Who Let the Dogs Out
During my first summer semester of graduate school, my classmates and I were tasked with collaborating with an artist of our choice. I chose Jeff Koons, in particular, his form of the Balloon Dog, which served as my primary inspiration. Although I mainly specialize in painting, I didn't want to paint the form; I wanted to create a 3D balloon dog to paint on. My solution was to try to cast a balloon dog with paper mâché.
First, I taught myself how to create balloon dogs. Then, I covered each of the balloon dogs with paper mâché and let them dry. To prevent paint from absorbing back into the paper, I tried using air-dry clay, but it was a complete disaster, as it decapitated one of the dogs. I decided to treat each dog like a canvas and painted them each with 4-6 coats of Gesso. After many coats of Gesso, they were hard and sturdy, and I painted them with acrylic paint before sealing them with glossy enamel. I placed each dog on a dark-stained wooden base. Although I'm not sure if I'll create more, here are four of my current creations.
First, I taught myself how to create balloon dogs. Then, I covered each of the balloon dogs with paper mâché and let them dry. To prevent paint from absorbing back into the paper, I tried using air-dry clay, but it was a complete disaster, as it decapitated one of the dogs. I decided to treat each dog like a canvas and painted them each with 4-6 coats of Gesso. After many coats of Gesso, they were hard and sturdy, and I painted them with acrylic paint before sealing them with glossy enamel. I placed each dog on a dark-stained wooden base. Although I'm not sure if I'll create more, here are four of my current creations.
