devoted to the process next semester.  

Model and Mold Individual Project

 My individual model and mold project consisted of me creating a variation of a Fleur de Lis.  The main reason I chose the Fleur de Lis was because it was on the Shuler family crest, which gave the project a bit more of a personal meaning.  I started the design project by sketching a design that was fond of, and in the process, I got some idea of how to form the leaves in clay and also were shadows would be created.  

 
Once the overall dimensions were laid out and a design concept was formulated, the process of modeling the Fleur de Lis in clay began.  Being that this was the first model and mold project I had ever undertaken, I simplified the sketch design to focus on specific areas of the leaves.

The clay model was worked with clay modeling tools and attached to a circular disk that provided a backing surface.  Each element was molded separately and assembled before producing a rubber mold.  After detailing the design to a point to where I was satisfied, the model was placed in a wooden form, sealed, and waxed to created a rubber negative mold.

The mold was created with Mold Max 30, which is a softer more flexible rubber that captures detail and allows for easier mold release.  A rough plaster negative was created by the mold in the picture above, which was then sanded for using in creating the final master mold.  The final product is shown in the picture below.