Heads!

I acquired 3 different types of mannequin head to experiment with.

Two made of polystyrene and one made of a harder plastic as to give me a stronger base.

I had 3 original ideas, inspired predominantly by Anj Smith's work.

1: Hollow out the head of one of the polystyrene heads to allow me to plant a real, living plant in it.

2. Use air drying clay to create a clay sculpture similar to Edward Jonas's work.

3. Drill holes into the hard plastic mannequin's head, to enable me to place live fresh flowers into it, making her much like a vase.

I also bought two wigs, in order to give the mannequins a more realistic, live and feminine look to them.

This grey one, and an equivalent brown one.

I chose grey because I knew that the features I would be adding to it would be bright and colourful, whereas the wig is dull and monotone. I envision a stark contrast which could work nicely.


Then I started working with the mannequin heads.

Since I knew I was going to be mutilating the heads I bought, the first action I took was a precautionary measure. I took a plaster cast of my female polystyrene head.

This way, if I made a mistake with any of the heads that I have bought, instead of buying another one, I can make a new one to work with from the cast.

I did this by thoroughly lubricating the head with vaseline, before pushing it into a shuttering box full of plaster. I applied a lot of heavy tape to ensure that the head did not move whilst the plaster dried.
I made the shuttering box and plaster myself.

It left an entertaining imprint.

Now I can begin working on them properly.