First sculptures.

[chunkolini]

Just had a thought for the arty metal workers out there.
Post pictures of your very first pieces of work, or at least the first that got showed to anybody.
My earliest efforts are at work, I will photograph them tomorrow.
I figured post this now so I dont forget.

 

[Angusdog]

I would appreciate that. I have a couple of ideas in my head which I mull over while walking the dogs, but I have yet to put them into practice. I should just block some time (I haven plenty of material) and start something.

 

[chunkolini]

I wil attempt to remember to get the pics done today.
Walking the dogs sounds like ideal design time. I do mine while cycling, cue image of the idiot trundling along country lanes babbling away like an idiot to himself.
Best done on a tallbike for max effect.

 

[ChrisJ]

...while listening to kylie on your ipod :-)

 

[Micky89]

Chunk, at what point did it become a feasible business for you? Slow and steady growth?

 

[chunkolini]

Who is 'this 'Chunk'?
Right very first thing I made, about 13 years ago I did course in basic gas welding, butt, fillet and lap weld and some H+S stuff.
Enough for me to get the bug really badly.

Got my gas welding kit and made this for my son aged three.

I used his pliers and he went daft that I had ruined his pliers and would not speak to me for ages. Brat. (quite funny even at the time).
This led to this.

Which was an improvement but I am still pleased with the materials and body in the first one.
I made a bunch of these and gave them away to mates for their kids.

Then I made a Tyrannosaurus in the same style, so it stood on two legs.
That led to these.


At the time I was delighted with these boys, lively cute and funny. I sold a bunch of them to pay for my Mig welder. Now I am sick of the damn things, a right pain to make and I have made dozens of them. Sold the last ones a few weeks back. There might have to be a few more when things go quiet.
They led to this, same structure but with wings and funky feet.

So a gradual evolution.
Then things started getting bigger. Similar materials just larger format.

Funny, I have no interest in dragons and witchery or fantasy nonsense, I just like the shapes.
This led to more sales and more interest, and work started to come in and pay for more tools.
Then I bought my metalcraft weapon and it all changed.
How long to be a proper living?
6 years of hobbying in the evenings, then I dropped a day a week from the day job (stressed out care worker) then seven years ago I had to resign as I was going to machete my boss to death.
So a very slow process of growth evolution.
one top tip, always try and be original. if you are copying stuff there are usually people in factories churning it out en masse.

I think I am lucky, I live in my own fluffy/spiky world and find ideas easy to come across, I am also easily distracted from reality. Mid conversation I float off and my eyes glaze over......................

Edit, ChrisJ, what is a kylie?
Music for me nasty guitars, death in Vegas, David Holmes, loud loud is the way to mental peace.

 

[Micky89]

Ah right, that's interesting. Nice to see how it evolved. I've been on your website a few times and your stuff is excellent, but I just can't see who buys some of it lol. Some right crazy stuff.

Do you think if you started with the intention of making a living out of it that you could have done it quicker?

As for the machete killing you could have made one of those dragons on a very big scale and fitted a flamethrower to its mouth and wheels. Then rode in on it's back and taken him out with flames. More panache.

 

[ChrisJ]

Loud guitars for me mostly too, I was just picturing you cycling down the lanes to work singing I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky lucky lol, and I can totally relate to wanting to machette your boss, welding gonads to the bench, much more satisfying...

 

[Eastblock]

Interesting thread. I have nothing to post yet as I only just got a TIG welder. I'm going to use it for marble machines. So far my marble machines have been made from wood on a laser cutter.

I'm totally lacking in the artistic department so will probably have to stick with marble machines for now.

A friend is giving me a plasma cutter. I can cut templates/guides from wood on the lasers so will have pseudo-CNC metal cutting capabilities.

 

[pondman]

These are my first pieces, I didn't have a problem with my boss but was close to breaking one of my colleagues! They didn't like the fact that I was making things while we had no work and tried their hardest to get me fired, it was just too bad I was good at my job and the bosses didn't mind because the recession hit the company really badly so we had to do something with our time!

 

[pondman]

And some more... you can see when they started to get a bit better.

 

[chunkolini]

It is interesting to see what people start off doing in this field.
Also funny that the arty types on here seem to be self taught and to have drifted into it by accident.
Micky I would never have considered making a living at it.
Ridiculous idea.
I figured a self financing hobby would be a nice luxury.
I reckon if I had tried to set out to do this it would never have worked out.
I had a series of very lucky breaks, I think about 5 of them.
Lucky lucky lucky, very true, if I find myself singing that as I tootle along the Wye valley on Monday morning I will dig out the machete.

The crazy stuff is what I enjoy the most, when somebody gets in touch wanting something and is not sure what they want. it is a great process helping somebody to frame their ideas and then work how to fit that in with my methods of working. it is also very nerve wracking when I had the work over. But so far no problems.
The worst are the idiots who say they want this, then that, then this, then that etc etc etc and then dont pay a deposit.
But the others make up for it, the ones who say OK, and cough up straight off.

Has anybody else got any first attempts to share around.

 

[strada]

I made this last summer,my first real go at something.A mate brought me some threaded bar for some reason I used to do a bit of fishing so i did this perch.its rough ,just bent welded at screwed to the gate.

 

[chunkolini]

That's cool very bold.
In fact very good, on of of the things sculpture is about is in effect making a cartoon of the subject. That is a good example of that effect.
I dont have a picture of it but there is a truly awful hanging basket thing I made for my father in law.

 

[strada]

You made something awful ?
I bet he loved it though.

 

[pondman]

I made this last summer,my first real go at something.A mate brought me some threaded bar for some reason I used to do a bit of fishing so i did this perch.its rough ,just bent welded at screwed to the gate.

That's really cool Strada! You have a real eye for the proportions! I love seeing how people who don't go to art school and are just a bit fed up and looking for a change start out!

 

[strada]

I wonder how many guys in to sculpture can actually draw,I know i cant i can copy from a drawing but cant draw from memory.
Its easier to bend it out of a piece of bar than draw it

 

[pondman]

I wonder how many guys in to sculpture can actually draw,I know i cant i can copy from a drawing but cant draw from memory.
Its easier to bend it out of a piece of bar than draw it

I'm terrible at drawing! I cringe when customers ask me for a drawing, I tell them straight up that it will probably put them off because my drawing is far worse than my metal work. Very strange...

 

[Eastblock]

I can only draw in a CAD program!

 

[strada]

I cant draw in that either