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Some thoughts from the sculptor Bridgette Mongeon – 
I have been working for two weeks on a final presentation for Grambling State University of the larger than life size tiger bronze sculpture.  This is just a digital presentation and modifications of the design will be made as I proceed to creating it in bronze.  

Making this presentation has been very interesting, and as often is the case, I am still learning.  I’ll add some links at the bottom of the post concerning the learning process. In the meantime, here are some final views of the presentation. There will be sculpted ledges on the rock formation so that people can sit.

ART STUDENTS
You will see by the following posts that often I  have to take learning into my own hands. I recently sat in on online webinar titled Advanced Creature Anatomy with Paleontologist and visual Affects VFX consultant Scott Harman. During his presentation he said, 

“It is also important to struggle against the medium.”  
“…this includes being constrained by what you already know.” Scott Harman 
I really like the thought, because that is what an artist does all of the time.  In the case of the presentation for Grambling I was pushing past what most would normally use the 3DSoftware for. I was trying to incorporate it into my own workflow.  When I do this I often will post everywhere trying to find the answers. I was so thrilled when a fellow artist in Canada created a video showing the process of doing exactly what I wanted to do.  I was pushing past my limits and the limits of the material.  This section may not make any sense to the average person who is reading this blog, but it may to artists who come to visit, so I will give you the links. 
You see, even though I had the video that someone provided for me and is shown in the below posts, I had to walk through the learning process. I took the video from Kevin Salki and then documented on my personal blog my process of working through his instructions.  


I hope it means something to someone out there. 
Teaching myself and learning from others Part 1
Teaching myself and learning from others Part 2
Teaching myself and learning from others Part 3
Teaching myself and learning from others Part 4

Bridgette continues to work diligently on the digital model of the Grambling tiger.  Using ZBrush she will sculpt the 3D Model for approval. This model will then be used for creating the armature enlargement. More on that later.  Sculpting the inside of the mouth is just as important as sculpting the Tiger.  Seeing the inside of the mouth is a bit difficult. With a google search of Tiger yawn, which is much different than a growl, Bridgette obtains reference for the mouth.

Luckily while working in ZBrush, parts of the mouth can be hidden from view.  The artist can hide the lower jaw to sculpt on the roof.

Checking in with sculptor Bridgette Mongeon to see the progress on the Grambling Tiger digital presentation.

It is coming along much slower than I had hoped.  I’m working diligently with the ZBrush program to come up with exactly what I want, however, it is important to note that this is a digital sculpture, the real sculpture will very much resemble the digital model but will also look different.  

With sculpting in ZBrush I also have the opportunity to sculpt inside the mouth.  I can actually hide portions of my model, for example the lower jaw, to sculpt the inside and roof of the mouth. I wish it were this easy in traditional clay.  

I still have such a long way to go. I’m working out the muscle structure of the big cat, the pose and last but not least the stripes will be added.  Then I will place the 3d model into the photographs that I received of the area.  It does not look like I will have it ready for the schools Monday Meeting. 


Here are some screenshots of the work in progress.

Bridgette Mongeon is  in the process of looking for interns for the Grambling tiger project. If you know of anyone who would like to be a part of this magnificent sculpture project please  contact the artist immediately. If you want to know what an internship is this post is from Ms. Mongeon’s my personal blog and defines an internship. You will see pictures of some of the interns working on the Prairie View A & M Panther with the artist. 
Grambling Alumni? 
Are there any Grambling Alumni or Alumni family members out there wanting to put their passion for Grambling into a physical form? You will be a part of creating something for your university that will last a very, very long time. 
Artist? 
Any Houston area artists interested in gaining some experience in this process? If you are a  high school students and would like a college letter of recommendation upon the completion of the project, please let the artist know in advance. 
Dates and Times 
The project will last about 6-8 weeks, or at least your part of the project will last that long. The dates are _____________ ( this will be listed as soon as the date from Grambling is confirmed. Expected dates the first of July through August.) If you can’t work the entire time of the project you are certainly welcome to come in for 2 weeks at a time. Hours are flexible but a commitment to a defined amount of hours is needed in advance. It is hard work, but great fun. You don’t have to be strong or a sculptor to work, however  having a passion is nice. Ms. Mongeon can’t teach you passion, she  can teach you everything else. The days will start early, to beat the heat, and most often there will be a second shift working late. Ms. Mongeon also works weekends. If you are only available on weekend or evenings that is fine. Just sign up and commit to whatever you can do. 

What is expected? 
The blog post talks about some of the things that an intern does. All interns are required to sign a release form. If you are a minor you will need your parents permission and they will need to sign a release form. Note interns work with: hot wax, hot clay, they will be climbing scaffolding and ladders, working with power tools and torches.

Location
The location of the project will be confirmed in the next week.  It will most likely be in a warehouse in the center of Houston. We are trying to secure a facility that has a large enough ceiling to accommodate the sculpture, it will be about 12 or more feet high when completed, and the sculpting base adds height to that.The warehouse will most likely not have AC, but we will have plenty of fans going.  

Paid or Unpaid?
Most of my internships are unpaid, however, Ms. Mongeon has been known to give generous “thank you’s” at the end of the project, if you know what I mean.  The rewards for art students far out way any monetary bonus given at the end. 

Our beginning agenda

1. Move all necessary tools and equipment to rented warehouse space from artists Houston Studio. 
2. Prep rented warehouse space
3. Put together foam pieces of CNC enlarged digital model.
4. Put together armature for boulders. Sculpt boulder foam, cover with wax then cover with clay. 

More to come.

There are pictures of cats all over the artists desk.  She has  combed the internet, the zoo photographs and other areas to find inspiration for the Grambling Tiger!  She sits in her office upstairs from her  studio with a desk covered in cats.   The artists personal deadline for having this 3D sculpted model of the Grambling Tiger is Monday the 18th of June.  She is trying to stay ahead of the game.  Still waiting for some information from Grambling State University. 

ART STUDENTS For those art students reading this blog the artist wanted to share a bit about her process and materials. 

I have recorded in a previous post that I use digital technology in the preparing of these traditional sculptures.  Here are two articles that I wrote about this for Sculptural Review in 2007. Mongeon, Bridgette. “Exploring Digital Technologies as Applied to Traditional Sculpting.” 
    Sculpture Review. (Winter 2007) 30. pdf
    Sculpture Review. (Winter 2007) 32. pdf

Mongeon, Bridgette. “The American.” Don’t forget to see the previous post It really does explain some of the processes and how I started using digital technology.  I have lots of posts on my personal blog about how I use digital processes for presentation, sculpting and armature building in the traditional process of sculpting, something I call tra-digi art.   Here are some blog posts to refer to on my personal blog. 

• Here is a post about creating this presentation of an astronaut
• And a post about the reference material for this presentation
• I’m finishing up another project now. The blog for the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center is listed to the left. here is a post from my personal blog about the digital process on this. 

• The Ultimate Frisbee sculpture  is one of my favorite sculptures.  I created this last year. It was commissioned by a father for his son’s graduation. There is much on my personal blog about the creation of it. If you search for Poser or zbrush on my personal blog you will obtain lots of information about this process. Here is a link to one of those posts. 
• Here is another project I was working on this week. This is on spec and probably won’t come down the wire for a while. It is an interactive life-size sculpture of The Mad Hatter Tea Party. I love it.

Want to know more about my work with tra-digi art? 

Check out the interview about my tra-digi work that was done by a graduate student in Austria. It has several parts- below are the links. An Austrian student interviews me on comparison of digital and traditional sculpture. Here are his questions and my answers.

• An Austrian student interviews me on comparison of digital and traditional sculpture. 
• What makes sculpting in clay appealing to you? An Austrian student interview cont.
• Does your thought-process in digital sculpting programs differ from your thought-process in traditional sculpting? An Austrian student interview cont.
• In which medium (digital or traditional) do you feel more secure and why? An Austrian student interview…cont
• What do you miss in the digital sculpting technology? An Interview cont.
• Which medium enables you to work more spontaneously? An Interview cont.
• Faced with a choice: Which input device would you prefer – Tablet or haptic device? An Austrian student interview cont.
• Is it easy for you to identify and judge 3-dimensional shapes, distances and proportions on a computer screen? An interview cont.
• In which medium is it easier for you to concentrate? An interview cont.