Mastodawn

Oh I’m so happy with this - I know it’s messy, and I haven’t trimmed the flashing yet, I just wanted to show off my progress.

It’s taken me so long to get to this point - learning about sculpting, how to work with #monsterclay, figuring out how to make a two-part mold (oh there were so many failures there).

I even went through engineering a few different designs. I started with urethane plastic with embedded lead shot to get the weight - I went through a few variations on that idea before realizing that I could just cover an existing weight.

This latest prototype is the first time I’ve really played with pigmenting #dragonskin - the surface is a little mottled, and there is still some pitting in a few places, even though I did do a beauty coat. So yes, I still need some practice, but I feel like this latest iteration proves that it is possible - I can make dive weight covers! I can manage my #buoyancy and still look like a #mermaid 😁

Barbara Shaurette Sep 2

Reason #9733458 why I really need to get off of Instagram. I reported an obviously violent post from the DHS, and got this back.

On the one hand, what did I expect? On the other, it’s a blatant reminder that Meta is in bed with domestic terrorists and fascists.

But the mermaid community is more active over there than anywhere else, and I have some family members and old friends who are also over there and will not budge. :(

Barbara Shaurette Aug 4

“Never Let The Fascists Have The Streets”

- Vienna, Austria, summer of 2018

#antifascist

Barbara Shaurette Jul 18

I've been away for about a month, mostly either traveling or protesting, but I still want to finish posting this retrospective of mixed media work from the past few years.

These days I am mostly working in sculpting and mold-making but I love looking back over these colorful collage pieces.

March 2024

#artjournal #analogcollage #collage #mixedmedia

Barbara Shaurette Jun 14

our protest signs for today #nokings #chingalamigra

Barbara Shaurette May 13

I'm getting ready for the #CaliforniaMermaidConvention at the end of the week, and I'm super nervous. Is it normal to feel like you're packing your whole house to take along? I'm so glad I'm driving instead of flying. Anyway, these photos are of a couple of dive belt weights I finished this past weekend. They're still not *great* but they're good enough to wear. At least these stay snugly on my belt. I'm happy with the sculpt, my next goal is to get some variation in the coloring.

Pic 2: Pigment powder brushed into the mold (after some mold release)
Pic 3: A small amount of pigmented Smooth-Cast swished around in the bottom of the mold until it sets.
Pic 4: Approximately 1 lb. of lead shot
Pic 5: Belt loops set in place, more Smooth-Cast to fill to the top of the mold
Pic 6: The back of one of the finished weights (I wasn't too careful with matching the pigment as I got to the last layers and it shows)

Barbara Shaurette May 10

With the #CaliforniaMermaidConvention coming up next weekend, I'm working on the last of my dive belt weights. I have two that are shaped like (slightly bulbous) sand dollars, and I want to make two more that are starfish-shaped.

I'll post more pictures once I've cast the starfish, but just to give a preview: The way they're made is that I'll slosh a bit of liquid plastic around in the mold to create a thin layer, let that set, pour in about a pound of loose lead shot, then pour in more liquid plastic (I use Smooth-On Smoothcast 300) to fill in the rest of the mold.

This brush-on mold is made using Smooth-On Rebound25, with Thi-vex for thickening.

1: This is the original model/sculpt, a bumpy starfish made from air-dry clay and sealed with Krylon's Crystal Clear. It's hot-glued to the wooden base, which is sealed with wax to prevent silicone from adhering permanently.
2: This is the first layer of brush-on silicone over the starfish. The silicone has pooled a little around the edges of the model and you can still see the texture of the starfish.
3: This is the mold after four layers of brush-on silicone. It just looks like a vaguely star-shaped orange blob at this point.
4: Here is the inside of the finished mold, after curing for 24 hours. The white base around it is made from foam clay - not a typical material you would use to stabilize a mold, but I have a lot of it that I want to use up, and so far it's proving sturdy enough to keep the mold level while I pour the liquid plastic into it.