The Process of Creating a Sculpture
Again, I am very impressed with how this assignment has opened up the opportunity to learn about the process of creating art such as Henry Moore’s bronze sculptures. It is important to understand how something is made, before you can appreciate it to it’s full potential. I was well aware of the carving process, and had believed that this was the only method of modeling until recently. Truthfully, I never realized that the bronze piece was only a copy of the original work done by the artist.
I visited the Wikipedia link at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting to understand how Moore created such large structural shapes. Moore abandoned his original method of direct carving and used the Lost Wax technique in his later years when he began to collaborate about modernism with Barbara Hepworth.
I now try to relate to this as a 3D Artist. I have used the same method of modeling for years,which is working with the Autodesk program 3ds Max. I can’t imagine switching to a different program, or for that matter, a different media to get the same or better results. I understand that the work I use is more technology based, yet there is a definite need for visualization when working with virtual reality.
I also am trying to understand the concept of abstract. When an artist creates a piece of abstract work, how is it evaluated or judged? When you create work in 3d, the overall objective is to make it as real as possible. This includes features such as the sky realism, light rays and shadow casting. Is a sculpture ever evaluated on it’s ability to cast a shadow?
I found this sculpture of Henry Moore named Double Oval, which was created in 1966. It currently can be found at the Henry Moore Foundation. I can’t image how large of a mold would be required to make these pieces. I enjoyed this piece because I believe it looks like 2 heads looking to the right. The figures have large eyes which are from the negative space used in the piece. The figure in the back looks slightly smaller than the one in the front, which makes me believe that this could be another representation of the closeness of a mother and her child. I also understand that Moore used skulls and other inspirational pieces to use when creating his work. I have taken the time to try using a different method to represent this piece in a 3d virtual model. My process is a bit different; however I would like to share it.
In 3ds Max, almost every entity formed starts with a 2d shape. In this process, I am attempting to outline the shape of the first oval using a spline, or series of bending lines that connect to form a poly line. As you can see in some views, the object is flat, there is no depth to the item at this time. Next I need to add the shape of the head to that of the eyes, this will allow me to remove the area where the eyes are. Using the attach method in Max, I make both shapes one shape. My next step will give the image some depth.
Here I will extrude the image and give it some thickness. I will also add a image map of yellow metal to give it a bronze type feel.
I now can start to see some characteristics of the original work in my model. This process is used commonly with odd shapes in 3d. Similar to second life, primitives are available in the selection such as boxes and spheres, but sometimes it is more efficient to use your skills to create the odd shape freehand.
Next I add a slight taper (modifier) to the model because it appears to slant to one side.
Now I want to put some finishing touches on my model. It appears that the nose region of the work is not symmetrical if viewed from the right side of the photo. I will edit the polyline to get this effect. I will finish by using a mesh smooth modifier to add some abstract look to this. Now I can duplicate the piece and make some changes to give it a different look. I will then add some scenery and render a final view. I hope you enjoy my quick rendering inspired by Henry Moore’s piece called the Double Oval.
