American Beauty developing the image — Phelps Sculpture Studio

American Beauty | developing the image

Finding a pose

Taking photos of Kim in order to create a proposal image.

Proposal Image

The American Beauty proposal image finished with a little help from Photoshop.

First Sketches of American Beauty

First Sketches of American Beauty

First Sketches of American Beauty

First Sketches of American Beauty

Beginning body cast of Kim

Beginning body cast of Kim

Establishing magic marker seam lines for plaster bandage body cast.

Body Cast Team Prepping

Body Cast Team Prepping

Help from Christie Hackler, Christie Owen, Sue Sullivan, & Jackie Jones (not shown; she's taking the picture) model Kim far right.

Ready for bandages

Ready for bandages

Bandages going on

Bandages going on

Seam lines are built into the cast by following the magic marker guides.

Strengthening the Mold

Strengthening the Mold

adding wooden support sticks to help the body cast maintain the correct shape.

Attaching Stiffeners

Attaching Stiffeners

Jackie Jones & Christie Hackler strengthening the attachment points of the stiffeners.

Setting up

We've got enough layers on now, we just need to let the plaster gain strength for a few minutes before disassembly.

Time to start removing mold sections

Time to start removing mold sections

Clean up time

Done for the day. Time to clean up.

Reassembly

We begin reassembling the cast immediately, otherwise the sections will warp out of shape and not go together easily.

The final touches

The final touches

We make sure the interior mold sections align as closely as possible.

Interior

The bottom half is finished.

Christie Owen working on Ground Plane

Christie Owen working on Ground Plane

This template will establish the point the figure meets the ground.

Christie fine tuning the template

Christie fine tuning the template

Demolding Foam Positive

Demolding Foam Positive

Demolding and cleaning up the foam positive that was poured into the plaster bandage mold.

Continued Demolding

Continued Demolding

Continued demolding and cleaning up the foam positive.

Template support platform

Template support platform

Jose Rodriguez working on Ground Plane

Jose Rodriguez working on Ground Plane

This artificial ground plane will determine where to trim the excess from the positive.

Legs trimmed

life size positive finished

life size positive finished

This life-size positive will be scanned and digitally enlarged in 2 lb. density styrofoam.

Ready for scanning

Ready for scanning

American-Beauty me close up bastrop.jpg

American-Beauty-Foundry-Crew copy.jpg

American Beauty

American Beauty

2012 66” x 240 x 83 bronze edition of 5