3D The last day in three dimensions 2nd October

The Last Day In Three Dimensions 2nd October 

The last day of 3D had arrived. Once again I was not only surprised how quickly the week had gone, but how much I'd done.

I arrived eager to finish my necklace. I had to get it heated and moulded so I could take some photos to put in my sketchbook. First I needed to sort out what I had to finish. All of my research was done and I'd taken photos of most of my presses. The only thing I regret is that of all the work I'd done on the computer, I only had the finished outline. Next time I'll remember to take screenshots as I go, seeing as working on the computer took up most of my time.

After printing out and sorting, I had my necklace heated. This was a nervous time as it puts the acrylic under a bit of stress. I had to keep a close eye on it because if I left it too long and it got too hot, bubbles would form and I wouldn't be able to get rid of them. As I watched all my hard work of the last two weeks almost melting, I was hoping it would succeed.

While this was going on I looked at what was left of the acrylic I'd used for my work. What remained was an artwork in itself. I'd been talking about the importance of negative space and this was a good example of it. I thought the smooth lines of the antlers and it's symmetry gave it a nice balanced feel. I was glad it wasn't thrown away, but sadly the edges were cut up a bit. However, with the help of the saws I cut more of a smooth edge on it.

By the time all this was done my necklace was ready to come out. Luckily it was fine. There were no bubbles or cracks and it didn't explode and burn down the college. Wearing some gloves, I carefully placed it on a curved wooden sheet, then gently pressed down so it was taking on the curve of the wood. I then left it there to cool.

After lunch we were given some time to talk about our work. We each told the group our thought processes, the inspiration behind our work, as well as the research we did. This was part of the day I really loved. For the past two weeks we'd all been doing different things; most of the time in separate rooms. This coming together was the first time we had a chance to talk about our work to everyone in the group. The variation in our work was wonderful. Not only were the materials different, but the ideas too. If you asked me whether the collection on the table was one group, I would of said no for sure.

When it was my time to talk, I gave details about each part of the process, and some of the Celtic history that influenced my design. I also explained the reasons why I chose the stag and the tree of life knot. The feedback I got was good. The group also gave me some suggestions on other works I could do.

With 3D over and done, I feel like there's more I could do in this area, so I might have to come back and continue with it at some point in the future.