Unit 5 - February/March

I wanted to try creating a character that wasn't super human-like. Multiple tries making a human face that were unsuccessful inspired me to make a more star wars/alien face. After taking out and redoing the eyes multiple times, and adding hair that didn't look right, I finally scrapped my bust. I had used a video tutorial to create the person, which helped a lot with the shaping. If I were to redo this again, I would make a larger bust so that smaller details would be easier to create on a bigger canvas. With a larger model, I would also have the neck be longer and not yet hollowed out, because it kept getting squished down by the head. To create the face and eyes, I definitely need a better measured and laid out lines to follow for symmetry. I would also try a different technique for the hair, although i think starting with some form of a rolled lump would be useful.

I was very unsure of what animal to create for this project until I found my inspo. I started by creating a thick slab that i cut into a piece much longer than the length of the snail. Then, I slowly twisted the face to make it look forwards. Because I made the head thicker, the shape was top heavy so i molded a solid shell that I then scored and slipped onto the body, which also allowed me to cut the original slab to a proportional size. When I started painting, I wanted to create a plain background in underglaze that I could build on once fired with more colorful glazes. I waited until the snail was leather hard and painted the snail in underglaze before firing. Once fired, I then chose a few colors I hoped would be the most vibrant and used a dot tool to start creating patterns on the shell and neck. If i were to change anything in remaking it, I would change the base colors to make them the same, and try to use even more colors in my pattern than the five or six that I used. Overall, I am very happy with my alebrije and plan to use it as a little garden animal.

I knew I wanted to try to make something more simple than what I had been painting, and my mask was a perfect opportunity. When I found my inspo, I knew that I could use different tools than normal to create the circle pattern of the face. I started by rolling out a large slab and laid it over a rounded plate to curve the mask. I then used my thumbs to start molding eyebrows and adding dimension, and used an excess piece to cut out the shape for a nose and lips. Once they were scored on, I used my fingers to mold and create the desired shapes I wanted, and then used a needle tool to make nose holes and the eyes. If i were to redo this, I would use less layers of glaze and make deeper "circle" marks so that once it was fired again, they would still be prominent. The lis are also uneven, so I would probably put them on before the nose (which is also crooked) so that I could even and smooth them out easier without messing up the nose. Overall, I am very happy with how my mask turned out. 

For my useful piece, I made a jewelry/makeup organizer. I had seen some similar to it on pinterest, but thought I would try my own. I started by rolling a bunch of slabs that I cut to the base arched back. then, i added the outer walls before scoring and sliding together the inside shelves. I started painting it white when it was still leather hard, but layers wouldn't stay and it was very smeary. Once it was bone-dry, it was a lot easier to paint. If I were to change something, I would repaint the colors over the white differently. Originally, I was going for a mamma Mia design, but it ended up splotchy and just not very good looking in my opinion.