But I've always wanted to revisit these pieces: I felt the design worked, even if the concrete:glass combo didn't. I particularly like the fact that the pieces will stand (or gently rock...) on all four sides.
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My first job was to create the drawing files which would be used to control the laser cutter. For this I used Inkscape - an open source vector graphics program, which you can download for free. It's fairly user-friendly if you've used photo editing or 3D design programs - and there are plenty of videos on YouTube for beginners. This is a screen shot of one of my files in Inkscape, showing some of the basic shapes. The pieces with the deep curves instead of circles will form a low relief on the front and back of each sculpture.
I also added a few extra shapes into the spaces on this worksheet (which I'll use to make moulds for another project) - as I didn't want to waste any of my plywood!
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So I started experimenting with cardboard circles... This photo shows the final three cardboard models. (The circles were cut using a little plotter cutter - I'm not that good with a Stanley Knife!) The orange/brown colour is down to a layer of shellac - which stops either the gelflex or the silicon welding to the surfaces when I make the moulds! These are relatively low relief models (about 15mm), as I want the final glass pieces to be between 18 and 20mm to fit within the plywood framework.
I chose the diameter of the models to match the inside of a drainpipe, so I could use a drainpipe to form the mould walls. (My foresight and planning are finally getting a little better..!)
I'll add another post later this week, covering the rest of the process.
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