Updating the Inkvines
I would not go so far to say these are the 'final form' but they are as far as I've gotten for my crits and therefore will mark the 1.0 stage. They are materially what I was aiming for, though I maybe skimped on my documentation a bit. whoops.
This post will be for the sculptural element, I will include wiring diagram + code in linked posts.
(sorry about the quality...) The final "skin" of the larger 3 ink vines (labeled a-c) were created first by sculpting the general shape out of plasteline around a basic piece of wood for structure, though whatever clay you would want to use is fine (or alternatives for making the shape).
I would try putting plastic wrap around the clay before doing the skin, it will make the removal process later on much easier and cleaner I'd hope.
I then used liquid latex, dyed black with acrylic paint and pieces of a cheap linen cloth (soaked in the latex, for strength) to start layering up the 'skins.' I also used black Plasti Dip to help strengthen the 'skin.' This was quite experimental for me, but I would suggest using thick layers of the plasti-dip as it does not tear as easily as the latex, or being very through with the fabric as I had a lot of tearing! Carefully peel the skin off of the clay once you are satisfied with the thickness!
For the small inkvines (D), I used long pieces of a nylon string with a few large cheap beads threaded along the bottom. I then dipped this in acrylic gesso to build up the shape. It was then painted with black acrylic, and to make it wet-looking I found this 'realistic water' medium.
I used more latex-dipped fabric and hot-glue to cover the hardware near the end!
As for the rigging, I used a large stepper motor attached to the bottom of the board and a pully system for the large inkvines, with simple wire loops for the small ones. I wanted the inkvines to glow a bit, so I included 5 blue LEDs, and drilled holes through the board for them to poke out. I also drilled a large hole for the motor's wiring to go through. I used some wood scraps to attach the inkvines to a wall, and later made a larger frame, but I will leave this up to your preference.
I will attach a few more details for the pulleys here. And my (most up-to-date) code here.
Here is the article I used to wire it! In-Depth: Control Stepper Motor with A4988 Driver Module & Arduino The only real alterations were the LEDS, which get attached to the digital pins (specified in code) and to whatever ground line you're using:
Materials: