Term-Long Inquiry Process – Journals

Tuesday October 5th 2021 In this past week, I have sketched the design of my term-long project, planned out its concept, and decided on the materials needed.   The picture above shows the design of my sculpture and it contains the symbolism of the aspects I have chosen to include. It also lists the materials I will need to use. My sculpture is meant to represent our imagination and sense of liberty fading away along with our childhood. The fairy represents my imagination as I child, since I used to believe in them when I was little, and the darkening bubble is meant to represent how it faded away with time. I got a lot done in the past week since I have laid the foundation of my project. A challenge I faced was drawing my design 2D, because it wouldn’t show all the angles. I overcame this by drawing my design from an angle that showcased most of the important details and one that would allow me to visualize my sculpture properly.  I now know my goal for the end product thanks to design. My goal for this week is to learn more about resin and to have a better understanding of the product.


Tuesday October 12th 2021 In the past week, I have done basic research about resin to decide whether or not it is a good product to use on my project. I now know that the easiest way for me to make the wings and the bubble for my fairy is by using a mold, but I will not be able to freely shape it like I would with clay. I also now realize that resin requires good ventilation and it can be hard to use for  beginners. I would also need to buy different types of resin and combine them in order to get the product that I want. In conclusion, resin is not the ideal material to use for the bubble wings of my fairy sculpture. I have accomplished last week’s goal, which was to research on resin. My goal for next week is to solve my problem with resin by replacing the material I will be using for the wings and bubble.


Tuesday October 19th 2021 This week, I have discussed with my art teacher, Mx. Vittie, the different material I could use for the wings of my sculpture. She has shown me some fabric and wires I could use to make an effect resembling the transparency of fairy wings. I could use thin iridescent fabric shaped with thin wires as armatures. For the bubble, I could use a marble and paint it if necessary to give it a darkening effect. When planning the clear parts of the sculpture, I realized that a foil and wire armature would not work with clay, since it would explode in the kiln. I met my previous goal by discussing with my teacher and brainstorming different types of materials I could use to replace resin. My new goal for this week is to think of a way to solve my armature problem.


Tuesday October 26th 2021 In the past week, I have finished making my mask, giving me time to work on this project next week. I have also solved last week’s problem of the armature and clay by talking to my teacher and realizing that the best option is air-drying clay. Air-drying clay will allow me to use any material as the armature, since it will not get damaged in the drying progress, and any paint material. I find acrylic easier to use compared to under-glaze, since I can distinguish the colours more easily and I can pay more attention to details. I have met last week’s goal by finalizing the materials I will need to use on this inquiry project. My goal for next week is to make the armature of my sculpture.