Newsboy-A Review Of The Process
November 2-8, 2004
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has documented the entire process of creating a figurine of a newsboy and a life-size bronze sculpture. Watch the artist work through these posts. In this blog, she has also included information for students and teachers. In the previous post, we learned about preparing the artwork for the foundry.
If you are lost and want to go back to the chronological running list of posts, follow this link.
It is been an exciting week. I was so busy the last couple weeks that I did not have the time to really relish in the idea that the newsboy was born. I want to take a little time to go over just how much work there has been and how far we have come in the last three months. The steps in creating an original work of art are never easy.
PRELIMINARY PHOTOS
In August we had the first preliminary photo shoot, where many different photos were taken to come up with a pose for the client to approve.
RESEARCH
There were many months of research. What type of clothes would a newsboy wear how do I get them? What would the newsboy’s action be? Through out the past weeks we have learned about everything from the strike of newsboys, where knickers came from, when a zipper came into being, how to find vintage clothing patterns, as well as how to sew from vintage clothing patterns. At times it was extremely frustrating to try and get all of the details correct and to make sure I had made no mistakes in historical facts. It has been a wonderful adventure of exploration and learning. their newspaper-collecting quiz.
FINAL PHOTOS
After weeks and weeks of research and sewing the original 1920’s outfit, we finally had our 144 photos to work from. Detailed photos are an essential element in getting all of the details correct.
MOLD AND WAX
The details are preserved in the mold and waxes that were created of the newsboy sculpture.
TO THE FOUNDRY
The next step for this small newsboy sculpture is the foundry process.
THE LARGE SCULPTURE
Now it is on to the large sculpture. My assistant and I are in the process of preparing the large armature and I will post photos next week.
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAXES
I did fail to mention a few things about the waxes. Each wax has my signature with the date of completion and a copyright notice ©. The copyright notice is to protect the artwork so that no one can make copies of my art. Copyright is a very important element for those working in the arts. This is how I make my living, if someone where to make copies of my artwork it would be illegal and the copyright notice protects me. Although the Texas Press Association has commissioned me to create this sculpture I have retained the copyright. Therefore I can sell further pieces in the edition as based on my contract with my client.
COPYRIGHTS
Copyrights can be a little confusing, let me explain. I can copyright my newsboy, but I cannot copyright the idea of a newsboy, just my design of the newsboy. Let’s say I painted an Indian I cannot say, ” No other artist can paint an Indian. Or if they do paint an Indian they can not use feathers or war paint, because I used feathers and war paint.” That would be trying to copyright an idea. However if someone reproduced my art exactly as I have done it, that would be copyright infringement.
EDITION NUMBER
The other item that is on the wax is the number in the edition. When you look at a bronze it will usually have the number that the sculpture is in the edition over the number of total pieces in the edition. The two small sculptures that are at the foundry are 1/100 and 2/100. Many collectors prefer the first pieces in the edition. They feel that these pieces have more detail, being that they are the first to come out of the mold. When an edition is sold out, the mold is destroyed. There may also be one other part of a limited edition bronze, the AP or artist proof. This is the first sculpture poured and it is used to compare all of the following sculptures.
Now, watch as the artist goes big. In the next post we get to see the beginning of a life size Newsboy sculpture.
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
ART AND HISTORY
• Look over the links and the research that we have done. Which part did you find the most interesting? Was it learning about vintage clothing, or about the newsboy strike? Which area intrigued you the most?
• If you would like to learn more about copyrights check out the US copyright website.
• If your parents hired me to sculpt you at the age of three, what pose would you be in and what would you be wearing. What if I were to sculpt your parents at that age what would they be doing and what would they be wearing ? Would their clothes be the same? How about if it were your grandparents?