Planning and Layout

I use Styrofoam to build up a lightweight internal form.  Sometimes I model over the form with clay or wax.  with this form, I have chosen to finish the Styrofoam to nearly the exact shape I want and then add any gross textures using wax.  Final texturing will be done when I  pull a wax impression from the mold.  But we're getting ahead of ourselves.  We need to plan a way to cut the Styrofoam sheets and lay them out.  I usually use patterns taken from the 3-D model and printed to the size I need.  This is another place all the work done in the 3-D program pays off.   Since the wireframe is longitudinal and latitudinal sections, it's a fairly easy matter to cut it up within the program and get patterns to transfer to the Styrofoam.   The section #24 below was made by using a "cutting tool" in the 3-D program and extracting it from the form.  This is done right up the sculpture until it is completely sectioned.

This is a shot of the wireframe from the side and section lines.  There is some work in getting the correct scaling,   These lines are placed about every 3/4 " to get a stack around 6' tall.

.Same thing as above but from the front.

This is a sample section.  The thick line indicates the taper of this section.  There were 56 sections.  I use a sewing pattern transfer wheel to trace the pattern onto the Styrofoam.

This is a shot of the patterns traced on Styrofoam.  These are cut on the bandsaw and then we're ready to glue them up.

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