Hey Steemians
Here I am sharing one of my design for which I worked days and nights continuously for one and half month. I am extremely happy and proud of the results.
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It was presented at Montana world of Wearable art - WOW Art Award show 2009, New Zealand. Just to get an idea what WOW is about please check their Website
WOW is an internationally renowned design competition that attracts entries from over 40 countries. Anything that is wearable art can find a place on the stage, as long as it is original, innovative and well executed. Designing for wow has allowed me to express my creativity following no rules.
The costume is made of fiberglass, L.E.D lights, foam, and cotton.
Neuschwanstein, a fairytale castle
Inspired by Historic and stunning Neuschwanstein Castle of Germany, I wanted to create a child’s dream which has no boundaries of any nation, set in clouds, moonlight and a castle.
The Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The Neuschwanstein Castle looks like a fairytale castle. Neuschwanstein is a castle of the paradox, it was built in the 19th century in Bavaria, in a time when castles no longer had strategical and defensive purposes.
Neuschwanstein’s positioning is also a fairytale one. It is located in the Alps in Bavaria, Germany, in a magnificent landscape, on the top of a hill. Neuschwanstein overlooks the Hohenschwangau valley. If you come to visit this castle, you will be amazed by the extremely beautiful landscape that surrounds it.Source
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It wasn't easy to work with fiberglass as the material is Its messy, can burn and can give nasty cuts if you're not careful
I am sorry for not providing the process pictures, but I lost all my work when my laptop crashed and as much as I tried couldn't recover. 😪 Such is life!
The front design of the castle* 😍
Anyways here is the process, I have a included a video for better understanding...
You need 4 components- resin, fiberglass cloth, and catalyst, clay
First, sculpt the design using clay. I created a castle design and marked the center vertically since I will be making two fiberglass part (front of the body and back part of the body and will join later).
Once the sculpture is made by modeling clay, coat with petroleum jelly. Be generous, otherwise, the clay will stick to the fiberglass.
Cut fiberglass cloth into smaller squares ( depending on your mold, smaller sections are best for more detail ).
Overlap each square pieces, and do a couple of coats. When it drys ( which is usually just a few mins per batch) it will be rock solid and pretty lightweight.
Mix resin and catalyst and apply the coat using a thick brush on the fiberglass cloth completely soaking it. Let it dry for a day or 2 in the sun
Apply two more layers of fiberglass and coat it similarly and let it dry.the process may take 8-12 days.
Once they are completely dry, one can operate the mold and the fiberglass structure.
Since I created two halves of my design, I joined the two final structures using one layer of fiberglass cloth and coating it at the joints.
Sanding and polishing to be done after the whole structure is made.
The end result is a perfect, full-bodied sculpture and hollow from inside, which can be easily worn. To make it more wearable I added foam and fabric at the back so that the fiberglass does not touch the body
Paint it using acrylic colors or as per your design. I painted towers, windows, stairs, gate. Also added canvas flags at the top. To give it a dramatic look, I added L.E.D lights in the windows.
Why use fiberglass?
It is light and easy to transport
Can give any shape, even the most difficult ones
Fiberglass reflects molds perfectly
Working on this costume allowed me to explore different forms, materials, unconventional ideas and that made the whole process challenging as well as fun. It was one of the most interesting works of mine.
Garment featured in one of the Children books by Fifi Koftson- A book that illustrates wonderful works of wearable art and a guide to creating them.
Love. Swati ❤️