Townsend Atelier » Projects

Metal Coating and Patina Workshop

Peggy — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:25:51 +0000

The Metal Coating and Patina Workshop that we hosted June 19-21 was a great success. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting new artists as well as seeing some old friends. California-based artist and instructor, Ron Young, who founded the patina and metal finishing company, Sculpt Nouveau, led the two day workshop. Over 20 students from all over the Southeast attended. The weekend was jam packed with valuable technical information from Ron’s lectures and demos and lots of hands-on experimentation with metal coatings, patinas, molding making and casting materials. Townsend Atelier hopes to host many more workshops in the future. If there is a particular type of workshop you would like to see us do, please email us and let us know!

BRONZING AND PATINATING A PLASTER BUST

A few students brought their own pieces to work on at the workshop. Chattanooga sculptor, Roses Taylor, metal coated her plaster bust in bronze and applied tiffany green patina. First, the plaster bust was sprayed with BRONZE METAL C Coating. The first coat is applied and allowed to dry. Then a second coat is applied. While the second coat of metal coating is still wet, Liver of Sulfur is sprayed on to give the bronze a rich golden hue. Finally, Traditional Tiffany Green Patina was sprayed on while surface was still wet. The patina developed a gorgeous blue-green color in a very short amount of time. More patinas or waxes can be applied to achieve different patination. Or Permalac lacquer can be applied to stop the patina development process and to protect the surface when desired coloration is achieved.

Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine

Townsend — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:51:40 +0000

Martha Stewart Weddings magazine used Knead-a-Mold in a gorgeous cake feature to make molds of neoclassical designs for this cake.

The Work of John Petrey

Peggy — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:19:12 +0000

Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, John Petrey uses a wide variety of materials in his well-crafted, whimsical, and sometimes symbolic work.

For his Dress Series, Petrey uses Townsend Casting Resin for the torso forms. To achieve the rich green patinas on the copper torsos, he uses Traditional Green Patinas.

Dress Series: resin, wood, copper, mixed media. The piece on the left is 27″ high. The piece on the right is 58″ high.

Part of a Series of Five Dresses commissioned by The Baylor Womens’ Hospital, Fort Worth, TX

Mixed media, resin, & copper. 60″w x 44″h x 1′d

To view more of John Petrey’s work, visit www.johnpetrey.com

The Work of Benjamin Victor

Peggy — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:56:36 +0000

Bust of Sarah Winnemucca, bronze

Based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, sculptor Benjamin Victor makes incredibly detailed figurative works in both clay and in bronze. Many of his monumental works function as tributes to great historical figures or to contemporary heroes like firefighters or those who have served in the military. Victor joined the ranks of Michelangelo, Bernini, Daniel Chester French, and Maya Lin by receiving his first large commission at only 23 years old. At age 26, he became the youngest artist ever to have a sculpture in our Nation’s foremost collection of figurative sculpture, the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. Art critics and organizations, including the National Sculpture Society in New York City, continue to recognize the aesthetic and conceptual integrity of Benjamin’s artwork.

Victor uses a wide variety of processes and materials in his work including Knead-a-Mold. He says, “Knead a mold is a very easy to use, versatile product which has been very useful in making quick molds. It is especially useful in molding bas-reliefs, and small sculptures for wax and plaster reproduction.”

Monument to Firefighters in clay Detail

Monument to Firefighters, bronze/installation in Lawrence, KS

Old Man, clay

Sequoya, life-sized, clay

To see more of Benjamin Victor’s work, visit www.benjaminvictor.com

Using Silicone Molds with Clay: Charity Elise Hofert

Peggy — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:13:21 +0000

Charity Elise Hofert is an artist and designer living and working in Atlanta, GA. She creates a variety of handmade, decorative, and functional pieces for the home and garden.
The intricately detailed seashells and starfish bordering her aqua blue platter are made out of earthenware clay that have been glazed and fired. To make the seashells, Charity Elise made a mold from real seashells and a starfish with Knead-a-Mold. The Knead-a-Mold picked up the subtlest of textures–allowing the details to not be lost during the firing process. The result is an exact replica of the original objects on the finished piece.

These yummy Oreo pendants were made by making a mold with Knead-a-Mold onto a real cookie and then pressing white earthenware clay into the cured mold. The fired earthenware cookies were carefully painted with brown glazesand then varnished.

This starfish pendant was made with white earthenware clay pressed into a mold made from a real starfish with Knead-a-Mold. The starfish is glazed in a lovely, soft orange which was partially wiped away to reveal the beautiful texture of the starfish. It was then glazed in a clear gloss glaze, affixed to a sterling silver bail and hung from a black elastic cord. “I grew up on the coast of Maine and am missing the ocean living here in Atlanta, and so i have started making some pieces that remind me of my salty roots!”

The pendants and earrings below are made from white stoneware clay that were pressed into a Knead-a-Mold mold that were taken from vintage cabochons and other interesting objects.

To view more of Charity’s work visit:
www.charityelise.com
www.charityelise.etsy.com
To view all of Townsend Atelier products click here

Meet Leslie Molen and Her Beautifully Handcrafted Elves

Peggy — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:16:21 +0000

Townsend Atelier supplies products to all sorts of artists and craftspeople across the globe. Our products are used by sculptors, restoration professionals, jewelers, potters, crafts people, doll makers, soap makers, taxidermists, and even chocolate makers.

Our new Web Gallery will be a place where we will regularly showcase some of the incredible work that our customers are creating with our products. We are always excited to see what everyone is making and hope that you will be too. Please check our site periodically for new postings.

You may get some inspiration. What will you make?

P.S. We would love for you to tell us what you are making! Send us an email and let us know!

Leslie Molen is a nationally recognized doll artist based in Denver, CO. She has exhibited her one-of-a-kind work in galleries and museums around the world.

Little Blossoms in Red, and Little Blossoms in Lavender, by Leslie Molen. Mold of original clay head with Knead-a-Mold, silicone putty. The “Heads in a row” show from original, molded, and the finished product.

To make the finely detailed heads of her intricate elves, she pours the heads in Clay-Shay (available at AVES) which she covers with cloth. Leslie then makes a mold of the cloth covered clay head with Knead-a-Mold.“I appreciate that the Knead-a- Mold picks up such fine detail that I can still cover the head in fabric and that detail still shows through!” she says.

For more information about Leslie and her work, visit www.rootie.com
To view all of Townsend Atelier products, click here

How to Apply “Metal C Coating”

Townsend — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:32:03 +0000

This video demonstrates techniques for applying our Sculpt Nouveau Metal C coating. The C Coating is different from the B coating in that it contains a higher amount of metal in it and has a three part formlua: 1) body, 2) hardener, 3) and a catalyst. This three-part mix allows the fully cured metal coating to be so hard that it can be polished with a buffing wheel , just like you would with real metal.

For more information, products and to purchase, click here

Preparing and Cleaning Metal Surface for Patinas

Townsend — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:15:00 +0000

This video shows the very important step of cleaning and prepping a metal surface prior to applying patinas.
Metal cleaner/degreaser products and patinas are available on our on-line store click here.

How to Apply "Bronze Metal B Coating" and Multiple Patinas

Peggy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:21:22 +0000

PART 1:
Our metal coatings and patinas from Sculpt Nouveau create beautiful finishes on just about any surface giving them the appearance of metal. This video demonstrates how to apply bronze metal coating to a concrete sculpture (but you can apply metals coatings on resins, wood, paper, metal, plastic etc.)

Part 2 video demonstrates how to apply multiple patinas to the same sculpture. To learn more and to purchase these products, return to our on-line store by clicking here.

PART 2:

Applying different patinas to metal coating on concrete sculpture:

Blue Patina with Plastic Wrap Technique

Townsend — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:23:50 +0000

This video demonstrates techniques using our line of patinas from Sculpt Nouveau.
For more information about patinas and finishes and to shop for products, visit our on-line store
www.townsendatelier.com