It's already at the point to make the 4th blog post. The 2/3rds process check. Can someone tell time that it doesn't need to be going so hard? We get it, you can make a month go by before I can blink.
Despite these weeks flying by, the progress on my piece has been going relatively well. I don't know if I'm behind or not, but both the legs and the shell have been developed quite a bit more since the last progress check. The frame of the shell has been covered in paper mache and several layers of plaster, as well as smaller shells. Nearly all of the leg segments (legments) have been connected and oxidized to fulfill the sun-scorched surface look. To ensure stability and strength for the limbs I made sure to go back with pliers and re-twist the wire connections. Things such as drying times and cooling times are the main time-consuming processes that I have to worry about.
There are a few conflicting things I've dealt with during my process. One of them being the shape of the overall shell, it reminds me more of an ice cream cone than a hermit crab shell. That could just be me, but I intend to build up a stronger spiral shape with more plaster and possibly modeling paste. This is related to a comment I got during my 1/3rd critique as to how I'm going to achieve a successful silhouette of the style of shell (western false cerith) I'm basing this part of the piece on.
Another aspect of the shell, this time brought up in the 2/3rds critique, is the interior. I was given several ideas about what to put inside the shell to complete the overall piece's form. An appealing suggestion was some kind of fishing net so the legs have a supportive base, and so that the marine theme is strengthened.
Thankfully, the legs weren't that much of a concern. I don't need to alter anything except for the kind of wire I'm using to connect the remaining segments. (since I'm out of the original wire and I don't have the time to wait for new materials to come in). One question that came up during the critique was how pose-able the legs were; so far I haven't had a problem with situating the segments in different positions.
Artist inspiration time! For this artist I didn't go to a museum for, but I found them on Behance. The creator of this piece is named Anushe Babar, an artist based in Los Angeles, California.
Her piece here is simply titled 'Wire Mesh Form Study'. The form achieved in this study is much more complex than the structure of my own wire mesh piece. The kind of waves and curvature achieved is inspiring. I wasn't sure at first how far I could push the properties of mesh, but Babar's execution proves how much one material can be manipulated.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/20164693/Wire-Mesh-Form-Study