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Hi, I'm a senior in high school and in order to graduate I am required to create a senior project by this May. As an Advanced Placement Art History student, I just finished a unit on the Italian Renaissance. Our class learned that one of Leonardo da Vinci's projects was to be 24-foot tall bronze sculpture of a horse. Sadly, da Vinci never saw the completion of this sculpture (called Il Cavallo) and wept on his deathbed over the fact that it remained unfinished. In 1999, a man named Charles Dent gathered the plans for Leonardo's prized horse and (with much help) had it completed according to his plans. I feel inspired by this act and would like to create a project that is a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci.
I am hoping to create a 3-foot tall papier-mache sculpture of a standing horse resembling Il Cavallo. I hope to place this sculpture in an elementary school and involve younger children in painting the project. I plan on molding the actual sculpture myself, but am wondering if I could possibly coat it with plaster in order to paint it using the fresco method that was common during the Renaissance. My grandmother is an artist who has worked with papier mache before. However, she has not worked with the medium in a long time, and is not familiar with the most effective papier mache supplies or techniques. If anyone has any tips on creating this model (especially regarding supports, paste recipes or brands, whether or not I can coat papier mache with a plaster layer, or how to make it look impressive and elegant rather than like a third-grade art project...) I would be VERY greatful!
Thanks a million!
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Golly! That's a BIG question but I'm sure you'll get some responses and a variety of ideas on this site. Since Jackie and Russ set it up there has been the best flow of papiermache examples and ideas anywhere in the world.
The armature is the first issue. It has to have strength as well as providing the fundamental shape. Is this to stand outside or in a building? Remember that pm is never absolutely waterproof, however hard you try.
If you are geometrically minded, a structure of interlocking pieces of cardboard would be very strong and would shape well. You could form the body and then add legs and head as separate units. Pad the interstices with screwed up paper and apply about ten layers of strong paper with paste all over. I would then apply a fine pulp for moulding and smoothing.
Personally I haven't used plaster over pm but would doubt it.
If the cardboard idea interests you, just say and we suggest more about ways of doing it.
I now use a lot of foamed insulation board (as used on building sites) and it is possible to construct large scale with this and model it to quite reasonable detail.
If this interests you, just say and we can suggest more about ways of doing it.
DavidO
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I agree with David, the armature is going to be the most important part of your design, I have just been having a look at the Milan casting (see link)
http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/enter/7 … vallo.html
What ever you do try to keep it lightweight but sturdy. David's insulation board would be good, but I think I would probably work on a cardboard skeleton to reduce the overall weight. I was trying to find an example of how I see it fitting together but can't find an appropriate picture.
I would use rabbit wire to form the shape over the armature and then would layer laminate over that before using pulp for the final layers.
Best of luck, I would also start with a macquette to try out ideas before moving on to the big piece.
Regards,
Charlotte
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Here is a site that shows the interlocking cardboard: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rapidproto/stude … /project2/
However, you don't really need it to interlock, just make it look that way. You can cut identical pieces and hot-glue them onto a base. You could cut out the silhouette of the horse, then add matching pieces to form the bulk of his body. But you would need to anchor the entire 'skeleton' to a base. The three hooves down with one raised does form tripodal base, but it wouldn't be steady enough by itself.
David's idea of sheet insulation would give more bulk more quickly, but cardboard is cheaper and more easily available. But a combination could work very well.
Once your form is absolutely as you want it, including the smoothness of the PM, I "think" you could use plaster over it. To make sure, make a smallish non-complicated object with a good PM surface, let it dry thoroughly, then apply plaster to it. In fact, use this object to test all materials you're planning on using on your horse. Make your mistakes on it, not the horse!
I would make very small batches of plaster, then apply it quickly with a paintbrush (1 to 1.5"/2.5-4cm wide). Just keep in mind that the amount of plaster on a lightweight object three feet tall is going to affect the weight and balance of the object, so be sure to plan ahead. And a solid multi-layer PM surface would be required. No thin, lightweight skins would do.
Tips for plaster:
Warm water for plaster makes it set up faster, cold water is slower.
Always add plaster to water, not water to plaster.
The setting and curing of plaster is a chemical action, not a drying situation.
Don't let plaster bulk up on your hands, it can cause horrible burns. Use latex or nitrile gloves. This should not be an issue, but some people don't know it.
For safety, use an N-95 paper dust mask (any paint dept. or store) when sanding plaster -- once it's in your lungs, it's there forever.
Sue
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what a fantastic project! Yes to all the advice above, particularly concerning the armature. The stronger you can make it, the better!
If you're covering the horse with papier mache pulp then yes, you definitely can coat it with plaster as the uneven surface of the p-m would give it something to 'key' into. I'm not so sure about a layered p-m, you might have problems getting the plaster to stick on.
I've used different sorts of plaster in many finishes for p-m, although not as an all-over coating in quite the way you're planning. I'd use a household filler-type of plaster (common brands in the UK are Polyfilla and Tetrion) rather than plain wall plaster or plaster of paris. What you can also do (although it can make sanding back to give a smooth surface rather hard work) is add some pva/white glue to the plaster when you've mixed it (in a way, you're making a basic gesso - you could use an art gesso but on that scale it would cost!). It helps give a bit of flexibility and avoids cracking. As CatPerson says, mix up small quantities at a time and paint it on. When it's dried, you'll probably need to sand it down. And do some trial pieces with the p-m and the plaster - on bits of scrap cardboard, for instance - so you can test the effects and try out what you want to do with the paint before you tackle the real thing.
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