The making of the robot
It all started with the tutu. Plan A was to sew up a tutu (how
hard could that be?) and cover it with foil.
After about an hour, and a thousand stuck fingers, Plan A didn't seem
like such a good idea.
Plan B emerged after much sleepless tossing and turning, and then
a visit to the local model shop (no - not that sort of model!) - and
the purchase of copious amounts of balsa sheeting.
The result was a tutu that looked much like a turbine blade.
Actually - it had all started much earlier, with the idea - but no
ballet dancer to paint. Things started looking up when I got a call
from Shelly, to say she was a dancer - and happy to be painted.
Below are a few progress shots:
Ahh - the pleasure of having colored hair spray squirted into your
hair. (And what is it with photographers that they want you to do it
outside the studio? What's wrong with masses of overspray floating
around the studio?)
Life for a body-painter would be so much easier if we could tip the
model upside down for some parts of the process.
Images and text copyright R. Edgecombe, 2002