Studio Blog | Stéphan Angoulvant

Study Models

This should wrap up the big posts from first term. Study Models was probably our most time-consuming class of the semester because it represented so many hours in the shop. The models that came out of it were quite impressive however. I’m skipping some of the more tedious work such as sketches, research and orthographics to show you the final results.

We kicked off the term just like Viscom 1 with boxes! This was a rather grueling exercise due to the strict expectations for craftsmanship. The basic cube had to be exactly 6 inches tall, no gaps, no pencil marks, no eraser marks, etc. The results aren’t particularly impressive but it got us working with foamcore and taught some valuable X-Acto knife techniques!

Our second project involved more foamcore and was mostly an exercise in creating interlocking shapes. This set us up perfectly for the following project, creating a quarter-scale car interior from foamcore. Using thick paper we added surface detail to complete the study.

Our next project was rather laborious, but again an excellent exercise in training our eye. We each chose a hand-held product to replicate, in my case an old Black & Decker iron. The first part of the project was creating orthographic views of the iron, measuring all its contours with a caliper so that the model could be as accurate as possible.

The model was built from various materials. Dense polyurethane foam for the handle and buttons, lighter polyurethane foam for the body and MDF for the base.

Lighter polyurethane foam can be a fickle material to work with. I accidentally carved the back portion too far and had to painstakingly rebuild the edge with spackle.

The last few weeks of class were dedicated to our final project, a companion to the Viscom 1 final: building our tracked vehicle. It was a long an arduous process which I’m condensing to just a few pictures.

We were allowed to use “found objects” as part of the model so I created the wheels by assembling all kinds of plumbing. The main body was sculpted out of polyurethane foam and the tracks themselves were made of foamcore.

It took a few hours just to carve out all the tracks.

In the last few weeks of the semester we were truly pummeled with work. Finishing everything in due time was a real challenge – especially when you add to poster boards and process books to the final models.

Our final presentation included a bit of Photoshop work to place the model in an environment. Credit goes to Bud Kuenzli for the amazing aurora borealis picture which works in the background below.

As a bonus, here I am looking rather exhausted as I make my final presentation (courtesy of my fellow classmate Peggy). Hopefully you can properly appreciate the size (and weight!!) of the model.