[bethcookeportfolio]

In Winter 2014 I took part in the AUB Introduction to Modelmaking Short Course, which not only affirmed my wish to become a modelmaker, but also gave me an in depth introductory level of knowledge and skills needed to begin my journey. We covered many different materials and techniques and all the various areas of modelmaking that make it such an exciting and interesting subject to me, and I gained a lot of practical skills and confidence in using different techniques, tools and equipment. I also learnt from two highly skilled professional modelmakers who gave me an excellent insight into their career paths and some of the tips and tricks they’ve learnt along the way.

[bethcookeportfolio]

This page shows some of the 3-dimensional projects I have started in my spare time and at work. I’ve tried to convey my ability to work with different materials and the variety of ways in which I design and plan projects. Some pieces are still works in progress.

[bethcookeportfolio]

These are examples of artwork I have created whilst at and since leaving college in 2010. I have tried to show a mixture of different materials and subject matter to best represent my skill sets.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Here I have shown some of the Artists whose work I love, and inspires me in what I do.

[bethcookeportfolio]

This is my Modelmaking Notebook I used to compile all the information sheets and my personal notes collected from when I took part in the short course. 

I know that I learn things better when I put them to practical use, so in creating this notebook, not only did I organise everything I learnt over the 10 weeks, but I also absorbed the information and has time to reflect on it.

Each part of the notebook is based on a module of study, so I began with Architectural Modelmaking - materials, scale, landscape etc, and moved on to Sculpting, Moulding and Casting. It covers everything we put to practical use during the course and more.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Aardman | Models & Animation

Aardman animations such as Wallace & Gromit were a favourite of mine throughout my childhood up until today. From Creature Comforts to The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientist, I’ve always loved the simplistic plasticine characters, the brilliant attention to detail in models and sets, and how the models are able to move and change almost seamlessly.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Caravaggio | Fine Artist (1571 - 1610)

As well as model makers, I also love and am inspired by fine artists. Caravaggio is probably one of my favourite painters. The skin tones in every painting are beautiful and realistic, and the use of light creates this incredible atmosphere, as well as forming the figures and faces in a way that I think is wonderful in studying the shape of the human body.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Amanda Louise Spayd | Designer Toys

Amanda Louise Spayd is an American artist who is well known for her ‘Dust Bunnies’. These designs combine odd facial sculptures with the air of an unusual taxidermy, with antique fabric toys to create these equally creepy and cute characters. What impresses me most about her work is that she is able to create so many absolutely unique pieces using a very simple but lovely design, and altering it to suit different fabrics, settings and themes. 

[bethcookeportfolio]

Grand Budapest Hotel | Digital & Practical Project

This is a personal project that I am working on with a friend to recreate a scale impression of what is already a scale model. Originally the Grand Budapest Hotel is made to a scale of 1:250 in relation to a real life sized hotel, however this model is a completely fictional design used in the film to create the impression of a full scale hotel. In order to save the great expense of building an entire building or working with a pre existing building and to add to the quirky and aesthetically pleasing direction of Wes Anderson, this model is an ideal solution to express the artistic design of a fictional place. For my model, I’ve used the scale of the model to create my own scale for an even smaller version. As it is a personal and not professional project, I have given myself a small margin for error, and plan to create something that is more aesthetically pleasing to me and my partner personally than just an absolute perfect recreation of the original model. We decided that as a basis for the scale of our model, we would use the width of an A3 piece of paper as the width, which is 42cm.

You can see I have found the original architectural design sheet with the scale of the model used in the film, and I’ve used that to create a ratio that applies to the size I established before.

After working out the measurements, I used Google Sketchup to put those measurements together so as to check that they appear correct. The digital model helps to give an impression of my measurements and shows that they will create a relatively accurate impression of the Grand Budapest Hotel. This us also a good example of my ability to adapt to 3D model software, as this was my first example of Sketchup.

The reference images of the original model will aid me in designing and colouring my own model. It includes some close up finer detail which I will use as a basis on my own design, however due to the size difference I will not be able to include as fine a detail in my model.

There are also some images to show the progress I have made so far with my model. I used a cricut machine software to score or cut out a lot of the design in order to maintain a good level of accuracy in the scale, so it looks as correct as possible.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Oak & Acorns | Clay, Plaster & Latex

I don’t have images of the whole process here so I will briefly explain what I’ve done here and what I’ve learnt from the experience. To begin with, we were told to create relief clay sculptures, which could be masks or something completely decorative. I chose to try something a little more decorative to try sculpting something new to me, and as I live near a primarily oak wood this is what came to mind. After creating the clay relief on an mdf board, we then mixed up some plaster and gently covered the sculpt, layering it up with dishcloth material in order to strengthen it. When this was done it was left for the plaster to dry, and as the nature of plaster enables the clay to stay moist, when it was done we could scoop out the wet clay and we were left with a mould. We then thoroughly cleaned out the mould and when it was completely dry we filled it with liquid latex. The plaster draws the moisture from the latex, creating a skin of it to form around the edges of the mould. When this happened we could pour out the remaining liquid latex, and when it had fully set remove a skin mould of the original clay sculpt. 

This was a really interesting session then not only involved some practise in sculpture and design, but gave me a lot of experience and knowledge on various materials and how they work. 

[bethcookeportfolio]

Eddie | SuperSculpey, Silicone, FastCast Resin

These was probably my favourite session in the short course, creating characters from polymer clay and then moulding and casting them. We were first given a sheet with example of clay characters with a box to show the approximate size of the model we needed to create, to help us to draw out our own design. Then, using wire and foil to bulk out the majority of the sculpt, I recreated my quick sketch into a caricature model of my dog, Eddie. I had a lot of fun practising and experimenting with a lot of different tools and techniques, and got some great tips and guidance from the tutors on how to create the texture of the fur.

 After baking the sculpture, we then learnt how to mould and cast the model so as to recreate it. I created a silicone mould by mixing the silicone and 10% catalyst in a waxed paper cup, with my model submerged into it. The parameters of the design we were given to work with meant that the model fit into the cup with enough area around it that no moulding materials would leak from the mould. Once the mould had gone off fully, I cut my model out, fixed the mould securely back into the cup and re-filled it with a fastcast resin. 

I learnt a lot from this exercise, including sculpting tips, and how to make a mould and cast, but I learnt best from my mistakes. I felt that if I’d had the time I could have worked more on the sculpt to create something that was more symmetrical and 3D, as I feel I focused a bit more on the front view of it than the model all round. When casting I filled the material into the mould too quickly, creating a lot of air bubbles that were hard to shift through tapping. This is something that could have been resolved from a better design with less detail at the top of the model, or by using a degassing chamber if I was to do this again. I also made a lot of cuts into the mould to try to release my sculpt as I didn’t mark the back of the sculpt which would have made it easier to find a way to release it with minimal damage. Overall I’m very happy with it and I feel that I learnt a lot from the activity. 

[bethcookeportfolio]

Penguin | Pencil

This was part of the final project for my A Level Fine Art class. The subject was ‘Plumage’, and so I really wanted to focus of the textural details and structure of a birds feathers. Using photographs I had taken, I created these large scale pencil drawings so I could really focus in on and study the details. I think this project projects my attention to detail, and patience in completing a project that I’m proud of. (note: there is some glare from the graphite so the photos may be a bit distorted)

[bethcookeportfolio]

Goat Skull Prop | Foam

The session of the course was dedicated to creating props. I chose to make a goat’s skull, as I thought the form would be challenging. The first image shows an initial sketch I made from various google image results - I tried to capture a few different angles so I wouldn't become too focused on the 2 dimensional image and could form a 3D sculpt. I was given a rectangular block of foam to work from, and started by using my sketches to create images on 5 of the sides (not the bottom one) and then began to carve into it using scalpels and drill parts. Onces it had started to take shape, I then used a wire cutting machine tool to further round off the sides to try and remove the rectangular-ness that seemed to stick when I was just working with scalpels. The really helped to deepen the cuts and to create smoother curves that helped to make it look more like how it was supposed to. 

Using foam this way is a good way to create cheap, lightweight props, but if I had more time to spend on it I would further smooth out the surface finishing it with a material that would really smooth it out completely, perhaps leaving me with the option to create the minute textural details that might remain like cracks and rough areas. I would then paint it to make sure it look like a real - but enlarged - goats skull prop.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Set Design Diorama | Various Materials

The idea of this session of the Modelmaking Short Course was to think about how you might use materials and space to create a set, either as a scale model or a small set for animation. For example, you need to think about the perspective, what the camera will see and how this affects the design of your model. I only made two sides of the cabin to be seen from this angle, so as not to waste materials, but I still feel I could have used the angles of the cabin or camera to create a better look. I layered up the mountains and trees in the background with different colours to make them look closer or further apart, but again I do feel I could have used the space better, creating perspective lines to help to illuminate what would be seen on the camera and the best way to create depth and space. For a first attempt and a 3 hour session including a teaching segment, I am happy with the results as I felt I learnt a lot, even through my mistakes which would give me more courage for next time.

[bethcookeportfolio]

ShadowBunny | Pen & Pencil

This is an example of something I drew for fun. I used a couple of images to help reference including my own hand from life. An imaginative, decorative concept.

[bethcookeportfolio]

Francis Bacon | Fine Artist (1909 – 1992)

Another of my favourite painters, Francis Bacon, whose art I appreciate in a completely different way to the work of Caravaggio. Rather than realistic tones, Bacon used more experimental shades, poses, and often distorted features in his art. Whereas Caravaggio used light and colour to accentuate the form of the human body and face, Bacon played around with it and created these unique forms that are very interesting and visually appealing.

[bethcookeportfolio]

As my main passion is in Model Making in films and TV, I’ve compiled some images here just to give a small insight into some of the models that have inspired me the most to become a modelmaker myself - from props and sets, to puppets and animated armature models.