At the beginning of our mixed material sessions we were taught about different thermo plastic that we can use. Here are the three we used in our first lesson:
Fosshape - White or black soft fabric that looks like felt. It can be sewn and also shaped when heated with a steamer. After it's been steamed it hardens, and keeps it shape.
Viraform -White hard plastic gauze, softens when placed in boiling water. This means you can shape it over a mould, and it hardens when it cools. It is best for areas that need to be seen through.
Worbla- Hard plastic sheets made up of glue and sawdust. These are available in several colours including transparent. Soften with a heat gun, and mould, it will retain its shape when it cools.
Our task for these lessons was to create a mask, so we could experiment and understand the properties of each of the materials better. For my mask I decided to create fantasy stag, drawing inspiration from autumnal colours and leaves, and also the green man. I plan to create small stylised antlers (made from worbla), that are also branches, which will have fabric leaves growing from them, and will also have ears made from fosshape. I had never heard of any of these materials before so was eager to have a go. I first off used the worbla to form my antlers. I discovered that this material was very easy to roll and form, and also had the added bonus of being able to stick to itself very well. This meant that I could add the different sections of my antlers together easily, and without mis shaping the work i had already done. I decided to not entirely smooth out my antlers bust to keep some of the grooves in to add some texture, I also think I may experiment with imprinting the texture of real branches onto my antlers, to make them more realistic.
Although worbla can be reheated and reformed, neither it, or any of the other thermo plastics are sustainable. Hence I plan to research some sustainable alternatives, if I ever need to use them again.
The next step of creating our masks was making a pattern for the main form of the mask. To do this we used clay on a Styrofoam face to get the shape we wanted, then over clingfilm we tore up paper and used this and masking tape to create the mask shape over the top. From this you could start to see how the mask should be cut into pieces to form the right shape. When drawing on the pieces with a maker pen, it is also important to remember to mark notches onto the pieces so when you cut them out you can fit them together correctly. This is especially important when easing curves together. After we had cut out our pieces we cut darts in the shapes to make them lie flat. I found where to put the darts quite tricky, however became better at seeing it after I had done a couple. This way of making patterns is something you can use to make any sort of pattern, and is a useful way of doing it as you don't have to visualise everything in your head.
The next step of the process was to cut out our pieces in Plastazote ( a lightweight flexible plastic foam that can be glued, and also softened and formed with heat) but before we did this we practised cutting and gluing some samples.
Sample one- straight cut, and glued together.
Sample two- make a straight cut, and then glue together to make a right angled corner.
Sample three- cut through the Plastazote at roughly a 45 degree angle, to make a bevelled edge. Then flip on side over before fitting them together to form an edge. This technique will give you a shaper edge.
Sample four- cut two curved edges and ease together.
To glue the Plastazote together we used contact adhesive and a certain technique. To get the Plastazote to stick you apply a thin coating of glue to both edges, then wait till it has dried out but is still tacky then press the pieces together firmly. When I cut out my actual mask I didn't use any bevelled edges as I wanted my edges to be softer. When I cut out and glued my mask together I found that the pattern I had created worked really well and gave me the shape shape I desired, with only a few darts, overall I was really pleased with my final outcome.
photo of process materials and my idea
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