"The Brain": Step 1 - Create the brain sculpture

Start with the hardest step!

1) Design the profile

2) Make a wood, steel and expanded foam armature. Then sculpt the surface in clay. Sculpt it so that it can be split into two halves.

The finished sculpture must be strong enough to withstand the pressure of vacuum-forming. The sculpture will be destroyed when it is removed from the vacuum-formed plastic.

3) Vacuum-form each half of the brain sculpture. Here the bottom half is being prepared.

4) Go for it! Any foul-ups will ruin a week's sculpting.

5) The sculpture was, indeed, ruined. No way back!

6) Be thankful when it all works! The 1.5mm high impact polystyrene is very rigid when it is formed into a hemispherical shape.

7) Next step: trim off the excess and insert a 5mm acrylic plate inside, between the two halves. The 'guts' will be mounted on this plate.