These samples basically are the development of the samples I made last time, which is the metal plates with holy colors on it.
This time I used holy fabrics attached on the holy metal plates. I think fabric could make it more like skin textures. But visually this result is not better than last samples, from my expectation.
As I posted in my blog recently, I carved and got a casting square piece last week.
I used this piece as mould to make some silica gel samples. Doing this is one of the ways of translating the lizard skin, including the texture and colors.
These color patterns are all based on my research on the lizard skin. I picked up some parts of the skin, or combine some parts together, to get some color matches.
Last Thursday, we had a workshop about colors. We organized the objects we brought, into color categories. That’s how this amazing object rainbow comes.
At the same time, my exploration of colors on my own project is carried on as well.
I’m exploring the natural colors and patterns on the lizard skins, and experimenting on how to make different materials into colorful state.
The way I’m using so far are acrylic colors & resin, colors & silica gel, Printing on transparent papers, heat print textures.
I cut some part of lizard skin patterns, and made tile pattern, playing with these colors and patterns.
This design basically needs repeating of the shells and connectors. So I was keep making mould and more samples with different original pieces.
Meanwhile, I’m experimenting on making soft silica gel surface. The next step is color them.
After printing and casting the original pieces of samples, I made moulds for repeating them.
I used silica gel to make the moulds, and poured liquid resin inside. I tried clear resin and resin mixed with acrylic colors. Some pieces were good, some were bad because of air bubbles.
I cut the moulds in different ways as well. Trying to find out a better way to cut them out and good for repeating.
3D print should better be used for tiny and more complicated pieces. This time I still use 3D print to make this shell, but I adjust it into a harder for handmade but better for my structure design one.
My experiment plan for this shape as a unit of the structure is using soft connectors to connect them. Because this would be a small whole piece, I don’t need to open it and set the connectors, in this way the units could be more stable individually.
And for this repetition design, I would make mould to repeat more of them after casting and polishing. Lets see how this gonna work after making out the samples.
During my drawing experiment about colors, I had an idea about crazy lizards, and repeat the lizard head on the shell of the structure. the Repetition art always have strong visual feelings, so I carried on the experiment of this idea at the same time with other works.
Last week, I got my 3D print samples and get them casting pieces. I made mould with silica gel and made more pieces into different colors.
the most important meaning to make these samples is to learn how the 3D print works. Also, I made perfect shape so that I could at least made mould and repeat them by hand.
my next plan is using 3D print to print some harder pieces, which is much better to be made by machine than handmade.
In the past weeks, I experimented on colors, meanwhile, the shape and texture on the surface of shell is another focused point.
I want to add a soft textured surface on the shell, so I made this mould by wax carving and casting. I will continue doing press forming with metal and shaping silica gel with this mould.
Prim Jewellery 