Body Casting Workshop

Cracking Under Pressure, Chaz Howkins, 2015, plaster body cast

This piece comments on society's constructs of beauty and the concept of the ideal body - how an 'ideal' body is simply unachievable for most.  I cracked the cast intentionally to represent a woman cracking under the pressure of fitting in and discoloured it to highlight the sense of imperfection.

Face Casting Workshop Outcome

Painted Face Cast, Chaz Howkins, 2015, painted plaster

I decided to spray paint my face cast black as I felt it appeared too clean and pure; I wanted it to resemble my spray painted Barbies and appear sinister and lifeless.

Face Casting Workshop

Alginate being applied to face

Face covered in plaster and scrim

Face Cast, Chaz Howkins, 2015, plaster cast

I found the face casting process very uncomfortable as it felt like being buried alive, but I am happy with the outcome because I found it very interesting being able to view my own face from another person's perspective.

Plaster workshop

Wax Skellington, Chaz Howkins, 2015, wax

Our brief was to create a wax cast of a piece of fruit; I first considered casting various fruits such as bananas and a lemon to put together to create a figure or doll but thought this may be a little over ambitious.  Instead I carved a Jack Skellington face into an apple to make it appear like a smaller scale pumpkin carving and created a wax cast of it.  I feel the end result was quite successful as the texture of the wax makes the face seem aged and somewhat eerie.

Plaster workshop

Creating the clay walls 

Removing the apple from the plaster

The three parts of the plaster casing and removed apple

I found the process used in the plaster workshop quite interesting though felt it was rather long and tedious, while I am pleased with my outcome I feel I could create a similar piece using a simpler technique.