EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/forph1_copy.jpg)
*Warning*
There be big pics ahead
Click to enlarge
About 2 months ago I received in the mail a call-to-arms for any and all artists in my neighbourhood. Anyone who wanted would be given a place to exhibit their stuff in the local care facility/home of the elderly. The only condition was that it should be themed "white, grey, blue". As I thought I could take this as an opportunity to challenge myself pushing the boundaries what I can do with chainmail, I signed up.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/flounder.jpg)
I didn't want to make a sheet of something (like the TL logo). I'd done this before and the blue would be a problem (you can buy blue-dyed wire but it looks gay and fake) and I knew people use chainmail to sculpt stuff.
![[image loading]](http://www.mailleartisans.org/gallery/pics/320drgnfly2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.mailleartisans.org/gallery/pics/21723balloon1.jpg)
A lot of the sculptures made with chainmail are flowers. What irked me though was that most of these were either small or would just lie down. I wanted to make one that's lush, extravagant, and, more importantly, was solid enough to stand on its stalk. I'd mix in blue with beads - on the pistils and hanging from the petals, giving it a kind of fantasy look.
The result:
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0QB-1yqI/AAAAAAAABAo/VFI67dVq0BA/P9240145.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0N4ADv3I/AAAAAAAABAI/gOZ2gOedVKM/P9240134.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0Oq62ekI/AAAAAAAABAQ/egMeJhYBZUQ/P9240135.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0PFVfjJI/AAAAAAAABAc/KMIdRKcMKG4/P9240140.JPG)
Some details
Don't ask me how many rings there are, I honestly wouldn't know. Too many to count anyway. I used a number of different weaves. Most of them hybrids that I came up with myself. Most of the rings are 4mm in diameter, using 0.8mm wire.
This picture is pretty well known on the internet. It's on challenge that I set myself: In stead of having the petal next to one another, I wanted them to overlap a bit. The weave I used for the sepal is a hybrid between European 4-1 and King's Mail. In the spoiler are detail pictures of the overlap.
![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0Rwyk59I/AAAAAAAABBI/9YW1u9JtnmU/P9240142.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0TJ_Sf_I/AAAAAAAABBU/14q0EmtebCw/P9240144.JPG)
Another challenge was to make a stalk that could carry the flower. The weave I used is Turkish Round to which I added Captive rings (rings that are held in place between other rings without looping through any) for strength. Detail below:
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0Qu_p--I/AAAAAAAABAw/WSvAgGkZek4/s512/P9240139.JPG)
yeah I should patent that shit...
![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0Qu_p--I/AAAAAAAABAw/WSvAgGkZek4/P9240139.JPG)
yeah I should patent that shit...
And some more pics..
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0RbRkTsI/AAAAAAAABA8/cch_0g1O36M/s512/P9240141.JPG)
Byzantine Box with Orbitals (ring held in place around other rings but not looping through any) dangling from the petals
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0UvpDDFI/AAAAAAAABBg/cWsNqNl53WQ/s512/P9240138.JPG[)
Detail of the pistils
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0VpDAgyI/AAAAAAAABBo/kLhMrGrg0eI/s512/P9240148.JPG)
View from below
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0WPqiYkI/AAAAAAAABB0/3Ry0HQNxyHo/s512/P9240151.JPG)
Another pistil detail
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0RbRkTsI/AAAAAAAABA8/cch_0g1O36M/P9240141.JPG)
Byzantine Box with Orbitals (ring held in place around other rings but not looping through any) dangling from the petals
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0UvpDDFI/AAAAAAAABBg/cWsNqNl53WQ/P9240138.JPG)
Detail of the pistils
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0VpDAgyI/AAAAAAAABBo/kLhMrGrg0eI/P9240148.JPG)
View from below
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0WPqiYkI/AAAAAAAABB0/3Ry0HQNxyHo/P9240151.JPG)
Another pistil detail
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/seeunder.jpg)
My idea focussed mainly around flowers. Initially I toyed with the idea of making 3 similar ones (maybe differing a bit in size), but I felt the one above would work better on it's own. I had some ideas about making different type flowers though - and I started out making another one. Over time though I didn't like the look too much, not for a flower anyway. Turning what I had up-side-down I got this idea that it looked (or could look) like a dress.
You know those wooden boxes that you open and music starts playing and there's this dancer figurine that pivots round and round? That's what I wanted to make. I had the dress and worked upwards from there. I even "composed" a melody for her. Listen to it as you open the spoiler.
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0JkZXHnI/AAAAAAAAA-s/AUbelavoXGc/P9230119.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0InIsMXI/AAAAAAAAA-U/2ek4iV3MA38/P9220110.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0JMyKyRI/AAAAAAAAA-g/-VbXbPUShjI/P9230118.JPG)
In the end I feel she doesn't quite have that figurine look, nor a very dance-like position. Which is fine. I feel that she might be looking for something. She seems kind of sad, the beads in her hands might be lights.
Some details,
I'd been spending time just walking in the park and looking at flowers, sometimes even bringing my tools to work there. The flower I was originally going for was something like this: Starting out with triangular sheets and knitting them together at the seams. This was quite a chore, using 3.5mm rings and a King's Maille (double rings) hybrid. Here's some close-ups of the dress' seams.
![[image loading]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0KE8CSfI/AAAAAAAAA-0/CJ5c9CiRo84/P9220114.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0KwcJpeI/AAAAAAAAA_A/auACxe1IN0E/s640/P9220115.JPG)
Apart from the Kings Mail hybrid for the dress I used regular 4-1 for he hair, Queensmail for the arms and the same Turkish Round hybrid I used for the flower's stalk for the body. Interesting detail is maybe the necklace, using some twisted wire. Some more pics:
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0LZJ-18I/AAAAAAAAA_M/VU55kgfvmgE/s512/P9230123.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0MJy0VdI/AAAAAAAAA_w/4OUQKB5UMbU/s512/P9230125.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0Mq3rk6I/AAAAAAAAA_8/HQaiq3qnm2g/s512/P9230126.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0G_zk_5I/AAAAAAAAA-A/XnPZBeRSPs0/s640/P9220107.JPG)
Yeah it's pretty tiny
![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0LZJ-18I/AAAAAAAAA_M/VU55kgfvmgE/P9230123.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0MJy0VdI/AAAAAAAAA_w/4OUQKB5UMbU/P9230125.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0Mq3rk6I/AAAAAAAAA_8/HQaiq3qnm2g/P9230126.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JjRV9kdI5FE/TJy0G_zk_5I/AAAAAAAAA-A/XnPZBeRSPs0/P9220107.JPG)
Yeah it's pretty tiny
Now what...
Well I dropped both these babies off at the gallery on Friday. The opening was Saturday. Got some good feedback so far. They'll be there for a bit over a month after which they'll (probably) move to a downtown gallery for another 2 months. Don't expect to sell them but hopefully some people will check out my gallery (linked below) and maybe I'll get some feedback from that.
- Pholon
Graphics thanks to the amazing disciple <3
Gallery with various pics
Ring blog #1
MBC Hero inlay
"Shai Hulud"
TL inlay
.
