FABRICATION OF THE ARMATURE
Page 2
Pointing up box installed around maquette. The "floor" under the horses feet has
been lifted up from the actual base so his feet will be only two inches above the
armature's base. Lowering the entire model will facilitate working on the model
without standing on scaffolding.
The maquette has been scaled up in Styrofoam strips and glued at the at each joint.
These are just "mock ups" and will be replaced with steel.
The critical points on the scaled model are enlarged and marked in chalk on the floor.
A plumb line was used from each point on the horses skeletal points and marked on the floor.
Front of the armature.
Front of the armature.
It's interesting to how the foam mockup already follows the dynamic movement
of the running horse.
The armature with the maquette in the background for reference, notice the pointing up
box around the model.
David Yohler has come in from Michigan to finish the enlargement.
His company Structural Art has created projects from set designs for the movie
industry to fabrication of large sculpture armatures. At this point David started cutting
the rebar sections to each piece of the foam mock-up. Jeff Sime had prior commitments
with this years race season and we needed to get on with the armature fabrication.
Pretty impressive sparks flying around the studio space.
David is welding the steel pieces to the armature.
David Yohler is modeling the position for Prado. When collaborating on the
fabrication of these pieces sometimes a picture just doesn't work, you have to
experience it. You need people like him to make these things work.
He's done a wonderful job!
The structural rebar pieces have been welded into place.
Now David is working on the placement of Prado.
He will be removable so I can work on it on a support that will sit on my modeling stand.
That way I can work on the details without being up on a scaffolding.
The steel tubing for Prado.
.
Foam is on site and ready for application to the steel armature.
Prado's arms will be welded on next. We won't weld Prado's legs onto the horses body
because any deviation, even a 1/2" will throw off all the tack on the horse.
Because we use foam rather than plaster and burlap to fill out the form of the horse
and jockey we use 3/8" rebar. This is to insure that the entire piece is as light as
possible but very sturdy for the clay application. The clay itself will be skimmed
across the foam so the depth of the clay will be no more than 1".
The lamination process is accomplished by taking sheets of 2" Styrofoam, cutting
them to the measurements that I take from the maquette and hot gluing them
together on the armature.
After the sheets are cut and glued I shoot foam into the crevices of the
laminated Styrofoam. It fills those areas and makes the entire piece solid foam.
Additional foam is sprayed onto the surface that I want to be rounded.
This photo shows the multiple sheets of foam and the sprayed
on foam. I like to see it coming out of the crevices so I know it's
filled the inside of the armature. The spray foam is very sticky.
The rear view which also shows his tail. We re-enforced it
with two pieces of rebar because of it's length. I didn't want a post at the
end of it to hold it up because it would get in the way of moving around the model.
Pieces of foam glued to the flat surfaces so the spray foam would have something to hang on to.
These images show the building out of the foam to make the volume of the horse.
The shoulder and neck area of the model of Barbaro.
I will remove the head and neck to work on it on my modeling stand.
Another view of the building out of the body of the horse.
I've begun to rasp back the straight edge areas of the sheet foam
and mold the spray foam to the shape of the body.
Additional pieces of foam which have been applied to make his rib cage area on both sides.
His right hind leg has now been added with pieces of sheet foam and it's been foamed in.
This was done the evening before and in the morning it's ready for grinding back the edges
to shape the armature. The tail is removed in this image.
Another view of the rough chunks of the Styrofoam glued on for his stifle down to his hock.
Additional foam has been added over the top of his hip area, (the foam swiggles).
Additional pieces of foam were applied over the rib are on the right side.
Another view of the RS of the model.
Using a hand saw I cut back the pieces that I don't need on the leg.
RH hip area.
Inside area of his hind right leg.
STUDIO NOTES
The construction of the steel frame for the Barbaro monument was made possible by the use of the pointing up box constructed in the first weeks after the commission was awarded. Hundreds of measurements were taken from the 1/3 life size clay maquette of Barbaro placed next to my work area. I fed his measurements into my calculator. What I got was integral in quickly calculating the dimensions for the enlargement. Eyeballing it wouldn't work at this stage, the calculations are absolutely critical at this stage in the game. I admit it never occurred to me that I'd use a calculator to create a sculpture. In the 1800's sculptor's used wood lathe for the construction of the legs etc on the horse and bolted the iron rods together rather than welded pieces. And two measuring sticks were their calculators. We now have the luxury of much lighter products to construct our armatures and a speedy $10.00 calculator comes in handy.
This part of the process isn't pretty. Most artist's don't want to expose the public to the underpinnings of the armature. But I felt that no one will get a feel for what goes on in the creation of a over life-size sculpture if they don't see the process. It's demanding work. Grabbing a piece of foam with the hot glue that drools off the piece in thin spidery skeins is risky business. Holding chunks of foam up under the horse and waiting until it sets tries my patience. Although using skewers to pin it in place works really well. My enjoyment of this stage of construction is due in part to my anticipation of the application of the clay. I'd love to bolt to the next step so I can see what it looks like, but for now, the left hind leg is next. In foam.
Alexa King
July 1, 2008
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For more information contact:
Alexa King
1-608-836-9726
Copyright 2008 Alexa King