A large cast artwork caught my eye while attending a 3-day props and special effects workshop at Polytek in Easton. It instantly fired up my love for paper art.
I developed my own method in creating low relief paper sculptures through test projects and specialized workshops:
- Molding and Casting Workshop by Polytek in Easton, Pennsylvania
- Paper Making Workshop by Paper Trail in New Dundee, Ontario, Canada
- Paverpol Workshop by Lise Saint-Cyr and a Paverpol Master Class by The Dutch Hill Gallery
- Paper Clay Workshop by Khnemu Studios in Fernville Michigan given by one of the world's foremost paper clay artist Graham Hay
My final pieces go through an exciting process which starts from sculpting model in clay, building mold using resin and the magical part, paper casting.
Concept Drawing
The subject is drawn on a grided plastic sheet which serves as a base for clay modeling.
Modeling in Clay
Non-drying clay is used for sculpting then reused for the next project. Click on the image for a larger view of the model.
Building the Mold
The following products were used to build the mold:
If you're interested in learning how to create your own mold. These series of instructional videos released by Polytek will hopefully steer you towards the right direction.Note: Applying a release agent easily detaches the model from the mold.
Paper Casting
Casting in paper using Abaca pulp requires patience and solid knowledge of the process of handmade papermaking.
Here's a video that shows all the steps of papermaking.
Modeling Dress in Fabric Hardener
My mother introduced me to dressmaking so creating the dress of my subject was easy. The tricky part was the process of attaching the dress snugly and using wires, soft dress material and special textile hardener to simulate the flowing motion of a long dress.
Fabric Hardener link: Paverpol
Here's the image of the final product.