Using fabric for a mural is new to me. Usually I swing four by eight foot half inch sheets of plywood around painting two at a time in order to remain consistent in the colour and tonality of the image. This method also requires screws, drill bits and two electric drills so I avoid plugging and unplugging and changing bits. I thought about the fabric for a while. It was recommended that I work on the floor. There are several drawbacks to that. One is my age. I am getting too old to crawl around on cement for very long. Another is the lack of backup space. I like to retreat into the shadows to determine if what I have done is balanced, focused, well designed. Getting distance between me and what I am working on is one of the essential ingredients to doing a good job. So I had a problem. For the plywood I had constructed a frame out of one by two inch spruce with angle irons but it was too small. I needed something at least thirteen feet long and six feet high. Could I stretch the fabric? It is not canvas. Often during the night inspiration comes to me when I am grappling with a problem. And so it was this time. Coroplast. I have several sheets in the attic of the garage which I used as display boards for my student shows in the summer. Things have changed. They were gathering dust. I expanded the frame and brought down four sheets to cover the wood and strengthen it. A little white duct tape smoothed the crevices. We were ready for the fabric.
No comments:
Post a Comment