The below images show the process of producing the succulent plants. The images highlight the obstacles i had to overcome and how i was able to develop the processes to produce the best possible outcome.
Firstly i sourced miniature succulent plants which i showed the technicians in the 3D workshop. I was advised by the technicians that it wouldn't be possible to create a mould without it breaking. I then went away and research possible alternative processes.
I had an idea to paint the plants with latex to then mould from however i quickly remembered that the latex shrinks and is to flimsy to possible mould from.
After speaking with the technicians again, he suggested trying to find a succulent plant which has segments that are fairly close together, making it easier to cast. The above image shows the plant after i have removed its roots to form a flat surface.
From this i created a basic mould where i poured the silicone on top of the succulent. As well as this i fabricated a root from wax to hopefully attach to the bottom of the succulent - shown below.
When removing the succulent from the mould it was apparent that it wasn't going to be a simple removal. Using a scalpel i dissected the silicone in multiple sections while still keeping it as one whole piece. This process wasn't only to remove the plant but it would make it possible for me to remove the cast from the mould.
I tapped up the mould to stop the plaster from seeping out.
The root (above) came out of the mould extremely easy however i don't like how it has come out. It looks too bulky and unnatural to go at the bottom of the succulent. Going to investigate other possible ways of presenting the plants rather than hanging.
The above image is the first attempt at creating a plaster succulent. The plaster proved to be too fragile to with stand the removal from the silicone. This was the same reason i had to exclude concrete from my plan as it was likely to crumble. Another reason why the plaster didn't work was because there was way too may bubbles in the mixture.
The technicians suggested a new material, jesmonite, this is like plaster and would give the stone like effect i'm after while being a stronger material and much less likely to snap. This time i placed the mould in the vacuum in attempt to remove all the bubbles.
I was extremely pleased with how they came out as a whole. It was an extremely delicate process of removing the jesmonite and often some segments would break, this was fixed with some resin. The base of the succulents there is a stump which was the entrance to the mould. I had planned to remove them but because the plants are so fragile it would be impossible for me to remove them with out breaking them. As a result my new way of presenting them would have to provide away of hiding the stumps.
The success of the first attempt meant i attempted the same process again with a different shaped succulent. This was one of the plants from my previous selection, therefor it was going to be more challenging. When i began using the scalpel on this mould it was apparent that because the plant was a lot flatter and wider removing the plant upwards would need the silicone to separate much further then the first attempt. As well as this the plant itself fell apart completely when it was removed indicating this mould was going to be a lot harder to get right.
In the end i attempted the second mould 4 times with the best result being the images above. The most amount of segments attached to the mould was 3. It was impossible to cut the mould up anymore then i had already without it falling apart. The problem was that the leaves were far too spread apart and third at the base of the plant for them to not snap off. However i still have the mould so may possible try some other materials (plastics) to cast with. This will likely be some more trail and error but it is looking likely that i will be using the jesmonite in the first mould for the bishops art prize.
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failed attempts ideas
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