Up, up and away!

I went on a brilliant automata making workshop yesterday and came home with a flying horse! My photo does not do him justice but he flaps his wings and is ready for take off. It's only a simple thing but I can't stop giving the handle a twirl every time I walk past. Although he's only a first attempt I'm still going to paint him and make him look more finished. I've left the wires long so that I can remove them and then trim them when I finish him to my liking.

I didn't know what to expect from the workshop but I took along a template to work with in case we needed an idea. The template is a free download from artist Ann Wood who makes great papier mache creations and has some lovely templates to work with. The first thing I did was scale it up and attach it to some card. I could have made it in wood but I was taken with this dog automata made by the workshop leader, Toby, and thought card would probably be the medium I would work with again anyway.

Even though I opted for card we were still encouraged to use tools for speed so I cut the pieces using a treadle operated fretsaw which I could not get to work smoothly. I kept telling myself it was just like using a spinning wheel, except I spin sitting down and could not get the action right standing up. I used a handsaw to cut the bases out of plywood. It was hard! Plus, my left handedness meant I was always in everyone's way when I needed bench space. I smoothed all the edges of my pieces on a belt sander and sanded my finger at speed as well. Trust me to be the one to test whether there were plasters in the first aid kit.

I drilled holes in the base, screwed them together, made my wings and wired it up and hey presto, I nearly fainted with pleasure when I turned the handle and it worked. I rarely go to a workshop and actually take a completed thing home with me. I love to absorb the process and then do my own thing but there was no escaping it yesterday. Toby was committed to everyone taking home an automata or a kinetic sculpture. I'm so glad he was so insistent about that.

This is a puppet mask that Toby made and of course, I had to know how he'd done it, already making plans to make one for myself! The shape of the face was made by putting some fine scrim over someone's skull and then sticking a structure of brown gumstrip over it before building up the face later. I asked my husband if he'd be my model and whether I could put clingfilm on his head to papier mache over. He was reluctant, pointing out the possibility of suffocation.... and then he suggested I use the wooden hat block I used to use for feltmaking. Ping! Lightbulb moment! Of course, that's perfect. It's already set up on the side to start.....

I went along to the workshop with a chum from my art course as we both had half term and this is what Ann made. There was lots of driftwood there we could have used so she found this great piece and made the body of a vulture. She is going to give him large card wings and I think he will be fabulous. Similarly, one of the chaps on the course also made a bird. Here is his pelican eating a fish. He has a way to go but the idea really works.

This was Toby's first workshop and it was great to be a guinea pig. I have not used tools as such for years and it was physically exhausting as well as mentally tiring. You are constantly assessing and re-assessing, making small changes ..... and wondering where you put the pliers....

Toby is now going to run another workshop in September making paper models and paper automata. Surprise, surprise, I said 'Put my name down now!'