Emigration - Australia in Wax

The above pictures are my experiments in wax moulding. I was playing with the shape of Australia as part of the theme of emigration. They were straight forward to execute but it was time consuming. I started by making a mould of clay around the shape of Australia. Then I poured  wax into the mould. It hardened and I removed the clay mold. 

The first smaller mold of Australia was made through a combination of techniques that basically involved pouring and dripping different colored layers of wax straight onto the one before it. It wasn't exactly neat or precise but it had a very interesting dappled effect.

For the bigger wax mold I attempted to put in a bit more planning and precision. This time I separated the shape of Australia into different parts using bits of  clay that worked as kind of buffer or wall. These different parts were based on  the location of Australia's rain forests, deserts, grasslands et cetera... The orange in the middle for example is the desert while the dark green represents the forests. I poured wax straight into these molds and then removed the clay when the wax had hardened somewhat. Then I moved onto the next section. The important thing though is to remember to have an even layer between all, which I didn't have. This led to some parts being too thick and others being paper thin.