Flocking
Experiment
My first ever encounter with flocking was quite fun. Beforehand I had spoken to many artists asking what they thought of it, and where I could get hold of some. I did infact have a look into buying my own machine but £700 was a bit much for a student to invest in. Possibly in the future it would be something to consider.
I had a big research into flocking, and read about what it was used for, and the uses it has in the industry. I then came across a useful DVD on youtube that was under the name of Stan winston studios, and judging by the amount of stan winston dvd's the aub library has, I had a search into whether the library actually supplied the dvd, and they did.
I decided it would be a good idea to have a watch on how it was done before I had a go myself, just in case it was made to look easier than it actually was.
Having the experience to watch the DVD made it seem all the more reason to want to experiment with it. I was able to understand how it worked and how it was applied, and I was really excited to see what it turned out like.
Julia mentioned how the crocodile clip had to be clipped onto the object/person/thing you were flocking. Latex was applied to the cardboard inside a box ( to prevent the flocking from getting everywhere) and shook it , where static waves caused the fibres to blow out evenly onto the latex stuck to the cardboard. At first the machine wouldn't work, but Julia managed to find out that she hadn't actually pushed the button upward and held it in place whilst applying.
This was the aftermath of the flocking when it had been applied to the cardboard, at a glance you can see how evenly the fibres had spread, but when at a certain angle, you could see how the fibres were stuck up at a certain angle , so you could clearly make out that it looked like fur. She mentioned how flocking may be best applied after the prosthetics were applied, rather than pre flocking the prosthetic beforehand, the more it is handled, the flocking will become flat.
The flocking machine itself, A copper coin is added into where the flocking fibres are placed, to create a flow when it is on.
This was my experimentation with the flocking machine, I did find it hard to get used to being able to shake it correctly, but once it starting blowing out, I just wanted to flock everything! . I enjoyed it that much that I wanted to get stuck into experimenting onto skin, which was my next plan. My first attempt of flocking did come across as a little unconfident, which is understandable for someone who hasn't used it before, it didnt really spread that much on the cardboard, but I believe this was because flocking was running out in the machine.
I absolutely loved experimenting with it on the skin, I got to experience what it actually felt like when it blew out of the machine and onto the skin. I experimented on myself before my assessment, because I was able to evaluate my own work accurately, knowing how it felt, how much I needed to shake it, and whether it was being applied correctly. I applied some adhesive glue ( prosaide) to my skin, and allowed it to go slightly tacky, applied a batch of white flocking of my own into the flocking machine, and then shook it directly over my hand, I could feel the fibres blowing out evenly, it was almost like someone was pouring icing sugar over my hand in a sieve. I was very surprised at how prominent the fibre appeared on my hand, and from the pictures above, it worked quite well for what I was going to create for my character. Knowing I had actually experiemented with both an object and now on skin, I was confident enough to apply to my model. I also applied a bit of colour on the skin to see how the fur would appear on the skin with a coloured underlay.
I also managed to find this useful youtube video, that showed a lady applying a light beard to the lady above with a flocker. This allowed me to observe how it was applied to an actual person, rather than a prop or object, I was able to visualise what hazards I may face or anything I needed to be aware of. The same procedure applied where I needed to apply prosaide to the skin, and then use the same technique , ensuring the model had her/his eyes closed, nose was covered and mouth closed. It was hard to find anything via books and dvds on flocking on skin, and this was the only one I managed to find that applied it directly onto the skin. It did appear helpful to my project, because her method was to tap the end of the flocking rather than shake it vigorously. It seemed pretty straight forward, but I wanted to ensure I experimented on my hand before I actually applied it to my models face.
The first time experiencing flocking was incredibly rewarding. After having a demo on how it was used, I had a go myself and I really enjoyed it.
I love the way it blew the fibres out evenly, and the end appearance on my hand was incredible.
The one thing I didn't like, was the fact the flocking got on everything, which made it a tough job to clean up. I also at one point, got zapped by the static shock, which startled me.
I would definitely experiment with different colours next time, or even possible objects that could be flocked, just to see how it looks.
Now that I have experienced using this device, I think I will also be more confident in using it again.