Sunday, May 10, 2009

Polymorph

Largely a day of rest before I start painting again tomorrow. I have had a go at that "Polymorph" modelling plastic though. It's difficult to model with because when pliable is very rubbery and tends to want to pull itself into a blob. It can be pulled apart though. Separate bits can be easily and firmly welded to one another, a good property to have. It also remains re-meltable at any point so can be used for temporary structures. When cool it is very tough but flexible, hard for me to snap if I tried. As a glue or repair material this would beat window putty hands down. A bowl of very hot water needs to be on hand to keep warming it up while modelling and slippery hands makes things difficult too. It's cheaper and tougher than polymer clay but harder to model with. I suspect that specialist equipment could make this a really good artist's modelling material. Some sort of heater is needed I think because it's difficult to keep it warm enough to be easy to handle. As such, even the supplied examples are blobs like mine and it's marketed more as a repair material than a modelling clay. I'm considering using it as a ground for painting, if I can melt it and pigment it.