#markingout

Using the measurements and our sketches we had acquired at the museum the day before, today we set out marking up polystyrene. We began by assessing the pre-existing polystyrene supplies. Individually we worked out the block we would require and began to search for blocks to make up the starting block we needed. When we had found the blocks we would attach the pieces together with contact adhesive. (Apply to both pieces, wait until tacky, stick together with applied weight.) Once dried we marked up the blocks with sharpies and metre rulers so they would be ready to cut into shape.

Using a makeshift system of wood planks and nails we positioned the blocks onto a podium of wood. (So the hot wire could go straight to the bottom in a straight cut.) Then stuck the marking boards into the poly in line with the cut marks using the nails that had been hammered into the board. We applied masks and turned on the extractor fans so as to not inhale any toxic fumes that were to come from the poly melting.

In pairs we slowly cut the poly making sure the wire was reaching the designated checkpoints as we sliced it through the material. -These checkpoints are numbered points put in place along the cut line to stop the wire from miscutting. Once the material was cut we began the process of marking out.

We began marking out by placing tracing paper over printed images of the subject. Once we had divided the images into an even number of squares we were ready to move on to the model. (I made the mistake of trying to work out measurements at different scaling for each of the individual pictures and try matching them up. Failing to realise you simply needed to keep dividing the squares into halves (2,4,8,16...))