Science and Nature Project - Process images

The following images and links provided are intended to give an idea of my process for the Science and Nature Project.  

First, I did an under-drawing of the female reproductive system. It was a pain in the a$$ because of the scale.  I ended up having to use 4 different sheets of paper (i.e. the 22" x 30" artist-quality paper).  To the right are images of the pencil underdrawing(s).

The first underdrawing pic is of the central area (i.e. the uterus, cervix, the 'branches' to the ovaries, the start of the fallopian tubes) and it also shows a few of the reference images I was looking at for this project.  The second image also shows the central area with the addition of a one-dollar bill placed next to the image to give a sense of scale of/to the drawing.  (Note: The dollar is not part of the composition.)

As I went along, I did more experiments with the materials I would be using on this project.  As you may have seen in one of my earlier blog posts, in which, I placed images of two of my pastel/wax on paper drawing experiments; these earlier studies were done on sketchbook paper and were not attached to foam core.  However, the images on the left consist of pastel on [artist-quality] paper which was attached to foam core using 3-M spray adhesive.  The drawing was set with a [pastel] spray fixative, I then used wax to hold the army men in place.  

On the left is an image of some of the egg experiments I did for this project.  Each egg has a gold-colored ball inside of it.  The balls were made using Sculpey clay; then, after the balls were baked, each was painted with (one of two shades of gold-colored) 'Liquitex Glossies' acrylic paint(s).  The egg on the left looks 'foggy' because a different technique was used on it, than the other two (to the right).  My 'normal process' consisted of (1)pouring wax into each 1/2 of an egg mold, (2)placing the ball in one of the sides, and (3)connecting the two sides of the mold together to create the egg.  For the egg on the left, rather than using my 'normal process,' I tried painting in between layers of wax.  I didn't use this technique for my project, but it was still worth the learning experience.  

To the right is my project drawn in pastel, before the vagina was added to the composition.  At this point in the process, the drawing has already been attached to foam core (using 3M spray adhesive).  [Note...I had started to cut it out prior to taking a process pic, which is why there are small gaps in some of the areas.  Also, the blue (painter's) tape was used to connect (hold) the sheets of paper together while I was drawing the image and while I spray-mounted it to the foam core.]  

This last image, on the right, shows the final stage of the drawing process and the beginning stage(s) of applying wax to the piece (as seen on the left ovary and fallopian tube in the image).  The entire drawing has been attached to foam core and, also, has been cut-out (i.e. the white paper behind the image is for background purposes only, and is not part of the piece.)  (Note...The bucket, also, is not part of the composition; it was used to temporarily stabilize the piece while I photographed it because it was a little 'top-heavy' prior to adding the wax and army men.) 

If you'd like to see more of my process images, I have posted the vast majority of them on my photobucket account.  To access/view these images, click on any of the images above, or follow this link:  http://photobucket.com/jensstudioart_scienceandnatureprocessimages

Some of these photos may also be viewed on my flickr account.  To access/view my flickr page, click on the following link:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jensteindl/

Note: If you're viewing images on my flickr page, see the 'sets' entitled (1) "pencil underdrawings," (2) "Egg Experiments," and (3) "Pastel Drawings."