Skull Art

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NewAgent45
Posts: 230
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:29 am
Location: Edgewater, Florida, USA

Skull Art

Post by NewAgent45 »

I had a request for Skull-Art from a client. This isn't really my thing but, we learn from every project. We combined three different models (skull, rose, lilies) with three instances of the roses and bunch of lilies and carved the composite. The tilt and fade of each of the models were manipulated to get the desired effect. We also used the create vector texture to add the wood grain effect to the background. We carved this in foam board with the finish dimensions of 2" thick x 23 inches in diameter. The project was hand painted and LED lighting was glued to the inside surface of the frame. The lights really make our skull pop! The lights are a little bright so we will add a simple dimmer control.
Lights on
Lights on
Lights off
Lights off
In Primer
In Primer
Hope you like it!

Happy New Year............ Rod

Eagle55
Posts: 788
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:44 pm

Re: Skull Art

Post by Eagle55 »

Hi Rod,
I know I might be able to find it if I searched the forum, but what kind of foam did you use. Is it a sign foam board that is high density??
Project really turned out nice. I'm sure you know but there are some basic one color controls that can dim and also uses RF signal instead of the IR signal that you have to make provisions for the IR detector mounting. Getting to where a remote control only adds about $3 to the materials cost.

Roger
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Located in West Tennessee near the Tennessee River
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NewAgent45
Posts: 230
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:29 am
Location: Edgewater, Florida, USA

Re: Skull Art

Post by NewAgent45 »

Roger,
Thanks for the kind words on my skull art project. I already ordered a dimmer and don't need remote on this one. I have some experience with all kinds of LED controllers.

I used the cheap stuff on this one instead of the pro foam-board. A local supplier here carries Dow blue board. Common foam board has some surface anomalies from the manufacturing process. I use a random orbital sander with 80 grit disks to remove them. This works well for my purposes.

I wouldn't mind get my hands on some denser material. But there is no local supplier here. Do you know anyone that ships small quantities?

.... Rod

davemartin88
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:18 pm

Re: Skull Art

Post by davemartin88 »

Haven't ordered from here yet but this supplier sells small sizes of Precision Board. I have talked via email and they seem responsive, turns out it is less than an hour from me so going to pick up a few pieces to try out.

http://www.interstatehdu.com/

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NewAgent45
Posts: 230
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:29 am
Location: Edgewater, Florida, USA

Re: Skull Art

Post by NewAgent45 »

Dave,

Thanks for passing on a small quantity supplier of foam-board. I'll keep them on my list of suppliers. The closest supplier/distributor here that I know of is in Jacksonville, FL and they are a little over 2 hours drive from me.

Right now the drawback is the higher cost. Looks like the site has 2" thick 4# product for $7.50/sq. ft. and 10# product for $13.00. The readily available cheap stuff is about $1.60 so my total material cost for my Skull-Art project was about $6.40. No doubt the machine carving quality would improve with higher density material.

I learned a couple things working with the cheap material:

1. As mentioned in my original post you can easily sand the surface anomalies from the surface caused by the extruding process.

2. Paint application makes the foam more durable. I used a commercial airless sprayer for some earlier projects that were for outdoor use and this worked well for applying the primer and a sealer coat of paint. I applied some additional color by hand after on these projects.

3. I also found that you can apply some filler to smooth the porous surface texture of the machined foam. Drywall compound or carpenter's wood filler both works for this. I recently used some Elmer's ready to use wood filler and it worked well when spread with a stiff paint brush.

On the skull-art project I painted entirely by hand with all water-based latex and acrylic paint types. I did not use any filler as I think the porous surface makes the skull look porous just like real bone. I added a trace of yellow color to the acrylic white paint that was used to paint the skull and only used this on the skull. With the lights on you can see this when you compare the skull to the white lilies. This may be hard to see in the picture.

I should also mention. If you plan to use LED strip lighting like this, I recommend using the water-resistant style with the clear plastic half tube and don't rely on the self adhesive alone. I found that the self-adhesive is not enough. I carefully apply a little original Gorolla glue using a small Q-tip. I bought some small ones that are used for crafts from Amazon. Don't use to much glue as Gorilla glue expands to 3 times it's original volume. I use Irwin quick-grip micro bar clamps to hold the light strip in place while the glue cures. You need clamps that you can control the pressure. I found the spring clamps I have apply to much pressure and deform the foam.

Have a great day!

... Rod

jimily
Posts: 104
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:06 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Skull Art

Post by jimily »

Nice project, smart construction. And thanks for the write-up info, very applicable knowledge.

Jim
It is easier to destroy than it is to create, just look at my scrap pile.

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