Fun with Sculpture and Etsy! Moldmaking and diving into the Etsy market

Hello and Happy Monday!
I'm bursting at the seams with enthusiasm for a new project! Never one to focus on a small number of projects at once I have started making molds to cast multiples so that I can work through ideas en masse! Below are images of my mold making project. I used a two part brush-able silicone by Smooth-On http://www.smooth-on.com/ its a great product and easy to use, and picks up incredible detail!

Smooth-On Two Part Brush-able Silicone and Mold Release from http://www.smooth-on.com/

Getting ready to add the first layer of brush on silicone. 

After the first layer of silicone. Timing is really important, the layers must have about an hour in between applications and the texture must be 'tacky.'

First layer on all 5 tile moldes.

Final silicone molds after 4 layers of Smooth-On.

 Despite my experience as an undergraduate at UNC Asheville in the sculpture program, I had never used brush-able silicone for mold making before. I was unsure of how it would pick up the detailed texture of my wood carvings.


To support the silicone I had to construct a mother mold. I constructed my mother mold out of plaster.

 

 Once the mold was complete I made a test casting to see how the Smooth-On picked up the detail, and to be certain that my mother supported the silicone adequately.

Original positive on Left, test cast in plaster on Right. Huzzah!

I feel like my project was a huge success! Now to make mother molds for the other four molds. Whew! I'm thinking epoxy casts... ;) These are designed specifically for and will be available exclusively at my Etsy Shop! 
As for Etsy, I'm now at 10 items and growing! I've had a great time this week networking with other Etsy Shops and joining Etsy Teams, I'm really excited to be part of a global community of artist and creatives.

As promised, here is one of the pieces completed in 2015! Enjoy! 

'Go With The _______' Sanding on wood panel. Layers of paint gradually removed conveying a sense of time and motion. Gold embellishments and fluorescent paint make the Sanding shift as you pass it.

 

Detail.

View from the right end of 'Go with the _____'