Art Portfolio Two - Creation Process 1

The reason I conducted the last experiment is that to create the sculpture I have to start from the inside out due to its 'bottled' nature. The sculpture will be made in three stages, first I have to carve the wooden fish sculpture and paint it. Second, I am going to fasten the sculpture in a plastic container and fill the container with resin. And finally I will place the small container in a bigger container and fill the big container with resin again. From the last experiment I have learned that the colours Green, Purple, Blue and Red are the most vibrant colours in resin. I will use Purple, Blue and Red because they blend together smoothly and as for the fish type I have chosen the Guppy for the sculpture because it comes in all of these three colours. I will also apply Black, White and sliver for the eyes and the belly.

This image was my starting point, I looked at the shape and the different body parts of the Guppy. Depending on the process later on I will perhaps use this image as a colour reference as well. First I cut a flat wooden stick into small pieces no longer than 5 cm using an electric wood saw.

Then I outlined the Guppy onto the side of the piece with a fine liner 0.3 mm. The fish is shorter than 5 cm which is the plastic container width.

Using wood carving tools such as U-Gouge or U-chisel I began to carve the wood from the outside till I reached the lines. Then I outlined the fish again because it was rubbed off during the process.

Using the same pen I drew lines on the top of the sculpture and at the bottom as the picture bellow.

Using the gouge again I carved out the tail and the fins from and around the belly. Then I marked a small section between the belly and the lower fin, I marked it with black on both sides.

‌I carved out the marked areas. And reshaped the tail by removing the area between the lower fin and the tail which had a hole.

Then I carved out some of the back ends of the belly and above and below the sides of the head.

Using packing cardboard and hot glue gun, I made a stable stand for the fish.

I used a small round brush to paint the fish with primer.

Sandpaper to make the sharp edges smooth.

Small round brush, white.

Small round brush (soaked with layers of paint and controlled the shape with the brush), metallic silver. 

Small round brush (fins and tail), purple. 

Small round brush (top areas), blue.

Small round brush (between blue and silver areas and on the fins and tail), red.

Small round brush (eyeballs), white.

Small round brush (pupils), black.

Small round brush (gills), brown and red.

Conclusion and reflection:

This process took 5 days to complete, I should have started the sculpture earlier. I am satisfied with the outcome although I have changed the colours from the starting point picture. Instead of light blue, I used ultramarine blue because I did not want the fish to have the same colour as the water. One thing I would do differently is the white on the fins and the tail, I would use a needle instead of the brush to make thinner lines. This fish is now ready to be drowned in its environment (resin).

Image reference:

Terry Aley’s Guppy Site. (2015). Purple Delta Guppies. [online] Available at: https://guppydreams.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/purple-delta-guppies-3/ [Accessed 28 Aug. 2020].