Testing Maquette, Metalising and Paint Test

 

Using the idea of 'rolling' the cards out, I bought some rubber washers from B & Q to use to aid the feeding of each card out of my first maquette. Although simple, this method worked well when the roller, shown above right, was turned. As I suspected, the pressure is key to its functionality.

To take this further I laser cut cogs to test my transitional method as mentioned in my previous post (see below). The system worked in theory but in reality it was a very rough mechanism and quite unreliable. Talking with other class members it became clear that this method allows too many variables for it to function perfectly without a great deal of time spent perfecting each intersection and placing it at the correct position. I don't intend to fully rule this method out but I think for a reliable effective mechanism I need a much simpler approach.

 

I have made several attempts to get information regarding the vac metalisation process to little avail. Whilst one company gave me a good insight into the process (revealed in a typed up phone call within my research file), they did not respond to my specific requirements and I have since been unable to get in touch. The general response seems to be that my requirements aren't worth their time as it is a one off piece. This process, as shown below, would clearly offer a great metal effect if it were carried out to the high standard I need. All parts are coated in aluminum before additional colourisation, such as gold, are applied within the lacquer. I will continue to peruse this avenue in the coming weeks.

Having looked at much of his previous work online I decided to get in contact with Aden Hynes at Sculpture Studios (www.sculturestudios.co.uk). He was kind enough to talk to me about my project over the phone and I was able to record the conversation and type it up for my research file. As well as talking me through his recommended process for sculpting, molding and casting of the Oscar we talked about the finish. I mentioned my attempts at finding a company to vac metalise the piece. He said he thought the piece may be too large for the process and the he would most likely paint the piece for the finished effect. This surprised me but also opened a new area to explore in order to achieve the finish I want. Whilst I am incredibly impressed by the work at sculpture studios, Aden himself said that many jobs simply need to last a matter of days or even moments for TV ad's or films and therefore don't necessarily have to have a good long lasting quality finish.

In order to keep moving in some way whilst waiting for companies to respond to my enquiries I decided to experiment with gold metallic paint as recommended by Aden Hynes. I primed my maquette with grey plastic primer before applying a liberal coat of the gold. It is worth noting that this method really requires full coats at a time rather than half-half. Doing one half at a time seems to leave an obvious join line between the two coats that don’t blend as well as regular paints. 

The sprayed maquette below gives a good impression of how the finished piece might look the sculpting however being a much higher standard than this mock up.

Dispensing Maquette

 

The dispensing mechanism will no doubt be the most difficult part of this project to master and develop to function correctly. Looking at existing dispensers such as the card gambling one shown above it is clear that there must be minimal room at the dispensing point for multiple cards to come out at once. This and the need for minor pressure from behind the deck will mean the need for precision parts. Also, these dispensers use gravity to their advantage. The nature of the PEZ dispenser means an upward force will be needed. The problem here will be getting the balance right between upward pressure and the strength of the pushing mechanism to dispense the cards. If the upward force is too great the mechanism may well not function at all. If it is too small then the cards will not 're-load' as they are dispensed.

In order to get off the ground with this development I have begun to think about dispensing ideas. Unlike the PEZ dispenser, my project will require a unique mechanism to work with cards as opposed to the standard PEZ bricks.

I began by making a styrene mock up to the correct size for the cards (below). This also determined the overall size of the dispenser.

Although I have yet to put a dispensing mechanism in this maquette it gives me a good idea of how well the 'slot' method functions. Upward force was simple provided by pushing the carriage from below. Although primitive, this method clearly demonstrated the pro's and con's of varied force on the dispensing reliability. 

 

 

One of my ideas for the dispensing mechanism was to use 'rollers' to feed the cards out by transferring the movement from the opening of the 'head' on the dispenser. The concept, drawn below, means 2 moving elements alongside the main hinge of the head itself. By making the central pivot point extend further out, the same radial motion is achieved and may allow increased forced if channeled through varied gears. I will make a mock up to try this in action.

New Ideas

Having talked through my initial ideas with the tutors and deciding to give it more thought I moved on to other subject areas. We discussed the idea of producing a series of icons that are familiar to the general public as treasures of some kind. Suggested ideas were caricatures of famous figures, historic paintings such as the Mona Lisa or Andy Warhol’s Monroe. Another idea was to use the artifacts that make up the focus of the Indiana Jones films but, despite the enthusiasm I would have for such a project, I quickly decided this would appear abit 'geek' like or unprofessional without good reason. In a similar vein came the idea of historical artefacts that dominate world history such as the Death Mask of Tutankhamun or the Sutton Hoo Helmet (below).

The Monroe idea could be interesting and did strike a cord with me. In fact any of the Warhol subjects would make an interesting series, each with their different colour schemes. Another possible choice should the main subject get finished ahead of time.

Racking my brain to think of icons of merit that have fame I thought what about producing a series of awards. The most famous in my mind are the BAFTA's, Oscars and Golden Globes. There are of course many more but looking at these 3 and sketching them out I decided that the Oscar (above) would be a superb choice given its slender figure. It is ideal for blending in with the shape of the PEZ body which has built in feet (photoshop idea mock ups below).

Having got initial approval from the tutors I have produced a rough Oscar maquette to give some idea of how the form might look (see below). Although slightly out of proportion, the benefits of having this character are clear. At a glance I can imagine people thinking it is a full Oscar sculpt until closer inspection. The further reinforce this idea, the standard mount, a film reel on its side, and plinth will make a great display aid and support the weight of the dispenser for this show. The figure holds a cruisaders sword which is easily blended in with the 'spine' of the PEZ dispenser body.

I must admit I've had a few ups and downs about the possible worthiness of this subject but I'm trusting in it as all around me seem to really like the idea, tutors included. I think my uneasiness is down to the uncertainly with the rest of my EMP brief.

I dismantled a PEZ dispenser (see above) to figure out exaclt how it works and get better access to the internal measurements. Using this, I have drawn up accurate mm drawings of the dispenser body on Rhino (see below) and intend to draw the internal components shortly. These drawings will act as the mm perfect guide to be scaled up to the required size for my card dispenser.

Considerations for this project so far have been:

• The device itself, engineering the components to function correctly will require modification from the standard PEZ mechanism. A working maquette would be a good place to start to figure this out.
• Sculpting the character will create a lot of weight. This can be solved by rotational casting or spin molding the sculpt as a hollow cast to keep it light weight.
• The finished body and sculpt will need to be finished to appear golden. Although I have seen good paintjobs that produce a gold effect, I am not convinced this is the best way to imitate it. Will Strange has suggested I look into Vac Metalizing - a process I have not come across before. The process is similar to plating but can be applied to most materials giving a metal or imitation metal finish.

The Oscar is a coveted award for people in the film industry. Its actual form has, although widely photographed (see below), been kept under strict copyright laws. This means there are no imitations that resemble the award on the market for direct reference. This should not be too much of a problem with the large number of photographs online.

In the Beggining...

Ok. I've had this idea in my head since my first year of A level Art and Design. The course never allowed for me to really take it to the level I wanted. I was only able to make some mock up large scale packets of PEZ candy and a styalized advert style painting based on early PEZ promotional material (see below). I have never really been an avid collector of PEZ items but the artwork and simplicity of the product really fascinates me and I guess has led me on to want to create in that bracket. The collection shown above belongs to an American collector. The American market for these sweets is huge as I will show in later posts about PEZ culture.



My Idea was to simply make a large scale PEZ dispenser complete with large scale mock up 'sweets'. It was during my time in second year here in Bournemouth that the other possibility came to light. I had heard about the third year students having to make some sort of card holder for their business cards at the end of year show. It was suddenly a natural fit of purpose and desire to create: A large scale PEZ dispenser that dispenses Business cards!

Here's a rough sketch I did of how I might work:


Another subject of fascination I have held for some time is with the Broken Sword Adventure Game series. The first two games of this series feature stunning 2d animation (Screenshot below) which has resonated with fans of the franchise ever since. The franchise later went on to produce two 3d games which although not lacking in story, really didn't feel the same. The Developers, Revolution Software have come full circle and have vowed to deliver a new 2d game when their schedule allows. This series has accumulated a loyal following and has constantly been updating itself to appeal to new audiences by redeveloping and re-releasing on new platforms.



Despite this outstanding success there has never been any physical merchandise! Being such a passionate fan and avid maker it has always been my intention to make figures from this series and I was disapointed not to be allowed in our first year of study. For this project I proposed a range of characters from the game to go on the PEZ dispensers but felt the tutors were unlikely to agree due to the non mainstream cult status of the franchise. I was right. Unfortunately my plans for this are on hold unless I have a speedy success with my progress and have time to do more sculpts.

Heres a rough concept drawing I did of the main characters head on a dispenser:
Another idea I proposed was to create the mascot of one of my all time favorite bands, 'Less Than Jake'. LTJ have always had a great quirky and almost childish approach to this art work but it suits their style perfectly. One of the prominent features of their album artwork from an early stage always featured PEZ. I learned that this was due to the band member's fascination with collecting dispensers! One of their mascots which developed over several years was the 'Revolution Kid' who sported a PEZ dispenser of his own head in hand (See logo below). I felt this would be a great way to make a concept into reality which would no doubt get a lot of attention with its bright colour's and striking style. This is still a possibility but the tutors have stated I need to find something with more universal appeal that is new to both the world of PEZ and the viewing visitors of our exhibition, yet regonizable in the subject of the head sculpt.



It's worth mentioning that the term 'head' sculpt does not rule out objects as well as characters. I think it is important to stay true to the body of the PEZ dispenser itself as the production models all do. The 'head' however could be an inanimate object such as a football (mundane example).

That brings me onto the sculpt's. This will be the most challenging element of this project for sure. I have only really done one lengthy accurate sculpt before and that was back in first year. This may be seen as a risk but I feel I have developed my ability to learn and work at skills that I suffer in enough to get this project done the way it should be. Stay tuned!

Over then coming weeks I will update this blog as my ideas develop.