Second Sin

Our second day with Margaret, and our first day working with papier-mache (is it paper or papier?). I think we were a bit slow to start, but we eventually managed to organize ourselves into a short lecture on using the medium. It's pretty simple; we wrap newspaper into tight clumps in the shape of whatever we're building, then stick a few strips of tape onto it to keep it together (though mine personally is starting to look like a mummy, or a voodoo doll). She recommended that we make our batches of newspaper as dense as possible. To connect two separate pieces, we tape them together on all sides, then use a half-strip of tape (torn lengthwise) to wrap around the strips we've already laid down.

I decided to change my design, naturally. Sin is going to be less human than I originally planned - it's jaws and head will be larger, it's eyes won't have pupils, and it's hands and feet will be more reptilian. Virtue is still human, but will have more hand cuffs than it it used to. V's cuffs will link around it's wrists and ankles, while S's cuffs will link around it's neck. And maybe S's torso or thigh, whatever looks better. I want to give the feeling of restraint for both figures, but I'd like V's restraints to seem more natural, even dignified. S, on the other hand, will appear awkward and perturbed by it's bindings.

We spent the class with tape and newspaper, setting the framework for future classes with Margaret. I managed to get most of V done, but it still needs hair, a better shoulder, and feet. Not to mention S, who is entirely nonexistent save for a few balls of paper that might pass for part of it's head, or perhaps part of it's body.
I thought I did fairly well, time wise. But we don't have that much time before the workshop comes to an end (six days over three weeks), and as Margaret pointed out, papier-mache takes some time to dry.
In any case, we figured that the paper + paint portion needed to be done by Tuesday, when we next meet again. Some of us are taking our pieces home to work on them over the weekend to meet that goal.

Margaret also wanted us to bring some form of tray next time, to put the papier-mache in (can't exactly have that stuff laying on the tables, you know...). She needs it to be shallow, and she suggested a take-out box as a reasonable size. Something disposable, maybe.

Oh yeah! Margaret's going to be blogging too, her page is already up.

Crazy voodoo