3D Technology, Cancer, Art And More…
Leonor Caraballo and Abou Farman take MRI’s of Leonaor’s breast tumor and create a digital model that is then turned into a 3D print. Eventually this cancer turns into a bronze jewel. When viewing the artwork at an art show a doctor states, “these tumors are saying something.” Could this art have turned into a research project? A great example of how art can show something that otherwise might have gone unnoticed. If this is not STEAM in action I don’t know what is. ( STEAM the educational initiative of combining science, technology, engineering art and math.)
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter
Inspiring The Young In Art And Technology
Yesterday I spoke to a group of 12-14 year old girls at a conference called Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Math. So, why is an artist speaking at this type of conference? Well, as many of you know, we now use many technological tools, such as 3D sculpting, 3D Scanning, 3D printing and CNC milling in my studio. Studying the interaction of technology in the traditional sculpting studio was the focus of my graduate work a few years back. I have been writing on it since 2007, and I am now finishing up a book titled 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft.
While I was at 3D Printing World Expo speaking I was introduced to a girl who was showing a poster at the conference. Coco told about how she was given a 3D printing kit and put it together documenting her experience. I suppose Coco, reminds me of myself. At 12, I was asked to participate in a conference and had my first speaking engagement. I had no idea what “speaking” meant, other than what I did in every day life. “Just tell your story.” Someone said. Well, I have always been good at that. The most profound thing for me was when a young girl came up to me and said, “ Thank you, I know if you could make it through that difficult experience, I can also do it.” I was hooked, I was giving someone hope and inspiring someone. With my many achievements in life, inspiring and giving hope is what I consider my highest calling. You see, I was not speaking about technology all those years ago. I was telling my story about growing up with a mom who was an alcoholic and was, at the time, recovering from this horrible addiction. I spoke about the dynamics of a family suffering from addiction and what I have learned about myself in the process. The story was heart breaking, but it must have been hopeful. Today, I have no idea who that other young girl was that said those words to me so long ago, but it is the reason why I love public speaking.
Don’t wait to grow up. Be a tech girl now!
When I see Coco, I see a young lady with a spirit, drive, and fortitude. I see someone who is willing to put her story out there. It may not be a story about surviving addiction, but it is just as important. It is empowering. It is saying to young girls, as I said in my lecture at Expanding Your Horizons, “You don’t have to wait to grow up to discover, and explore these things that inspire you; you can do them now. And if you do, you will have an advantage over those who wait.” I wish young people could understand the advantages that they can have, just because they are kids and doing “special” things. For example, a 13 year old writing a good novel will certainly have an advantage at getting published, because well.. they are 13 and doing this profound thing. If that same 13 year old waited until they were, 21 then they are grouped with the rest of the 21 year olds. There is no harm in standing out. You can tell your story and inspire others.
I wanted to videotape Coco so that the girls could see, first hand, that I didn’t make her up. Who knows if Coco and I inspired just one young girl to push herself a bit more. Maybe, by our appearance and encouragement, we gave them “permission” to be all they could be. Maybe one girl will go on to invent something important, but more importantly we may have given her the opportunity to have a more fulfilling life and purpose.
Thanks Coco for being… you. Thanks for sharing with me and for giving me permission to share with the girls. If ever you need a mentor or someone to look up to, I would be honored to help. Keep doing what you are doing.
If you would like to know more about Coco, check out her blog. Yes, this young lady has a blog, and she reviews products. Hey, tech companies, you really should send Coco things for her to review. ( Coco, offer your services for this. Lets talk about this further.)
I’m going to add my list of resources that I passed out to the girls at Expanding Your Horizons. Free software, and other such things are important for anyone wanting to explore and needing to do so without a paycheck.
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon www.creativesculpture.com
Bridgette Mongeon’s Books
Digital Sculpting With Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques for Artists.
3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft– Coming 2014/2015
Coco- Very Happy Robot http://www.veryhappyrobot.com/about
Free software and apps for tinkering in 3D technology
Blender http://www.blender.org/
123D Catch and other apps http://www.123dapp.com/
Free sculpting software
Sculptris http://pixologic.com/sculptris/
Where can I get something 3D printed? These websites let you 3D print, also check these web sites for programs.
Shapeways http://www.shapeways.com/ – look at their Make + Sell tab for easy free creator apps.
Sculpteo http://www.sculpteo.com/en/
i.materailse http://i.materialise.com/ – look at the creations corner tab for free apps
3D printers to make
Coco’s printer http://deezmaker.com/
http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap
3D printer to buy
Maker bot https://www.makerbot.com/
Cubify http://www.cubify.com
Free poser software
http://www.daz3d.com/
Where to learn about 3D printing, scanning etc.
http://txrxlabs.org
_______________________________________________
3D Printing In Metal- Large Scale
This is why I am wiring the book 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft. Companies- take note. Collaborate with artists and watch what they can do. I think it will make it worth your while. I love the quote in this article-
“Because he’s an artist, he’s pushing the envelope further than an industry would,” says Autodesk director Maurice Conti, who first grew interested in Laarman’s work a few year’s back when the designer was using a large scale resin printer. “An artist just has a creative vision and they kind of ignore what the tools are supposed to be able to do and they realize their creative vision.”
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
I Need A Couple Of Women To Help
I’m looking for about 3 volunteers, women, with I pads that can help at a young women’s conference titled Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics. This conference is for junior high girls.
You would be downloading 123D catch and working with a group of girls to scan a couple of things during the two presentations. The date is February 22nd. There are two sessions beginning just after lunch, each about 50 minutes long. We will not be scanning the entire time. There will be a general introduction to 3D technology and the last part we will be scanning. If you are interested, please contact me ASAP. I want to meet everyone before hand, will do something fun at my studio- say Wed. evening of next week. At that time we can get to know one another and be sure we all know the software.
3D Printing And Unusual And Creative Post Processing-
I’m looking for artists who are using 3D technology to print objects and then doing something unusual with the post processing. Post processing basically means the process after the 3D print is complete. Are you painting with a special process? Are you using chemicals, sanding etc. Or are you a company like RePliForm offering a service such as plating as a post process. This is for a book chapter in the new book I am writing titled 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft. Please send links with photographs if you have them. You can post them to this blog post or on my facebook page.
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter
Hollowing Out And Preparing A Sculpture For 3D Printing
As I walk this road with the technology, I explore ways to make it fit into my work flow as a traditional artist. There always seems to be something lacking in my process of combining these two. At times this is very frustrating. At one point all the CG artists were shouting, “Try Zbrush and Mudbox it is just like sculpting.” It was indeed very similar to sculpting, but when I am sculpting if I push and pull on clay it does not ruin my armature. Back then, a thing called “retopologizing” seemed to be the holy grail- at least for my process. Retoplogizing simply meant taking the underlying mesh and recreating it to be even, wonderful, sculptable quads. I wanted the process to be as simple as pushing a button. Now, the technology has advanced and at this date and time, retoplogozing is as easy as pushing a button while using Zbrush. I hate having to wait for the technology to catch up with my needs. I cringe when I hear someone say, well if you just use ____ program you could do that. You see, I resisted having to learn, yet another program and spend countless hours doing something that did not feel “just like sculpting.”
Entering the 3D printing world I have had similar problems with preparing models for printing in 3D. In February 2014 I was asked to lecture at 3D printing World Expo. While there I heard the key note speaker Cydni Tetro, founder and Chief Executive Officer of 3DPlusMe and adviser to Disney on technology commercialization, remind everyone that though 3D printing is cool, it is not easy. I demonstrated this same thing the next day in my lecture.
Concerning preparing your files for 3D printing— I’m waiting for the ease of the technology to catch up to my needs. A case in point is the tiger model created for Grambling State Louisiana. I created this sculpture for Grambling and really wanted to see it printed out as a 3D print. I had to modify the design, which I won’t go into right now, I’ll just say, what works for a 15 foot sculpture does not always translate into a small model.
An 8″ 3D print of this sculpture was printed by 3d Rapid Prototyping using a projet 660. At the size shown I am told the costs is about $500. to print. The high cost of this is because it is solid. Hollowing it out or making a shell of it will make it much cheaper to print. However, this process of hollowing out is not as easy as it could be. Well, it is not as simple as pressing a the button. How incredibly excited I was when Rasmus Koch Hansen from the ZBrush forum on Linked in sent this video created by SteveTalkowski my way. I have yet to try hollowing the sculpture out. I do expect to attempt to hollow the tiger out as soon as possible as I would really like to document the book that I am writing “3D technology in Fine Art and Craft.” I’ll report back later on this progress.
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter
Giving A Hand To Someone In 3D Printing
I’m presently at 3D printing World Expo in Burbank California. I am speaking here on 3D technology and art. Speaking on day two of a conferences give you a chance to check out what others are doing and meet individuals. I have enjoyed doing just that. While here to speak I visited the key note presentation and was very impressed with Mick Ebling. Mick is from a company called Not Impossible. Mick went to Sudan and created what “is probably the world’s first 3D-printing prosthetic lab and training facility. More to the point of the journey is that Mick managed to give hope and independence back to a kid who, at age 14, had both his arms blown off and considered his life not worth living.” The video tells the story.
On the panel was also Mark Setrakian, who brought out a very impressive 3D printed mechanical hand/arm from what looked like the movie Hell boy. When he was done Mick asked Mark if he could make the model open source. Of Course Mark said he could not because it belonged to the movie industry, and Mick said one of the best lines of this conference. I will do my best to quote him “Depending on your religious beliefs, You can’t use IP about the functionality of a hand” It should be open source and available to everyone.
I am thrilled to help share the technology of 3D printing with as many people as I know. I am honored to be in the presence of those who take this technology and use it for the good of people. Mick, let me give you a hand, a standing ovation and a prayer that you continue in your good work.
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter
It Will Blow Your Mind!
Yes, I’m writing a book called 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft. It is based on my graduate thesis on art and technology in the traditional studio. I have been gathering information for years and talking to many vendors and individuals who are leaders in 3D technology. All I can say is…
You don’t know what you can do,
until you know what you can do.
When you find out, it will blow your mind.
Picture this…
A book that does the following;
- Inspires through interviews with artists and craftspeople all over the world. Artists who are pushing the envelope with using 3D technology in fine art and craft. The interviews not only inspire you with multiple photographs, but the artists share a list of their vendors, software etc.
INSPIRATION!
- Thinking of trying the incredible technology of 3D Printing. Should you buy a printer, or use a service bureau, and if so which one. What do you need to know to get your feet wet?
Traditional artist wants to dabble in 3D technology. Where do I begin?
- Are you a traditional artist thinking of taking the plunge and incorporating 3D technology in your own at studio, but don’t know where to begin or even if it is applicable?
- Are you a traditional sculptor that would like to be able double or triple your income by giving you time to create instead of working 1/2 of your career making monumental armatures?
- Are you a CG artist and would like to realize your art in a physical form?
- Want to learn more about, CNC milling, or creating a holographic painting?
I have just tripled my income!
- Would you like a one stop resource list of 3D vendors and materials?
This is just a sample of what is in the book.
Not sure of publication date, more to come.
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter
From 3D Printing To CNC Milling
I’m diligently working on the new book 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft. I have been plugging away at the 3D printing chapter for almost 2 months now, and I’m glad to say, it is almost done. At least the technical parts are. I still need to contact a vast number of vendors and artists and get release forms and photographs. I timed the completion of this chapter with my lectures that will be given at 3D Printer World Expo 2014. January 31 Feb 1, 2014. I hope to schedule some appointments with vendors while in Burbank and I’m sure I will find a variety of things to add to this chapter upon my return.
When I’m not writing, I’m bidding on projects and doing designs for my own work that will take place in the traditional sculpture studio. These designs are usually started in 3D in the computer. As I push the limits both of the technology and the driver of this technology, myself, I have a ton of questions, problems many that need immediate solutions so that I may proceed.
My work is not like most that are working in 3D on the computer, or shall I say the outcome is not the same. I need to realize my work in physical form. I’m usually challenging the 3D guru guys. But some of my vendors, and cohorts in the tinkering of art and technology often share some of the coolest products and software. Thanks once again Steven Ramariz with Smash Designs. I’ll be getting some of these products and software to try for the book, and some of these are in CNC milling.
As I finish this chapter of 3D printing, I’m chomping at the bit to get going on the CNC milling chapter. There are some pretty cool things to share. I know I won’t be able to hold it all in while I’m writing. So, expect to seem some posts here that reveal a bit of these treasures.
_______________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is the vice chair of the planning committee for 3DCAMP Houston 2012 and 2013 http://www.3dcamphouston.com
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter