Plaster Carving Slide 2 Slide 3 Slide 4 Slide 5 Sleeping Muse,
1910 marble Slide 6 Bird in Space, 1923 marble Slide 7 Three
Penguins, 1911- 1912 marble Slide 8 Constantins Studio Slide 9
Slide 10 Oval Sculpture (No. 2), 1943 Slide 11 Image II, 1960
marble Slide 12 Rosewall, 1960-62 Nebrasina stone Slide 13 Barbaras
Studio Slide 14 Slide 15 Reclining Figure: Angles 1979, plaster
Slide 16 Reclining Woman, 1951 marble Slide 17 Reclining Figure,
1951 Slide 18 Requirements: Create a carved plaster sculpture in
the round. The sculpture has to be OPEN. Meaning you must be able
to see through at least one part of the sculpture. Slide 19 Plaster
Carving Slide 20 Slide 21 Slide 22 Slide 23 Slide 24 Slide 25 Slide
26 Slide 27 Today: Draw at least three different abstract OPEN
sculpture sketches. Sketches must be bigger than your fist in size.
Think abstraction Slide 28 Slide 29 Day Two Making the mold Plaster
and Plaster Stages Pouring the Mold Initial Planning & Carving
Slide 30 The Mold If you do not have a carton for making a mold,
you will have to share with someone that has one or get a milk
carton from the cafeteria. You can also make a container from
cardboard but it will have to be lined with wax paper. Slide 31
Plaster Avoid getting plaster on clothing or other items of value.
It can be very difficult to remove from fabric and other porous
surfaces. However, if there is an accident and it spills on fabric,
it's worth trying to remove it. Don't automatically deem any soiled
item ruined. Always wear a dust mask as the inhaled plaster dust
particles will mix with fluid in your lungs and harden there. This
is very dangerous and easily avoided. NEVER use hands to mix
plaster or apply plaster to set directly on any body parts or skin-
serious burns have occurred resulting in amputation of fingers and
limbs. Never pour plaster down a sink or other drain. It can
solidify and ruin the plumbing. Dispose of unused plaster in the
trash. Rinse wet plaster off hands in a bucket of water before
washing them in the sink. Slide 32 PLASTER STAGES From the moment
you begin to mix until it is set, plaster goes through a number of
stages: 1. The liquid stage: This stage occurs immediately after
mixing with water. The mixture at this stage can be poured, brushed
and thrown. It lasts about 15 minutes. 2. The putty stage: The
plaster thickens to the consistency of toothpaste. In this stage,
plaster can be applied with a putty knife or spatula, and it can be
modeled like clay. It lasts about 5 minutes. 3. The rigid stage:
Occurs once the mixture begins to set. The plaster becomes brittle
and it can be cut with a knife or dug into with a spoon. The
plaster is very fragile and should not be vibrated, dropped or have
pressure on it. 4. The set stage: The plaster begins to heat up and
obviously hardens. The heat that is radiated depends on the size of
the mixture and the setting speed. When the plaster cools, it is a
good time to remove it from the mold and trim any unwanted edges
since it is still very pliable. 5. The cure stage: Lasts from the
time the plaster cools until it dries completely. The mixture
hardens substantially and metal tools are required for its
manipulation. Because it still contains about 18% water, the tools
get clogged and require cleaning quite often. 6. The dry stage: The
plaster no longer contains moisture and it is at maximum strength
and very brittle at this stage. It can be sanded with sandpaper or
painted. Slide 33 Pouring the Mold Make sure the container is clean
before filling the container full of water. Add teaspoons of
plaster powder to the water in the milk carton sifting it evenly.
Continue until there is a "little mountain" that rises in the
middle. Sprinkle in a few more teaspoons around the sides. Stir the
mixture slowly with the spoon without lifting it from the carton to
keep as many air bubbles out as possible. Check the spoon several
times to see if any lumps appear at the end of it. Stop when the
spoon shows only a smooth, stirred mixture. Use a fettling knife to
swat the container on the outside from the bottom upward many times
to release air bubbles. You can see them popping. Set containers
aside to harden. Slide 34 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=C2pvq_RC3uw http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=R9h4qVfXx2g Slide 35
Slide 36 Carving Steps With a pencil draw your form on three sides
of your plaster mold. Front view, side view and top view. Initial
planning and cutting out of form with the fettling knife. After
shaping has been roughly determined, rasps are used to reform and
more clearly define the sculpture's contours. The tools will have
to be cleaned frequently. Material is damp to this state. Plaster
is allowed to dry. Medium sandpaper removes the marks from the
rasps which had made many fine, linear cuts. This is followed by
fine sandpaper removing the previous marks.
