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Luisa mold

Luisa mold

Here’s a few pictures of the mold that I made for my Luisa sculpture.  I really didn’t have time to take a lot of pictures this time a round but at least I have a few to share.

The sculpture was cut at the ankles so that I could mold the items separately.

Sculpture is cut up and ready to mold.

Sculpture is cut up and ready to mold.

After several layers of silicone rubber is applied to the surface then the separating flange is made.

Ready to apply the rubber to the border.

Ready to apply the rubber to the border.

The base needs some more rubber applied to it.

The base which has the feet and cat with a few coats of rubber on it.

The base which has the feet and cat with a few coats of rubber on it.

You wouldn’t think an umbrella would be so much work but it was. I had to mold the underside as well and so this little umbrella took a lot of time. By putting the pour spot at the top, this allowed for the plaster (or wax etc.) to travel with gravity downwards. Thankfully, the mold worked perfectly and a plaster umbrella came out of it that looked great. :-)

Umbrella with silicone rubber.

Umbrella with silicone rubber.

Here’s the plaster cast that came from the mold. Seamlines were very good and detail areas showed up nicely.

Plaster cast soon after taking it out of the mold.

Plaster cast soon after taking it out of the mold.

My reference photo for this sculpture is in the background. This pic was taken about 5 years ago at a picnic at my home. Luisa came with her signature umbrella (she says she melts in the sun) and looked so pretty sitting on the scrolly white patio furniture that I just had to take her picture. The sculpture that I made of her shows her now at age 90 rather than how she looked then. The reason for that was it was easier for me to demonstrate what I see live in front of me rather than from the photo.

Luisa with reference photo in background.

Luisa with reference photo in background.

Last weekend I showed my work at an art festival and brought Luisa along. Here she is shown in plaster with a faux bronze patina. I left her umbrella with space in between so that from the back view, it doesn’t block her out. This is just a snapshot picture and later I’ll take some better pictures. Hopefully soon I will have a bronze of her.

Plaster cast finished in faux bronze patina.

Plaster cast finished in faux bronze patina.

Here I am at the festival with a very early work in progress.

Tamara with her work in progress.

Tamara with her work in progress.

And here’s Ron in his booth selling his book called “War Star Rising, The Legend of Toucan Moon.”

Ron in his book signing booth.

Ron in his book signing booth.

Finally, here’s one photo of Luisa and I on my back porch swing. We sat there and swang and swang while we drank herb tea that Ron made for us. This was the first day that Luisa came to sit for me for the scultpure. Doesn’t she look serene and so pretty?

Luisa and I on my porch swing.

Luisa and I on my porch swing.

The next and final sitting was a day that she had intended to not work in her yard as she had been doing but read her bible all day. (Which shows how appropriate the bible is held in her hand for the sculpture). Instead she came over at the drop of a hat and sat for me so I could resculpt her body. She didn’t take time to dress up or anything which is okay and I so appreciate her coming over on short notice. I really like how the sculpt turned out after resculpting her figure. Before I had just looked at photos and sort of guessed at it and then did it very quickly. She talked for several hours about all the stories of her life as I sculpted her. What a memorable day that was.

Luisa sitting for me for the sculpture of her.

Luisa sitting for me for the sculpture of her.

Thanks for looking at the process of getting the Luisa sculpture from the clay into a plaster cast.

~Tamara

4 Responses to “Luisa mold”

  1. ZooDoc says:

    Very nice! Thanks for sharing. I especially like the one of “ZooDoc” in his booth. :-) )) ZD

  2. donna says:

    Beautiful sculpture, so expressive. I love your blog. :)

  3. doris says:

    hi Tamara… i love to come back to your blog, and look,,,and i always find that your luisa sculpt is one of your best in the way how you captured life and character and feeling. maybe it is, since i love to explore how character shows in older people, but i think, it is more… i come back often to look the fotos of luisa, and your sculpture, and i am happy seeing what you achieved. your luisa sculpt carries love, more than your others sculptures do. and, i love that. she is my favourite sculpt of yours for now :-) i am looking forward to see you growing … thank you for sharing.

  4. Tamara Bonet says:

    Glad you all are enjoying the blog.:-D

    Doris- That makes very happy that you see the love in Luisa. She(real Luisa)is the epitome of love so it radiates out of her. To have this sculpture be your favorite means a lot to me. I hope others will like her to especially as she is going into bronze.

    Thankfully my mold turned out well and the bronze foundry poured two waxes for me and I should be getting them tomorrow.:-) I’m thinking of doing her in a white(with lavender highlights on flowers) patina with a cashmere white granite base. Luisa likes light patinas better than the bronze patina. She says they are too dark and she can’t see them. Plus I know that she likes her skin to be lighter in real life so she will like the light patina.

    Working from a live model is the way to go with getting more feeling in a sculpture. I hope to do it again soon. Thanks for your comments. :-) Have a great day.

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