Odilia Bird FDA

  Gel flex moulds: I decided to make another Gel flex mould so that I could quickly produce plaster cogs at a higher rate. this time I went for a slightly firmer version of the gel flex so that they would not rip as easily when taking the cogs out. Unfortunately, when melting the gel flex in the microwave I did not take into account that the firmer Gel flex would take longer to melt that the regular Gel flex. And when pouring I quickly realised that it was not liquid enough. I stopped and made sure that the rest of the material was properly melted however the original Gel flex that I poured had warped slightly and not filled in all of the gaps properly. This then caused any plaster I poured into certain moulds to set at a slightly bent angle, however I don't believe that this is a complete failure as the nature of this project embraces imperfections.   

 Screen printing and printing with bicycle cogs: As a development for the 'Fromthegroundup' brief I decided to create prints based on bicycles and cycling as it not only a green and sustainable mode of transport but it also links to my current collection project. I decided to choose the shapes of bike cogs to use bc I believe that they are a dynamic and interesting shape. They are not just smooth lines or curves but have dips and curves, and provide and interesting image.  However, these two processes did not go as planned. While screen printing I only managed to get one good print and I believe that having this shape as a 2D print took away from it and it felt flat and boring. There was no depth to the image and I think that the two inks that were used in the screen print blended in a way that made the colour look dull and somewhat muddy. The screen prints were mostly fails as I believe that I may have used too much ink causing it to spill out, underneath the stencil that I ha

 Professional practice:  Kerry Dilks For this lecture we had a guest speaker named Kerr Dilks who is an author and illustrator of children's books.  One of the most important pieces of advice that she gave us was telling us about agents and the help that they can provide to you as an artist. They will find work for you and handle the business side of things, however they will take a cut of the profit which is usually about 30%. Dilks did emphasise that even with an agent you will have to be proactive and continue to update your portfolio as this allows potential customers to see your most recent work.  Dilks also talked about the importance of networking and putting your name out there. She mentioned that having business cards made and on hand to give to people really allowed and helped her to spread her name and work further and I believe that this is something important to take away from the talk. I think that having an established brand allows you to look professional and will e

 Yeong Deok Seo  I have chosen two Sculptures by artist Yeong desk Set that relate to and have inspired my own work. the pieces that I have chosen are made of bicycle chains that have been tightly wrapped together to create humanoid forms.  The first sculpture depicts a human torso and head tilted towards the sky with its arms stretching backwards. I believe that there is an atmosphere of despair within this piece, as if the figure is crying out and looking to the heavens for help. I think that the generic features of the sculpture allows different types of viewers to be able to relate to and connect to this piece, as they are able to see themselves within the features. I think that the broken forearms of the piece add to the atmosphere of sadness and despair, the end of the arms are jagged and rough as if they have been forcibly broken off, and I believe that this imagery invokes a feeling of pain and restriction that may cause the viewer to feel confined themselves as the sculptors b

Johnny White: Johnny White is a sculptor who has created a variety of pieces, kinetic and non kinetic, that feature cogs and bicycles which I believe relate to my current project.  the first piece is called 'human machine' and was displayed at the Deer shed festival in 2013, the sculptor consists of ice cogs moving and being melted by fire. To me, this piece is a commentary of the fleeting nature of human life. It doesn't last forever and neither does this sculpture, slowly the heat reduces the cogs to nothing. I think that this sculpture is also an exploration of interconnectedness and the way in which things can work together to serve a large purpose, the cogs slot together and allow each other to move around. This is a performance piece and I believe that doing it at night has allowed this piece to have an effective impact on the viewer. The fire is luminous and brightly lights up the area allowing for a contrast between the dark surroundings and the blinding fire. I rea

  Making Gel flex moulds: Moving forwards into my final end of year project I have decided to gel flex moulds of my bike cogs so that I can then create multiple plaster cogs to use. To do this I needed to use illustrator to scan the image and then I sent it off to be laser cut three times. The reason for this is that the original cogs were far too thin to make a mould out of, and they would have broken upon taking them out of the moulds. By laser cutting three versions and gluing them together I am able to create a much deeper mould resulting in a thicker and stronger plaster cast. I found that Gel flex was relatively easy to use and inly required my cut cut up and prepare the material into small cubes and then melt in the microwave for approximately 6 minuets all together, and once poured was left to cool down and dry for a couple of hours.  As a precaution, for my first lot of casts I decided to try a harder material called Jesmonite. It's slightly stronger than plaster and so th

Picasso: Picasso famously created a bulls head out of bicycle handles and a bicycle seat. When looking at this image there is an instant contrast between the dark metallic colours of the sculpture and the white background, and the paler tones of the fabric towards the bottom cause the piece to feel worn and tired. I believe that there is a sense of oddness to this piece, it is an inanimate object imitating a living creature and the I think that the more you look at it the more disassociate it becomes. Somehow looking less and more similar to a real bull at the same time. I think that the lack of real features and eyes invoke an atmosphere of loneliness within this piece, it seems sad and isolated with no way to communicate itself. As if there is a living being trapped inside. I believe that this is a surrealist piece, and has a haunting effect on the reader. There is a feeling of hollowness to this piece and the way the bike seat has been positioned allows the piece to look gaunt and a