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May 3, 2006
new project: cold foam puppet
by sven at 10:21 pm
After what seems like forever, I finally got back into the studio tonight. I'm starting a new project: making a stopmo puppet with "flexible expanding urethane foam" (cold foam) and a latex skin.
The first step is to make a sculpt out of oil-based clay. Then I'll make a mold out of ultracal 30. Then I'll paint in liquid latex and let it dry. Then I'll put the puppet's armature into the mold, and fill it with the expanding foam.
In making the sculpt, you need an armature to help support the clay. This is NOT the same armature that will be inside the finished puppet. For supporting the sculpt, I used 1/8" thick aluminum armature wire. The base is a piece of wood that I've drilled several holes in, so I can weave the wire through.
I've been experimenting with different types of oil-based clay. From what I've read, the two most popular brands are Roma Plastilina Clay and Chavant Plastiline. Plastilina often has sulfur in it, which interacts badly with latex. Chavant produces an oil-clay called "NSP" (Non Sulphurated Plastine) that's safe; I don't think Roma has a similar product.
According to the Chavant website, there are only two distributors of NSP in Portland: Stephenson Pattern Supply and Lash Quality Molds. These aren't your typical art supply stores; you're only going to know that they exist if you're doing pretty specialized work...
Stephenson Pattern Supply is a wholesaler in the industrial district that has a sign saying they don't accept orders for less than $150 of materials... They mean to scare off browsers; I was fortunate, and they deigned to sell me four pounds of NSP and a bag of ultracal 30 -- despite what the sign said. They're the only place in Portland that sells ultracal 30. [Interesting note to those in the know: This must be where Ralph Cordero shops -- there was a Toxic Mom's Studio sculpture in the lobby!]
Lash Quality Molds is a one-woman operation in an unmarked building way out by the airport. You have to call for an appointment. The owner (whose name I forget at the moment) was a neat person; she gave myself and another fellow a tour of the premises. I saw silicone molds being assembled -- and a monumental sculpture in the back room that was being prepped for casting. The owner recommended that I try J-MAC Classic Clay. It's non-sulphur, and she says the "brown firm" outsells everything else she carries by 80%. Well... I had to give it a try!
Comparing the NSP to the J-MAC, the NSP is more oily. The J-MAC feels more like water-based clay. ...I think I like the J-MAC a lot!!
In all honesy, I've hardly worked with clay at all previously. This is very new to me -- but it's feeling really right.
I do know that I generally like to work reductively -- so I began the sculpt by building up way more clay than I'm going to need. I don't have a drawing that I'm working from; I'm improvising... Happily shaving the lumpy mass into smooth volumes with my one trusty loop tool. I find myself starting with the ribcage, and then everything else evolves from there. The front of the ribcage arcs around to the small of the back; the spine is S-shaped; there's a line that swoops around from the butt to the knee... And so on.
I'm charmed. It's like learning constellations: From the Big Dipper, you arc to Arcturus -- and from Arcturus, spy Spica. :-)
posted by sven | May 3, 2006 10:21 PM | comments (5) | categories: sculpture, stopmo
Comments
Thanks for posting your information. I will be very interested in reading and seeing how it turns out, especially your opinion on the expanding foam.
Posted by: DG at May 4, 2006 3:15 PM
I'm already anticipating disappointment, sadly. The urethane foam is about as dense as a nerf football -- I'm going to have to make a pretty beefy armature to deal with it.
I'd read that urethane foam sticks badly to gypsum molds -- which is why you need to give it a latex skin. However, I hadn't seen anything about how self-skinning urethane does. I tested it: it sticks badly, too.
I tried doing cold foam in a silicone mold. I doesn't stick -- but I wasn't entirely satisfied with its surface. It had a skin, but there was some pitting. From what I've done with latex in the past, I feel pretty confident that it will give me the level of detail I'm looking for.
...It's a shame, though. The foam is really easy to paint. I don't think you'd even need PAX.
Posted by: sven at May 4, 2006 10:08 PM
Cool, cool...gonna try latex skinning with my next Jenny puppet...the solid latex is just too cumbersome, too difficult to manage...I thought if she were heavy enough I wouldn't need tie-downs in her wrists for the crawl, but looks like I will...which isn't a problem now that I've toyed with tie-downs and enjoy it ;) I work reductively as well, even with drawing I use my eraser more than the charcoal, etc.
Can't wait to see what you learn with this, as usual :D
Posted by: ubatuber at May 5, 2006 10:00 AM
Thanks for the clay tips and links, Sven. I'm glad you're trying various puppet techniques.
2 cents on foams: I tried self-skinning flexible expanding urethane foam in the past, the kind that needs an industrial oven. (I signed up for a special effects workshop in Hell's Kitchen so they could bake it for me.) And about 15 of us were needed on Oedipus to sit on top of a FIFTEEN FOOT LONG 2-part mold of cold foam with a fiberglass shell (for the Jocasta puppet that the dancer lays on.)
You know, I know it's popular with many artists, but I'm not interested in using these foams for any future puppets, too toxic for me to have in the shop.It seems to me that the results can be made by a less chemical means.
I'm currently planning on filling the gap between armature and latex skin with tightly packed poly fiber fill or upholstery foam. I'll report on how that goes here. I'd be very interested in what solution you arrive at!
Posted by: shelley Noble at May 6, 2006 10:02 AM
Whoah... Shelly, you worked on Oedipus? I love that film! Never have fruits and veggies been livelier. For a nice alternative method of puppet fabbin' check out the new entry in the handbook over at you-know-where.
Sven, nice to see the next generation coming along. Suitably short and stumpy, like Percy I see.
Posted by: Darkstrider at May 6, 2006 7:50 PM