Making the pieces- Chains and Roses

In preparation for my first shoot on Monday 21st March I decided to begin creating my chain pieces. I chose to feature the chain pictures in this shoot as I felt that the contrasting colours would add to a luxurious jewellery feel. I also didn't want to feature the more earthy, natural designs in the coloured studio lighting shoot as I felt that they wouldn't fit with the overall look.

 I found that having templates either printed or drawn out made it much easier to keep the pieces symmetrical and uniform. This is something I will do for all of my pieces as it results in a much neater and more professional looking final result.

The rose designs had to be altered slightly from the outlines I used in the OHP shoot as some of the details were too intricate to be recreated and effectively blended in the plasteline. I feel that the rose outlines still came out really nicely however.

After finishing my two sheets of moulds, I used a hot glue gun to attach a wall around the pieces, ready for the hard silicone mix to be poured. I then ensured that everything was clean by wiping it over with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and a cotton pad.

I then mixed 250g Platsil Gel 25 part A with an equal amount of part B and poured it over the pieces, ensuring all of the plasteline was covered and the sheets were left on a flat surface. I left these overnight to set and then peeled away the new negative moulds.

To make the final pieces, I first ensured that the negative moulds were cleaned thoroughly with 99% alcohol. Then, i mixed up Super Baldiez with Isopropyl Alcohol at roughly 3:2 Super Baldies:IPA. Usually the mix is 50/50 but as I have previously had issues with the super baldiez ripping I chose to make it thicker. I then painted three even layers over the whole mould, leaving it to set between each layer.

Then I mixed 25G Platsil Gel 25 part A with 25g B, three drops of pale flesh silicone pigment and 32g part C. I chose to deaden the silicone less this time to again give the piece more rigidity.

I then left this for approximately 4 hours.

When peeling off the pieces I made sure to keep both the mould and the piece well powdered with baby powder, as without this the pieces can often stick together and then rip which would be a real shame at this point. The baby powder makes the pieces much easier to transport and store too as they seem stronger and can be placed in airtight container with extra powder until required.

Here is the finished rose piece as an example. I am over the moon with how this has turned out. I think it looks beautiful and cannot wait to see it applied on a person.