Sculptures

 COLLECTING

• I collect items such as plastic packaging, tape, stickers, foil and papers.
• Clean items are then stored in one of my many bins. 

 CLEANING

• Dirty items such as packaging from food are cleaned.
  
• Cleaning is done either by hand using the leftover water from my dishes 
  or in the washing machine with my cleaning cloths.

CONSTRUCTION PT 1

• The sculptures are constructed using the rubbish I have collected
  (mainly plastic packaging).  
• Photos and my memory help to create a basic shape (frame) of
  the sculpture.
• The frame is bound together using mostly recycled items such as string,
  stickers, tape or strips of plastic.

 
CONSTRUCTION PT 2

• I cover the frame with about 2 layers of papier-mâché, a shredded
  paper and glue mix.
• Once these layers are dry I coat the entire art work in approximately 
  one layer of papier-mâché pulp (a finer mix, more like a paste).
• This layer takes quiet some time to dry so I will often place the art
  work by a heater (already in use for something else) in winter or outside
  in the sun in summer.

FINISHING OFF

• The final layer of the sculpture is made from a combination of dry
  plaster, papier-mâché pulp, and glue and it is spread over the piece
  in sections to allow it to dry evenly without marking. 
• When I am happy with the final look I sand the sculpture to remove 
  any imperfections and reveal the underlying papier-mâché to shine
  through to give a stone like quality to the art work.
• Finally I give the sculpture a few coats of varnish to finish it off.

N.B. At the moment the work is not waterproof so is for inside display only