Onyx & Marble Fillers

Did some simple test casts with marble powder, marble grit, and synthetic onyx today. I am quite pleased with the translucency of the grit and onyx. I also experimented with mixing 25% marble grit, 25% onyx and 50% resin, which gave a nice effect.




Interesting, I thought at the time that 75% marble powder to 25% resin was too pastey to work with, but because of this it has given a few cracked details here and there, which might be a good effect on a bigger piece. It will probably lose some of the detail though.

I shall start pigmenting some of the materials now, and also mixing more, such as copper and marble together. Also, to actually get a marbley effect, I might try and stir in some pigment at the last second, so it doesn't mix properly. Hopefully it will leave some lines, although I'm not sure about this technique for the whole full-size bust.

Over the last 5 days I have left 3 metal samples: bronze, copper and iron, in salty water. the only corrosion of interest, which is to be expected, is the iron. When the rust is sanded away, it reveals the original look. This might be a good technique for a difference between the bluer face and the redder neck. Perhaps add some blue pigment...?