Sludgetown, part 2

The second district of Sludgetown is now under construction. As you can see from the images, the resin water came out looking great. It's about one inch deep and something like 90% transparent. There are random objects trapped under the surface, too, which improve the overall appearance of desolation and pollution that I was going for in the first place.

Today, I plan on adding the upper ground level if I find the time. It'll be a hollow plane, so expect to see some nice holes where buildings and machinery have fallen through into the sub-level.

Inhabitants. I've been rolling around the idea of having mutants or zombies wandering about these cities, the sort of creatures you'd expect to see in a place like this. Expect lots of gore if I go down that road; I can't help myself when it comes to monsters. Decision pending.

Audio. Yes, I want these pieces to be accompanied by a soundtrack component. I'm looking for something experimental and electronic, that builds from foreboding atmospheric ambient to cold technobeats and back again. If you have no idea what any of that means, that's okay. I'm not so sure I'm explaining it right anyway. Think "video games," if that helps. Think "Metroid."

I need an electronic musician.

Sludgetown

"Sludgetown" is the working title for this current cityscape project where I'm experimenting with the resin-pouring process. I felt the name was appropriate after the resin decided to go off and do its own thing (reacting with the insulation foam and all that). However, I'm quite happy with the results.

The resin now has the look of a chemical froth bubbling away in the canal. I like it like this, even though I was originally planning for a darker color and translucent texture. That's part of what keeps me coming back to these projects. I enjoy those unexpected outcomes, variables which spark new ideas, leading on to even more projects and so on.

I've wanted to work with resin for years, but have always been a bit nervous about it because of some safety issues. Artists are typically surrounded by all sorts of caustic, hazardous materials in their daily studio-practice, some of which can be quite detremental to a person's health in the short and long-term. I admit to going through alternating phases of skittishness and boldness in relation to the materials I use and their effects on my health. I find myself checking the MSDS info on everything as of late, which is either paranoia or a really smart thing to do.

I'm probably just paranoid.











Other noteworthies from today:

- I ate three hotdogs on the way to church.

- We've almost reached the end of Metal Gear Solid 3 again. It gets better every time through. Final boss fight scheduled for tomorrow, weather pending.

- Pulling a shirt over my head, I managed to clip the ceiling fan with my hand. Serves me right for taking off my lucky shirt. Was painful.