I'm Making Something Cool
This...Can you guess what it is?Since a lot of people seem to like seeing progress shots, I've documented making this wax model. Enjoy.1) A block of jeweler's wax is cut in two with a jeweler's saw. I have a loose design in mind at this point. Still working it out in my head.2) The block is carefully measured out into to different sections as the design is decided on. I am now committed to this way of action. The rudimentary design is sawed out with a jewelr's blade and then filed down to a smoother texture and more precise lines.3) Sawing and filing modeling wax creates a lot of fine dust and chips. Within moments a clean surface can be transformed into a messy one. I have to clean it every few minutes to maintain a comfortable and clean working environment.4) The model used to be the other half of the wax block. I'm terrible with straight lines, mathematical precision and symmetry. Terrible. Organic lines are a lot easier to achieve for me than something perfectly geometrical. I'm also impatient and can't stand the meticulous drawing out of models on paper. They turn out to be pretty sloppy because most of my calculations are done in freehand mode, right on the final piece. In other words-I make it up as I go along. Perhaps that's a bad practice.5) Grooves are made in each of the four sides of the piece for decorative filling. My wrist is rather tired at this point from pushing my rough carving tools. It's not time yet for my precision jeweler's gadgets, but even then a lot of pressure is required to carve this hard wax with tiny scrapers and files.6) Beginnings of a rudimentary design on the first panel. My favorite method of sculpture is a simultaneous subtraction and addition of mass. I carve some away and I add some back with my heating wax pen. My wax pen is one of my most invaluable tools. Ever. I feel intimately connected to it, as if it's an extension of my fingers.7) This is a piece in an advanced stages of modeling. At this point i've put about 40 hours of wrist-breaking labor in it. And that doesn't count the hours I spent thinking about it prior to starting. Despite all that thinking, I still don't usually know exactly what I making, until I'm making it. I love Flow.8 ) Identical design on the second panel. Not sure yet what will happen to the rest of it. I'm in a big hurry and racing through this....one tedious millimeter at a time... It's been 3 days of non stop work and I hope to have the whole thing completed in another 3. I should be fine if my arms don't kill me first. And don't even get me started on my fingers. To be continued.....Well, have you guessed what I'm making yet?