The Sword-In-The-Stone, Sort Of....

This week we're looking at another project from my Fundamentals of Sculpture class. This time the objective was to take what is normally a hard object and re-create it using soft materials such as; felt, foam rubber, fabric, cotton etc. My original idea was to make a cinder block or a pile of bricks using foam rubber and paint. This was an OK idea but I felt that the idea needed to be pushed a little further. Then I remembered something my girlfriend had said recently about the Arthurian legend of the sword-in-the-stone, that had stuck in my head. English Literature majors seem to have a way of tossing about these sort of references. She is now on the payroll as the Official Muse. But I digress.

The sword-in-the-stone idea works on a couple of levels. Unquestionably, swords and stones are hard objects. But there is a different type of hardness at work here, and that is the very task of extracting Excalibur was a hard task to say the least. Impossible in fact, unless you are the right person.

Fortunately, I had recently liberated some foam rubber from some discarded sofa cushions, in anticipation of this project. So, I set about the business of carving my "stone". I used a hot glue gun to seal together two layers of the foam rubber for a vertical height of about 18". The finished dimensions ended up as about 2 ft. in length and 20' in width. The foam was randomly shaped using only (the good) scissors and a utility blade. The carving and shaping was done in earnest as I only had one day to fully complete my task. (It seems I had spent an inordinate amount of time on the giant hammer --see previous post-- and my deadline was the next day.) The carving turned out to be the most time consuming portion of the project.

Once the shape was finished it was all down to doing an effective paint job. I was fortunate in that I had an excellent painting professor a few years ago who taught me all the basics plus a few tricks of the trade. Applying thin layers and working darkest to lightest, building up the colors, allowing for the layers underneath to peek through.

Since it was required of me to work very quickly, I decided to do the painting of my "stone" in the bathtub. It seemed like the best way to go because I could work fast and not worry about a difficult clean up afterwards. Acrylic paint does not adhere well to tub or tile and wipes right off easily. The stone was literally painted by hand. I mixed acrylic paint; black, dark gray, light gray, and some green on the underside for "moss". I put on latex gloves and applied the paint in layers. To speed up the drying time between the layers of color, I used the biggest fan I have to push air across the stone, and then rotated the stone every few minutes. My idea was to make the stone as realistic as possible, but then contrast it with a completely fake and flimsy looking sword. The sword was made out of cardboard. I wanted to create a contradiction and an absurdity. The "realistic" looking fake rock with a clearly fake sword stuck into it. The positive reaction from my instructor and fellow students confirmed that my had idea worked.

I wish I was better at documenting my works-in-progress. I get very focused while working and I often forget about pretty much everything else.

All of my projects seem to take much longer to complete than I anticipate, even when things are going perfectly. This piece I can safely guesstimate that it took a total of 8 hours.

Big Fun Or Size DOES Matter

This week we're taking a look at a recent project from my Fundamentals of Sculpture class. As a Graphic Design major our focus is on creating visuals using only two dimensions. I enrolled in this class because I was interested in exploring this so-called "3rd Dimension" that I've heard so much about, and was eager to see if it lived up to the hype.

Our task was to take an ordinary household object and build a copy of it up to ten times it's original size. The object was to be made entirely out of cardboard and other commonly available packaging materials. My object of choice was of course, a lovely and delicate ball-peen hammer. No home should be without one.

My completed hammer stands just shy of ten feet in height. It has a 1.25" diameter PVC pipe for internal support with "ribs" designed to support the outer skin of the handle, and to give it some ergonomic contours, approximating those found on a real hammer handle. Single faced cardboard sheets were then wrapped around, one section at a time, to create a simulated wood appearance.    

The hammer head consisted of six different parts. Then it was covered with duct tape for a metallic look. The work was completed over a ten day period. The hammer build ended up occupying every room in my apartment! 

 

Mid-Term Break

Well folks it's time again mid-term projects & tests. This upcoming week will be rather intense, so there is no time for a new cartoon. Do not despair, for there will be a new post at this time next week....unless something goes horribly wrong.

In the meantime dear readers, why not take this opportunity to go back and revisit your favorite BuckToonz from yester-year. Or even the year before that. There are upwards of 130 cartoons to date, and I doubt if even my most die-hard fans have seen them all. So take a little field trip into the past and see what you can discover.

See y'all soon!

Silk Screen Project

This week we are looking at a recent project I made for a Silk Screening class that's a part of my degree program. Granted, the format does not look all that different from the weekly cartoons you have come to know and love. But what you see here is a scan of a four color printed piece. In this class we are being taught how to make traditional, hand-pulled, silk screened images. This is a very labor intensive process, with a lot of subtleties and technique that I am still trying to learn properly. For those who want more information on silk screening you can visit our good friends at Wikipedia and learn more than you ever cared to know. But please, return quickly as you might miss something while you're gone; like cash and prizes.

My learning curve has been rather steep in this class and there was much room for improvement in this the final product. However, I did some repair work and added the border before posting today not only to enhance your viewing experience, but also to prevent embarrassment for myself.

This image presents a little narrative that raises some questions. The title says "What Is This?", but who's asking the question? Is it the reptilian creature? Is it the Teddy Bear? Or is it you, the viewer? Another question might be; Is the bear alive, or is it a toy? Perhaps we'll never know.

XXXL or Think Big

Today's gag is a play on the name of a dating site called eHarmony. This is a site that I highly recommend if you're in the market for a new relationship.

Last week Americans celebrated Valentines' Day. This is a strange holiday in that it actually excludes people. If you are in a new or happy relationship, it's great. If you are in a committed relationship that has gone sour, the day is awkward. If you're currently unattached, it can really suck! The whole country is celebrating love and romance, and you're made to feel like a loser. Believe me, I've been in all those situations.

Well, here's some good news. There is a movement to "re-brand" Valentines' Day into "Generosity Day". A day to perform random acts of kindness, and service. This is an intriguing idea. We live in a world that could use more kindness, generosity, and direct (low-tech/no-tech) connectedness with others. Learn more about it here.

Stay Sharp

Once again "real life" has led to the creation of another cartoon. My new girlfriend is a licenced acupuncture and sports injury therapist. Discussing her work and undergoing treatment myself has generated some ideas that will probably see the light of day at some point. The doctor in this toon is only the third time that I have created a caricature of a real person.

The two other examples are:  here  which features my first wife, and the other is a caricature of a veterinarian who used to treat my former "menagerie" of cats and dogs many years ago.

The Secret Life of Fish

This cartoon is based closely upon a rather surreal joke I heard from a good friend a few years ago. Normally, I use only my own original material as a source for cartoon creation. However, in this rare case I will make an exception. Earlier this week I felt compelled to create my own visual interpretation of this joke. Now, I realize that some people may not get the (strange) humor of this one. But, I encourage those folks to read it out loud (with enthusiasm) as that may help. I look forward to your comments.