Aunt Acid comes by her theatrical streak quite naturally. Her entire family on all sides had connections with the various entertainment industries of their times. Her Mama was a diminutive star on the prestigious Vaudeville circuit, part of the well known Fingerpuppet Family Players, of whom only a scant handful now remain.
Aunty herself has ALWAYS been more than a handful, no matter whose hand. Her Dada, while no dummy, was also in The Theatre, but came with strings attached, and was often on the road. Never a word of complaint was uttered; "Mime's the word!" as the family saying went.
As her Mama was prone to say about Auntie herself "That girl was BORN old", and as soon as she could sit up, Aunty was On Stage and In The Public Eye.
So don't blink, now--You might miss something!
(Did you blink? Auntie did too..and she was out of it for months. But she's back now!)
Although thermoplastics have been in use in the fashion and manufacturing industries since the early 1900's, Aunt Acid herself is far more modern; while not revealing her exact age, she does admit to being a product of the "Flower Power" mind set of the 1960's. She remembers the concerts, the Sit Ins, the Be Ins and Bed Ins and the earnest, heartfelt chants of the youthful crowds--
"Power to the Puppets; Right Arm! Right Arm!"
At least, that's how she recalls it. And while reveling in the younger generation's new regard for love without license, beauty without artifice, and for costumes without underwired underwear, she has always understood the usefulness of the tools of the theatrical trade.
Aunt Acid is no technophobe, and she has embraced the miracles of modern science. Plastic surgery (or "sergery" in the case of the stitches involved in her treatment) can be used to improve the looks or take them to vain extremes. In Aunt Acid's case, it was nothing short of a new beginning.
This exciting tale of thermoplasticity is NOT for the squeamish or those of weak stomachs. If the sight of raw polymers makes you pale, READ NO FURTHER.
BE AWARE!! Pregnant women, young children, the tightly laced and closed minded should leave now. A nurse will be on duty to tend to any who stay but become faint at the mysteries of science we are now about to reveal!
The following is an excerpt from the clinical records of Aunt Acid as written by the Plaeasthetics team led by Ms. Dixie D., CUP (Certified Unified Plaesthetician).
Day 1
The preparation of the head begins with a foundation of butternut squash.
Crushed brown masking paper (available in rolls at hardware stores) is added at the top of the squash to build up the cranial (forehead) area. The nose is built up using folded paper and held in place with masking tape. A layer of tape is used to unify the basic shapes.Newspaper strips are torn to use as paper mache with a mixture of white PVA (polyvinylacrylate) glue diluted with water to make it thinner but not drippy. 1/2 tsp. of apple cider vinegar is added to acidify the glue and increase resistance to mold and mildew.
More folded masking paper is used to pad the cheekbones and chin at the front of the jaw area, and at the top of the head.
All are held in place with masking tape. The masking paper is soft and doesn't leave unwanted creases. A layer of tape is applied to further smooth this layer and hold everything firmly in place.
Plastic Wrap is applied over this layer to allow for easy removal of the form after the paper mache skull has dried.
A small piece of pvc pipe is taped into place at the neck area to make the head easier to hold while applying further layers. It is later removed.
Cotton gauze netting in the form of a Large Game Bag comes as a netted tube. A two foot long piece was cut and twisted at the middle to double it and placed over the entire head structure.
This was pulled tightly to form a neck area and wired into place. (note: this was later removed as a permanently hard neck was not optimal for this client) Strips of newsprint dipped in the PVA glue and water mixture are applied over the gauze. This process began at the top and worked down.
The first layers are pressed into the gauze firmly and more glue mixture is added to make sure that it soaks onto the gauze layer completely. The foundation is built up in three or four layers. Each layer is applied in a different direction for final strength and stability.
This hard skull support allows the use of a thin layer of polymer clay skin, making for minimal weight and maximum use of the clay.
Not much is needed for structural foundation and clay is saved for other outer purposes such as nose, lips eyes and ears.The skull is placed upright in a well ventilated area and allowed to dry for 24 hours.
Next--Day 2
