I decided not long ago that it was time to contribute something new to this field. What better an area to contribute I thought than to a subject not only familiar to myself but to one that has been unjustly maligned despite its significant importance. This subject I speak of is casting artifacts.
Before I can begin however I need to pay homage to those who have laid the ground work before me. Were it not for the intrepid work of people like Matt Crowley and those that diligently and without bias replicated his work I would be stumbling through the dark here. In fact, had it not been for these fine gentleman the issue of casting artifacts and their importance to research regarding alleged sasquatch casts might not even be taking place today.
Now everyone knows you need a print in order to make a cast. In order to make a print you need a suitable object with which to make the print. Seeing as how the subject of casting artifacts here deals directly with their implications in regards to alleged sasquatch tracks I thought what better an object to use than a foot.
Since I couldn't just go out and buy a foot suitable for my needs I was left with no option than to create a foot of my own. This post and the subsequent ones in the "Sub-Phase" will deal exclusively with the foot creation itself.
Preparation
The first stage of the foot creation was to create a suitable model. I chose to use pottery clay for this stage. Clay is inexpensive and a much easier medium to work with than wood. Since the clay would only be used as a model the potential structural brittleness of the dried clay would be a non-issue.
(Getting started; Pottery clay and tools, baking pan, and a cameo from the Elkins Creek Cast.)Unfortunately for me the "moist" pottery clay I purchased came out of the box resembling a gray brick. After attempting to shave off the hard outer surface I finally had to resort to re-hydrating the clay in a plastic bag with water.
(The clay itself after re-hydration.)Once the clay was properly re-hydrated the modeling began. At this point it would have been easy to just create a flat, generic foot shape. Easy was not what I wanted. I wanted the eventual test foot created from the model to create an impression that would closely mimic those attributed to sasquatch. To that end I tried to shape the foot to be a realistic three dimensional representation of the classic archetypal sasquatch foot, or at the very least the print left behind by the foot.
Special care was taken to include features that would produce a print that replicated the dynamic application of force from a living foot striking the ground. The toes are modeled in various stages of curling representing the foot pushing off from the ground. The ball and heel were sculpted to rise above the general surface of the foot to represent the initial and secondary weight placement of the foot over the course of the step. The midsection of the sole was likewise sculpted in a gentle arch to further represent the transfer of weight.
(A foot is born.)After shaping the foot was structurally sound but still needed work. The surface of the foot needed to be smoothed in preparation for the later stages of the project. This was achieved by applying water directly to the surface of the clay and smoothing by hand, then with a sponge.
(Smoothing the cast. Latex gloves were used to prevent imparting any incidental ridges to the surface of the model.)
(Final smoothing of the model via sponge.)The following photos are of the finished clay model.
(Surface detail remaining on the model. This will be dealt with in a later stage of the process.)
