08.10.20 - De-moulding


Now that the mould had set, I was able to remove the original clay shape and rinse out the mould ready for filling with plaster. I learnt how to measure the ratio by adding two pounds of plaster per pint of water and this made the perfect amount for my snail mould. I also had to be careful around the plaster because it reacts with moisture, so I wore safety goggles, a particle mask and latex gloves while the extractor fan was running during the process of measuring the plaster. Since my mould had been set in a bowl, the underneath was curved which meant i had to allow the plaster to become firmer before shaping it into the mould otherwise it would all run out - so next time i would use a container with a flat base. On the other hand I like the way it makes the snail figure rock like a rocking horse and it’s quite endearing to look at. The flower mould was much better to fill because it is smaller and flatter so the plaster was better able to reach into all the corners and the finished product was very easy to pop out when it had dried. I took the clay from the snail and started shaping stars to get a feel for it, and I think this unintentionally created an interesting prospect for an art piece, I could make moulds and produce dozens of them and apply them to a surface or suspend them like falling stars.










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I really like how these came out even though the first one was covered in residual clay - it looks quite earthy as if it has been outdoors in the soil like in nature. The marks in the flower came up nicely and give some texture but i could add more detail by etching into it, and the same with the snail. I’d really like to produce more of the flowers and experiment with painting them differently or adding a range of materials into the mould then pouring the plaster over it so that they are embedded in the surface. I could use natural objects like sticks or leaves to complement the theme, or go for something more clashing like plastic or glass. I laid the objects out in a symmetrical way to create a mirrored effect and I think it looks like the snail is having a moment of self-realisation. I used a file to smooth the underneath of the snails which were slightly rough from the plaster that caught on the edge of the mould.



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