Here are some early sketches of Californian Sea Lions so I could become more familiar with their form and work on their likenesses. Thinking about my model and Sea Lions in general I had some questions for my client; my contact at the zoo arranged a video meeting with their resident Sea Lion expert and the animals and what the zoo would specifically want the public to see in a model. Here are my key take-aways from the meeting about the model and some issues that needed addressing: Interesting parts of a Sea Lion you wish to display? People may not know that Sea Lions have no eyelashes but instead have whisker ‘eyebrows’. Their little ears are a key way of differentiating between Sea Lions and Seals (which don't have any). The whiskers are very powerful and key to the Sea Lion - they could be blind and still survive because of them. Their thoughts on my Ideas for the model at the moment? As the model is going to be 1:1 scale just the head would work and display the key features of the Sea Lions head. We agreed the risk with this would be the ‘hunting trophy’ connotations if the Sea Lion’s head was mounted by the neck. To avoid this we agreed half of the head - a profile - would be sufficient, and reduce my workload to a more manageable amount for my university project deadline. This design idea would also provide a large mounting space for the model which is important for the zoo as the public will be interacting with the model. Where is the model likely to end up? Plinth? Table? Wall? Near the outdoor seal enclosure, in which case mounting it to the information board or similar vertical surface makes sense. Texture and finish of the model? As the model is outdoors a hard shell finish, sculpted textures rather than flocking, is the right way to go. This means it can be weather resistant and easier for the zoo to clean and maintain. How will I get references and measurements of the Sea Lion? As Blackpool Zoo is so far away, I’ve only visited for one in-person meeting at the start of the unit, before we decided on the animal I will be making. For references we agreed it would be easier for the Sea Lion’s trainers to get the pictures and measurements I need. Unfortunately, as I was working through the later design stages I lost two weeks due to a severe sickness. As I was ill for a substantial part of the project it became clear I was going to need an extension to make up for the lost time. With this in mind I continued my project and I was able to get to uni finally to discuss my project plan with our molding and casting specialist so he could advise me on my next steps with materials and techniques. Here are some designs I drew to illustrate the model plan. The model will need a silicon jacket mould and a two or three part fiberglass shell to hold it rigid. The model can then be cast in a tinted fiberglass ready for painting. The back of the model will have an integrated mounting system so it can be bolted securely. The two other key parts of the model are the whiskers and the eye. The whiskers are important to get right and I looked into materials like nylon wire. After speaking with my tutor she suggested using round rods of styrene plastic and stretching it to thin it out. The benefit of these is the tapering effect I wouldn’t get with the nylon and the extra control over the individual sizes of whiskers. The eye offers its own challenges - one option is to sculpt an eye in place and use a glossy finish paint or clear resin to mimic the eye. However, as I am keen to create a very glassy realistic eye I chose to use a flat back glass dome; the eye colouration goes behind it and then all placed in the shell, visible through a hole cut out for the eye in the fiberglass. Afterwards it can be glued securely in place. To ensure it is the same as the clay model I will use an identical dome in the sculpture. Once I received the images of a Blackpool Zoo Sea Lion and began working on the model, I knew I needed a near perfect profile photo so I used this image below. These are the measurements provided by Blackpool Zoo (after they trained their Sea Lions to get used to the tape measure):
Alamy Stock Photo. (2009). California Sea Lion. [online image]. Available from: Here [Accessed on 1 November 2021] Staring Model Construction Here is the documentation of the initial model construction:
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For External Brief unit I will be working with a live client. The project will be lead by what the client wants and needs which will be outlined in an agreed upon project brief. From there, it is my responsibility to organise the project making and further client communication in a professional manner. Below is an overview of the project developments so far:
For my model I will be replicating the subtle fur of the Sea Lion through sculpting rather than a flocking technique, as shown in the Blue Rhino Studio examples below. This is beneficial for a model that will likely get wet, will need cleaning and it needs to be low maintenance.
- As marine mammals they have a thick layer of blubber and thick short fur to keep them warm. - Unlike Seals they have small ear flaps. - They also have a nictitating membrane on their eyes to keep out debris as they have no eyelashes. - Sea Lions have 36 whiskers on each side called vibrissae; and these whiskers are also above the eyes, rather than eyebrows. Blackpool Zoo writes about their California Sea Lions (, “[they] have long whiskers on their noses which are attached to highly sensitive pressure and touch receptors in the skin which help the sea lion to catch fish and detect the movement of predators such as sharks in the water.” Blackpool Zoo. (n.d.). Californian Sealion. [online]. Available from: https://www.blackpoolzoo.org.uk/animals/californian-sealion [Accessed 29 October 2021]
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Third Year
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