In anticipation of our next North County Artists in Action open studios event, I've been researching full and bust dress forms to display my wearable quilt art and original jewelry designs. I was able to pick up a bust form at a local charity shop for a reasonable price, but began thinking that these forms might be a bit too standardized for the display of art work, especially if there were several of them in one venue. Since I have a stash of newspaper to cover work surfaces when I paint, I grabbed several sheets and scrunched them into forms that approximated a bust form. I held the paper together with masking tape and this allowed me to further refine the shape. Once a fairly reasonable form developed, I mixed up some flour, water and white glue, tore strips of newspaper and set about covering the form. Once the form was dried, I applied a coat of gesso. While the form was drying and "setting up", I went to the garage to look for materials that could be made into a stand and base. I cut an old broom handle to a size that might work, found a scrap of pine, drilled a hole through through the center of the pine scrap, drilled a pilot hole into the broom handle and then inserted a 3" brass screw. I carved and sanded the pole's end to a point so that it could be inserted through the paper mache and internal wadded up sheets of newspaper that were inside of the form. A little more paper mache strips were added around the hole where the pole was inserted and this was later touched up with more gesso. I haven't decided yet what the final finish will be, but I may leave it white and merely coat it with non yellowing, matte polyurethane.
