Dino might!

The primary assignment for our students was to design and create a dinosaur head. Using our imaginations was certainly encouraged of course. Each student was given the same assignment and a routed backer board to build it on. It didn’t take long for some marvelous creations to come alive at the easels. 
I had never seen dinosaurs like these! It would only get better when they were painted…
-grampa dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

The magic of mud!

One of the many things we teach at our workshops is how we mix our special formulas of fiberglass reinforced concrete. It is designed and proven to trowel on easily and be super strong. It also carves easily – or at least much easier than regular concrete. Each student is allowed to try their hand at this task.
Then the fun begins. We start with the easy task… troweling concrete on a flat board. All did well at this task and their confidence grew immediately. These concrete covered boards were carved (when they had cured enough) to practicethe various styles and techniques.
Then it was time for a more advanced challenge. The students worked in teams of two, first welding up a sturdy armature, then applying the glavanized wire using specialized tools. 
The concrete coating was the next step. I did a quick demonstration to show how it was done… and then the real fun began.

The vertical areas were easy. As our students worked downward it quickly became evident that it would take more than a little practice to master this part of the job. For a first time effort they did remarkably well.
 
The upside down parts proved to be a little trickier.
 
The concrete was allowed to cure until it was perfect to carve. We’ll show the delightful result and a lot more creativity in the next post.
-grampa dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Sculpture MAGIC Workshop report one

Our first Sculpture Magic Workshop was a resounding success. The students came from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Arizona, Colorado and Washington. Our guests arrived Thursday afternoon for the most part, eager to get started. Four had attended previous workshops. Six had not. The range of experience was wide ranging as was the type of work they did. The questions started right off the bat as they were eager to learn all they possibly could. This would be a great workshop! Since everyone was so eager to start we did just that. While we waited for the last guests to arrive the ones that were there started preparing their panels which would be cemented and carved on Friday.
Friday morning I presented the first lecture, then we headed out for our first field trip. We visited the MultiCam office first, then headed over to the Fox and Hounds Pub to look at our current project. We enjoyed a delicious lunch while we were there. Then we headed back to the shop to officially start in on the hands-on part of the workshop. The student’s first task was to mix up some fiberglass-reinforced-concrete and pply it to their panels. We did the carving a few hours later when it had cured perfectly for the task. Although the sample projects were small they employed the very same techniques we use in our shop every day.
While we waited for the concrete to cure it was time to start in on the primary sculpting project. The assignment was to design and sculpt a dinosaur head. While we had plenty of reference material at hand each student was encouraged to use their imagination to make something truly original.
As we would find out, in the next couple of days, this class had plenty of imagination! Stay tuned for more…
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.