Foam latex oven

A couple weeks ago, we needed to cook foam latex in a three part mold that would make a skirt. The two halfs and a core piece, three part mold. Should've known that an old oven bought online would bring disaster. It did and it destroyed the core piece of the mold. Sucked, sucked alot. Repoured the third piece again in 1630 and cast the foam latex again in a convection oven. Not our oven but an oven built by the great Rob Ronning.(He also built a walk in oven where Oogie Boogie was cooked). So, after three more failed attempts at cooking the foam latex, Rob gave us some advice and we followed through. Turned out to be a success the fourth try. But having to use someone else's oven wasn't ideal with all the traveling back and forth and not being able to check the mold didn't sit well with us.

So I decided to just make an oven. My boss liked the idea that she greenlit the oven project. It took two days to build the oven. On the first day it was straight forward cutting and screwing. The second day, was the more subtle work and the most patience. The amount of cuts I received from aluminum tape sucks and still feel today. And yet, somehow without ever attempting to make such a thing, it appeared like the schematics i drew and like the way the pros have it. Add a few more points to my ego please.

My only regret is not using better material. I had to use polystyrene, which works fine and perfect, but there are better materials. had to use cdx plywood which is a lot rougher. Had to use small wheels, which are fine but there are bigger ones with the step brakes. What really matters in a convection oven is the insulation the heat source and the fan, those weren't generic. Can't be.

I think I did well, my boss couldn't stop opening the door and looking at it. We're dying to use it. It can keep a constant temperature and won't burn. But we want so badly to have our first foam latex done. Here are some pics:

Reporting on the Art hustle

Ima use three words to describe my summer. Exhausted, Experienced, Enspired (inspired).
Haven't been so close to burning out since Art school. I heard a saying and I'm paraphrasing Zap Brannigan- The mind is willing but the body is frail and weak. That's how I feel right now. Pushing my self and saving nothing for the trip back. There's no going back. Either I get there or .......you know the rest.
So much knowledge got crammed into my mind. I got names, places, terms, objects, techniques, advice, processes, etcetera etcetera whatever, only problem is, I forget names, the practice and the images stay but the names are lost to me. I still have a ways to go that include the animating process and the kick starter campaign.

I'm a junkie, I realize that now and I did then. I'm addicted to Inspiration. And I'm not being metaphorical. Inspiration is a bitch to acquire. Before, I felt lost and confused walking in darkness looking for my supplier trying to get my fix. Trying to find inspiration from anywhere willing to offer it to me. Now I grow my own shit, cultivate it and smoke it. Now I'm being metaphorical.

It's not over yet. But the feeling is better, the feeling feels closer to the marker, more like a milestone. After eight months, im still in ayunas and still craving more. The goal is the same and I haven't waivered yet. Although I did say fuck it and slept all day today. Regardless, my minds on art and my projects. I took a few pics of what we've been working on (the company I'm working for):

Molds for atteirneh done.

Poured the silicone into the molds and assembled the five pieces together. Two part molds are a cinch and practically easy enough to do blind after going through a five part mold.

Five part mold, it was a potential disaster with which I had no experience to begin with, with. So being the kind of person who believes skill and a bold attitude can trump inexperience, I jumped at it without hesitation. The biggest problem was the heat and how the clay reacted to it. The really hardest part was getting the seems to where they disappeared.
Two mistakes were made and a few Small glitches that were avoidable but couldn't fix unless hindsight lets you repair the past. Small imperfections like the inner brass square tubing being angled slightly enough to cause a small key. Or an Air bubble that caused the mold not get the whole sculpt.
The biggest mistakes were rushing the coil off the seam. One on the back and one on the upper back lower neck. Although it was my first attempts at mold making and were successful according to my boss, I still felt disappointed I didn't get it right. I can see all the areas that could've used a tweak or a smooth or just another pass.

It's been a while

It's been five months since I got down here to L.A. And the whole feels like one blur of a memory. The great thing about it is the experience I can't put a price on. Besides the movie project, L.A. Has been very interesting. Working till 3 in the morning on Hollywood blvd can be a drag, but also very stressful. Serving food to drunks is just a means to an end. Meeting new people is a bright side to the crude Lewd and debaucherous scenes seen on the blvd. I must say I had my share of fun down here. Still haven't seen the beaches. Must swim the shores of Los Angeles bay. I'm ready to finish and get started on my own projects. They're all on paper and hard drives need the time and money to execute.

Two weeks in Los Angeles

It's been that long already and I'm using all my brain power each day. After four days working on a set my brain feels like hammered dog shit. But in the end I have a feeling that's hard to describe. It's awesome. I'm learning new things and relearning what I already know, basically putting it into practice. My confidence in decision making is building up with each exchange of ideas with my peers. Now that part is what I enjoy the best. Mixing ideas revolved around art. Figuring out the problem and coming up with a solution. Getting use to it, finding new energy to draw again. Sketched out a two headed fortune teller. So glad to see I haven't lost my touch.
I'm starving and hungry. I need gas, water food and shelter. So I'm looking for jobs all over L.A. From San Fernando valley all the way down to long beach. I lost count how many applications and cover letter and resumes I submitted. But ima keep throwing them out there until I hit something. Anything right now. That rent is getting closer.

work in progress

so i've been working on akuma for some time now. i think i've put about fourteen hours into it. and today ima put in a whole days work and get it done as quick as possible to start on a new one. the thing about working with super sculpey firm grey is that its really firm. i spend more time working the clay until its plyable enough to mold than actual sculpting. but it holds so much detail. here is what it looks like so far:

i bought ten pounds of the firm stuff, so i will finish off what's left before i go with the less firm sculpey.

work.

hello new blog, hopefully this time i keep you. I put up some of my work i have done recently and some that i have always liked. I started the year off painting a hole over my driveway. heres a pic:

the whole process took four days to finish with the help of a fellow artist. i came across 3D street art while on streetartutopia.com. i immediately became a fan of it. it took about a month to convince myself to do it. it was my first attempt at painting something big. not only that, painting something that involves an illusion. here is what it looks like from the side:

in the end it came out better than what i had hoped for. as an added bonus, the neighbors kids are scared to play on the driveway now.