Sneak Peak

I know it's been little while but never fear momentum is just beginning in the world. We've applied for our very own LLC, so fingers crossed business legitimacy is on the way. In the meantime some other loose ends have been tied up, additional materials have been purchased and portfolio creation is in full throttle.

Sketched below, the artistic concept for my first cast "Jaime's Belly". I got a little gun shy to try this on the actual cast, being I don't work with paint frequently, so I started a trial run on the mother-mold. The Mother Mold would be what I made on top of the alginate mold to reinforce it. This is a plaster-bandage mold. I went this route also because I was curios how water color would fair over Gesso base layer. Turns out this ain't the greatest idea and the water color doesn't adhere to the gesso well and wipes right off with a paper towel. However it did leave behind a nice tint & I was able to get some nice texture for my sunset sky background. For the detail - acrylic did a much better job of adhering over the watercolor tint effect.



So far looks good so if progress continues this nicely I might just go with a metallic effect or different concept for the positive cast. Here is stage one of finishing, not done but basic concept laid out.

Association of Lifecasters International

Congratulations to me, my application for acceptance in to the "Association of Lifecasters International" has been accepted.  Being this is a free membership, it probably shouldn't feel as good as it does to be accepted, but it does....LoL - I'm such a fool. 

This is one step closer to credibility, this business owner is part of an "association".  YAY.  Now to get some pieces done & on display here is the next and more time consuming step.  We have a first piece in the works, the sculpture (yes  i called it a sculpture as i did some sculpting to it). As mentioned in the introductory post, I molded with alginate a pregnant belly and cast using CastRite gypsum plaster. Used thick hair conditioner to repair the mold in some places, filled in and reshaped a few areas of the cast after pulling it out and finding some unattractive depressions. Waited a week, then wet-sanded and shaped using grit paper. Now waiting for a full 2 weeks to pass before finishing with some art work and presenting.

I read somewhere that gypsum plaster needs a full 2 weeks to harden before finishing, not sure how true this is but figured being my first one, probably better safe then sorry.

Here is a sneak peak of the progress so far....



Exciting Stuff

Researching Finishing Techniques and Pricing materials today.....coming soon visuals of a the first finished piece of art!

An Adventure into Entrepreneurship

This venture was born out of a general frustration of re-entering the workplace from my 2nd Maternity leave.  Though I loved my former job (well its still current as i have 2 weeks left before my last day), it just wasn't the same coming back this time.  I felt like i lost my credibility and they really didn't know what to do with my skills or just stopped appreciating them, either way i was basically UN-officially demoted and informed that i should spend the next year letting the "tough girl" out and re-prove myself to re-earn my position. After some heated thought and simmering down reflection i decided, i don't want to fight for something that i already earned and don't really enjoy doing anyway.  I've already come too far away from my "credible" engineering profession for comfort in that environment anyway. So my husband suggested I get into "Belly casting" doing plaster molds as keepsakes for pregnant women.  We did one for myself in my last pregnancy and got many compliments on it, so i did some research and got inspired! 

In order for this to work i had to figure out what would set me apart and why some expecting mother would want to pay me to do a casting for her, instead of buying herself a $25 kit to do it herself at home?  The answer came in the form of high-definition.  The ability to capture minute detail and exceptional smoothness would be the key - tied in with a high level of creativity in finishing.  Dusting off some of my old manufacturing engineering experience i started to research plaster molding and uncovered the art form of LIFE CASTING.  Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! Light bulb lit - i can do more than just pregnant bellies, this could be be torsos and hands, and baby feet. Creating molds using professional grade materials and techniques to achieve high-quality body sculptures.  I even found a class to take that will teach me techniques and certify me.  Who needs a boring old Sales Engineer job when i could endeavor into an exciting art form that will not only be a great creative outlet on my own time but will also allow me to utilize my engineering expertise.

So decision made - I'm starting my own small business.  Right now I'm in the learning phase, did my first mold this past Sunday for a willing pregnant friend.  We created a mold of her bust & belly using alginate and cast using gypsum plaster. Though there were definitely some learning experiences in that endeavor, i have to say it wasn't too bad for a 1st time ever try.  Later this week i will be working on the shaping, smoothing & finishing of that cast and will post progress as I go.