The Learning Period

Design from Hirst Arts

I spent a lot of time and energy building projects based on the plans that came with my initial set of molds and learned a lot about casting, drying and assembly, as well as about the properties of different types of plaster.  Plaster of Paris was the first material I used.  The end products weren't great because PoP is a very weak material, generally having less than a 2,000 psi compressive strength, which basically means you can cut it with your fingernail easily.  I quickly switched to denture stone that I sourced through a friend who works for a medical supplier.  This turned out much stronger, as the compressive strength is about 8 times higher.

Design from Hirst Arts

Many of the first pieces, which are pictured in this entry, are designs from the Hirst Arts page.  Using available plans really helped with keeping me paying attention on fitting and shaping the pieces without having to worry about designing them (yet).  After building several models based on these standard designs I also began incorporating other materials.  Envirotex is my favorite because of how simple it is to use (Tutorial coming soon) and how effective it is at really bringing the pieces to life.  

First use of EnviroTex for water

I also got the opportunity to try out many different painting techniques and color schemes, eventually settling on my personal best practice of having a Painting Day every few weeks to celebrate the amount of building work I've completed.  With the piece shown in the last image on this entry, I also developed some valuable techniques for reinforcing weak connections, as PVA glue isn't exactly a strong bond in tiny amounts.

Design from Hirst Arts

There you have it.  This is how it all got started.  Anyone interested, I encourage you to go to the Hirst Arts site and check out the available molds.  I highly recommend the Gothic or Fieldstone sets as starters, as they are easy to cast and very straightforward to build.  There is also a huge variety of plans already available through Hirst that provide great instruction for the beginner.