Curing the Surfaces

I now have three rapid prototype prints of my sculpture for the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project. Even though they are printed, they are far from finished.

To start with, there are a few issues with the material they are printed with. The surfaces are sticky, and the sculptures which should be hollow, are filled with uncured liquid printing resin. I think the drain holes were not large enough, so the liquid could not run out before it started to congeal. The original design was counter balanced to allow for the extended neck, but since they are now more or less solid I have had to cut into the heads and remove the congealed printing resin and then patch them.

After clearing the surfaces with denatured alcohol, the sculptures spent 24 hours under UV lamps to speed up the curing of the resin inside and out (see photo). Unfortunately this process cause the resin to change color. When combined with the bubbles and patches, I don't think I have any option other than to paint them. I am thinking black flock.

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot

5X7 Art Splurge 2010 at Arthouse

May 13th makers the 11th annual 5X7 Arthouse fundraiser. This year they have 900 artists who have created at least one work of art that fits into the 5X7" formate. Here is the link to the participating artists, The page also includes links to the artist's websites.

Over the last few years formate themed shows ie: 8X12, 12X12, 20 X20... have become very common, but the Arthouse was one if not the first venue to use this theme, and if you have ever been to one of their 5X7 fundraisers you know that they have it down to a science.

White lacquer, black flocking, Persian blue acrylic

This will be my 9th year to be participate. Sadly I can't attend the Austin event on May 13th, so I'll have to wait until it rolls into Dallas.

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot 

Fresh From The Printers

SculptCAD held an impromptu open house to display the first round of artwork to come back from the printers. On the wall are 3D computer images by (L-R) Bert Scherarth - Buildings, and Column, Shane Pennington - Tree Top, Brad Ford Smith - Chicken Neck Johnson, 2 more by Bert - Column, Wreath, and Heather Gorham - Rabbit.


The sculptures for the most part were just unpacked, so the artists have not had the opportunity to physically work on them yet. What you are seeing is the equivalent of a cake that has just been pulled out of the oven. They still need to be frosted. (L-R B-F): Erica Larkin - Figurative Busts, Brad Ford Smith - Chicken Neck Johnson, David VanNess - Bull Elk, Katherine Batiste - Robotic Boy, Nancy Hairston - Organic Form, Heather Groham - the 2 Rabbits, Shawn Smith - French Horn Bees, Bert Scherbarth - buildings. 

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot

David Kirkpatrick finds One Massive 3D Printer

On David Kirkpatrick's wonderful Word Press blog he has been posting a lot about the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project and about rapid prototyping in general. In his resent post he links to a large scale 3D printer that is used to print buildings.

The Ink is Still Wet

One of the two parts of my 3D computer sculpture has been printed. It is still a bit sticky because the resin hasn't cured yet. It stands 10" X 10" X 6". The two parts will intertwine. 

Over all I am surprised how much it looks like the 3D computer model. It is in no way a finished  sculpture yet. There are some issues to work on, for one, it is suppose to be hollow but I made the drain holes on the bottom to small so the liquid resin stared to set up before it could all drain out.

As you can see in this detailed photo there are air bubbles in the front legs. To solve this we are going to reprint them as solid clear resin. This will remove the blown glass quality of the sculpture, but the dead line for the SculptCAD Rapid Artists project is to close to reengineer it. 

SculptCAd Rapid Artists hit the Media

Ginger Fox Bird on a Branch

Last week Jerome Weeks from KERA Art & Seek stopped by SculptCAD to see what the SculptCAD Rapid Artists program was all about. He talked with the director Nancy Hairston and 5 of the artists; Heather Gorham, Shane Pennington, David VanNess, Ginger Fox, and myself. A few days later he meet up with Nancy and Ginger Fox at the Rapid Prototyping Lab at SMU to see what it looks to print something using the 3D rapid prototyping process.

All of Jerome's work has resulted in a report broad cast on KERA's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Plus a posting on the KERA Art & Seek website, plus a Youtube video of the Rapid Prototype Lab.

Sending My Sculpture to the Printers

With a little help from the staff at SculptCAD, I shelled (hollowed out) my sculpture, sized it (10" X 12" X 8") and sent it of to be printed at a rapid prototype lab. The clear plastic sculpture should be printed and back at SculptCAD by Tuesday of next week. A pretty quick turn around on a sculpture that has taken me months to learn how to build.

I am expecting it will look a little bit different in the real world from the 3 D computer model. That is always the case when you convert one material into another: Wax to bronze, clay to ceramic, digital imaging into clear plastic.

After the Wednesday delivery, I think there will only be 3 other artist's sculptures left to print, making a total of 15. I can't wait to see them all together.

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot.