< MASTER PATTERNS INDEX
WHAT IS A PATTERN?
Art foundries obviously specialise in casting artists’ sculpture; however, art foundries also often cast related items such as architectural detail, design features and so on. When referring to designs destined for art foundry casting, a more inclusive term than 'sculpture' is sometimes used: MASTER PATTERN. This of course makes no difference either to an artist or the way their work is handled, however ‘master pattern’ and other 'trade' terms and phrases are worth learning if you are intending to work with cast materials.
So to summise, most art foundry professionals will refer to any item they are given to cast as a MASTER PATTERN, or sometimes just plain PATTERN. This part of the website looks at various aspects of art foundry patterns and PATTERNMAKING. The way and artist prepares their pattern or design for the foundry is critical, the work done in preparing the pattern has a great deal of influence on the overall success of the finished cast.
Whilst getting the creative elements of a sculptural design 'just so' is important, it is also necessary to think beyond those immediate artistic and design concerns and consider various technical issues – this is because a foundry pattern is much more than a just a ‘stand alone’ sculpture, it is also a template or blueprint if you like, for the casting process. The following pages offer some basic information about sculptural patternmaking
WHO MAKES THE PATTERN?
In most cases, the PATTERNS prepared for art foundry casting, have been constructed in a studio by an artist or designer, some major artists also employ studio assistants and other specialist technicians to help with this work.
There are some exceptions to this general rule, for example, the artist may create a scale model (known as a MAQUETTE). If the artist's foundry has a scaling (enlargement) facility, the personnel working there will be able use the artist’s maquette as a guide to produce a full scale foundry pattern. An artist can also supply accurate, dimensioned drawings, these will enable a specialist patternmaker to produce a suitable foundry pattern; though this method is generally only used to produce forms with regular surfaces and facets (plinths, flat plates and other simple designs). These last items are often of a type that are well suited to SAND CASTING, a process where the use of professional patternmaking skills is common.
For most artists, the design and construction of a high quality pattern represents the largest single investment in time and effort during a casting project. It is also the part of the whole sculpture making process over which the artist usually exercises the most direct control – dictating at this early stage the success of the finished artwork.
This following sections describe some of the different types of master patterns, pattern materials, and the processes used in both the studio and foundry to prepare patterns for the lost wax casting process. Details on patterns suitable for sand casting can be found in the section on SAND CASTING, which details this specialist foundry process.
TYPES OF MASTER PATTERN >
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