The AGM and October Meeting

We met our quorum - in fact it wasn’t too bad a turn out for our annual general meeting and we got through the business pretty well after an inspiring talk from Jonathon Mendez Baute.

The meeting proper ran quite smoothly - of course there was a massive vote of thanks to Gillian who as president, annual exhibition coordinator and activities officer has left impossible shoes to fill. Not to mention her work in keeping the website moving towards a working completion.

The rebuilding of the ASV website has been a very long story and an extraordinary learning process. And I suggest no one should hold their breath pending completion - however great leaps have been made lately - our treasurer and membership officer now have working access again. If your records are inaccurate now is the time to find out what can be done. Contact membership@sculptorsvictoria.asn.au

The documents and reports were sent out prior to the meeting and can also be downloaded from the website (by members only) by logging in and going to the AGM 2014 page.

We elected a new committee - see the office bearers page of the newsletter for details; set the dates for the next couple of exhibitions and exchanged ideas and information peripheral to running the ASV but vital to our communal lives as sculptors.

Amongst these deliberations was the Christmas Party - so read on below for the arrangements - and we’ll see you there.

Jonathon Mendez Baute is a graphic designer in his "day job" and helped us with the invitations and other material for the Annual and Awards Exhibition. Recently he’s been experimenting with 3D design and construction using the computer - here’s his story:

The wonders of digital sculpting



Anatomy studies

As a self-taught traditional sculptor, I have always felt that I was one step behind the rest; wether it was a new technique or material, I lagged behind the rest. Sculpture is a constantly evolving art, with new technology like 3D Printing and Digital Sculpture springing up, it can be quite a daunting task to try and re-shape yourself and your technique. However, as we know, adaptation requires time and exposure.

Luckily, with the information and support available online, it is not that hard to expose yourself to Digital Sculpture. With the right tools on hand, and good guidance, you alleviate the process of adaptation, and are able to focus more on the pros rather than the cons. In my personal experience, I have found that Digital Sculpting can be used, as both a new medium for sculpting and as a sketching tool for traditional sculpture. With the unlimited amount of interaction, and the convenience of the "undo button" and the symmetry feature available, it is faster and more economic to plan out sculptures digitally, than by hand. If you desire a physical model of your design, it is just a matter of contacting a 3D printing facility, or, if you can afford it, purchasing your own.

"comic" character studies

We do not need to be afraid of Digital Sculpting; it is a tool here to help us. Wether you wish to continue with traditional sculpture, or venture into digital creations, there are many ways in which Digital Sculpting can make your job easier and faster. If you would like to give it a go, visit http://pixologic.com/sculptris/ where you can download a free version of the cutting edge software used by big production companies to develop characters for video games, movies, and more. If you want to get serious with it, I recommend you invest in getting a pen and tablet for your computer to help provide you with better control.


spinosaurus

If you have any questions in regards to Sculptris, I will endeavour to advise you to the best of my ability, based on my experience. Feel free to email me at: mendezbaute@gmail.com