November 22, 2024: Completed sculpture [36″ x 24″ x 24″ / 91cm x 61cm x 61cm]
I still need to make the eyes in my glass studio.
(Additional recent photos at the bottom of this post)
“The Three Wise Monkeys” (Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil). I completed the sculpture on November 22, but I still need to find some time in the glass studio to make eyes.
I wanted to make chimpanzees, not monkeys. The challenge was to create them from (mostly) recycled bicycle tires, tubes, and other parts! After researching further, I knew that I couldn’t replicate the skin tones with black tires, so I decided to make the base of the bodies from recycled cardboard and paper. This would give me a more natural color for the skin and a solid structure for applying the hair.
The next phase of my planning was to find a way to cut down on work time as I’m building three sculptures. As all three were to be about the same size (but in different poses), I decided to make molds for the face, hands, and feet. Once I had the molds, I could form the parts, and then reconfigure them to the shapes I needed for each piece. Soon I was sculpting feet and hands from plasticine to start the molding process. After making a couple of feet, I was ready to take the head and face sculpting!
With the plasticine parts sculpted, it was time to make the molds. This was likely the easiest part of the process! I just used a silicone compound to pour over the sculpted piece and then let it set. Once it was dry, I could remove it and have the parts I needed to start making the actual forms I would use.
With each piece, I add layers upon layers of small pieces of paper and work them into the mold until I have a strong piece. The video below shows part of the process as I glue small strips of paper into the mold. Using smaller pieces allows me to get the most detail from the mold I made.
After making the front and back of the hands, I would combine them and then trim and finish them off. For the head and face, it was the same process and then I would sculpt the ears and add them on.
The first piece I made was the left foot, shown below before any hair was added.
Making the ‘body’ was a different process. I built a structure from cardboard and then built it up with more layers of packing paper. I have a strong structure underneath with a cardboard skin which allowed me to get the detail I needed. I’m starting with ‘Hear no Evil’
The series of photos above shows the body with one leg complete. I’ve attached the head and ears as well as the beginning of the right leg. When the time comes I will work the arms into the body.
Soon I had both legs added and the hair covering the body and head! I had to do this in stages so I could access parts of the body before I added the arms (which would block the sides).
Here’s a closer look at the head and face. I’ve added a little color with paint to help with the overall look. I still have to make the eyes in my glass studio to finish the face.
I have cast and modified the faces and feet for the other two; ‘See no Evil’ and ‘Speak no Evil’. The teeth are made from a white bicycle tire.
Here are a few more photos showing my progress as of November 1, 2024
This video shows most of the process I use to make a mold for my Re-Tired Chimp ( https://cindychinn.com/re-tired-chimp-sculpture-wip/ ). I made 4 molds (2 feet / 2 hands) plus one bigger one for the head. From these molds, I can form the paper into the shapes I need, but they give me a great starting point.