WO2005108116A1

WO2005108116A1 - Forming an artwork by casting

Info

Publication number: WO2005108116A1
Application number: PCT/AU2005/000684
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony John Knoll
Original assignee: Anthony John Knoll
Priority date: 2004-05-12
Filing date: 2005-05-12
Publication date: 2005-11-17

Abstract

An artwork product (10) is made by casting a castable material, such as gypsum cement, onto a bench (12) surface (14) and within a frame (11). The product has a surface for applying a drawing or writing.

Description

Forming an artwork by casting

The present invention relates to an artwork product which includes a working surface; typically on which works which are presently applied to paper, such as paintings or drawings can be applied.

It is common for artwork in the form of paintings and drawings to be made by professional artists on sheet product, usually sheets of canvas or paper. Typically the purchase of canvas and paper for that purpose represents a significant expense to the artist, as high quality product is usually required. The expense to the artist can be exacerbated, in the event that the artist errs in making the drawing or painting in a manner that cannot be corrected or removed, so that the artist not only has to recommence the drawing or painting, but also has to use a new sheet of canvas or paper. The expense can be reduced by purchasing lower quality canvas or paper, but that can compromise the quality of the finished artwork.

In relation to children and amateur artists, the likelihood of errors or mistakes being made is greater, but the expense of continued replacement of expensive sheet product is normally not justified. In relation in particular to children, the preference is for the sheet product to be extremely cheap, such as butcher's paper, or to be reusable, such as a white or blackboard.

Framing of artwork also presents a major expense, but often the appearance without a frame is not as aesthetically appealing as when a frame has been applied. Because of the expense of framing, consumers will often attempt to apply a frame themselves, which can result in an inferior appearance compared to professionally applied framing, while the actual task of framing can be very time consuming. Thus, it is often the case that consumers are very selective as to the artwork they choose to frame or mount.

It is an object of the invention to provide an artwork product that overcomes or at least alleviates one or more of the above drawbacks. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for forming an artwork product. According to the present invention there is provided a method of forming an artwork product in which a castable material is cast onto a hard casting surface within a casting frame, the casting surface being planar and smooth and adhesively incompatible with the casting material, so that the surface of the castable material cast onto the casting surface, when set can be separated from the casting surface and, is planar and smooth.

An artwork product according to the invention can have several advantages over traditional sheet product. Firstly, the artwork product can be reasonably cheap, by selection of a suitably inexpensive casting material. Cementitious materials in particular can be very inexpensive and readily available. A gypsum cement is the preferred form of cementitious material. Also, the casting frame into which the castable material is poured can form the frame of the finished artwork product, so that a further frame is not required to be fitted to the set castable material (hereinafter the "cast product"). That is, the castable material can be arranged to set within the casting frame and to adhere to, or be otherwise fixed thereto, so that upon setting, the cast product can be lifted from the casting surface as a composite product with the casting frame attached about the edges thereof. That composite product thus advantageously forms the artwork product, ready for the application of artwork to the working surface thereof.

Moreover, the selection of a suitable castable material can not only provide a good working surface for proper application of paints and the like, but such paints or other applied products can be removed as necessary from the working surface, such as to correct a mistake, or to completely clear the working surface such as may be desirable for repeat use.

An artwork product according to the present invention is envisaged to have a wide variety of uses, many of which will become apparent from the description that follows. However, the invention advantageously is envisaged to provide a cheap replacement for butchers' paper which is presently used in kindergartens and schools, paper used by artists, including fine artists, print blocks, blackboards, whiteboards and sketch books. The present invention is envisaged to be attractive in terms of useability, re-useability and price.

An artwork product according to the invention can include a frame which has front and rear sides and which defines an interior space that opens into the front and the rear sides. The frame forms a border about the cast material, which preferably is solid cementitious material, but which could be another castable material, such as a rubber material or plastic resins. In the method of the invention, the front side of the frame rests on the casting surface and the castable material is poured into the interior space of the frame in a liquid phase and is left to set. The surface of the set cast product at the front side of the frame sets smooth and planar, and presents a working surface for the application of artistic works. Preferably the material of the frame and the castable material are selected so that the castable material adheres to the frame upon setting, although as will become apparent later, in an alternative form of the invention, the cast product is released from the casting frame when that product is lifted from the casting surface.

In a preferred form of the invention, the frame is square or rectangular and is formed from metal or wood, with wood being most preferred. It is however possible for the frame to be otherwise shaped, such as round or oval, or even triangular or star shaped. Any shape is envisaged. The frame could also be formed from materials other than metal or wood, such as from plastic. Where it is required that the casting frame be fixed to the set cast product, the selection of an appropriate frame material is necessarily dependent on the manner in which fixing is achieved. For example, suitable selection of the castable material and the material of the casting frame will provide for adhesion between the set cast product and the frame, without additional forms of fixing such as fasteners or adhesives, being required. The frame may however include protrusions, recesses or channels that the castable material can flow about or into, to facilitate more secure connection between the set cast product and the frame. This is more likely to be appropriate if the frame is cast or extruded from a plastic material, so that the protrusions, recesses or channels can be moulded into the frame as produced. The frame which is fixed to the cast product can be ornate, or selected as appropriate for the particular artistic work which is later applied to the working surface. Alternatively, the frame can be a base to which a more ornate frame can be fixed.

The frame can have any suitable dimensions and for example, small artwork products having external frame dimensions of about 130mm x 130mm square have been produced, up to much larger sizes. In a frame of the above dimensions, the depth between the front and rear preferably is not less than 10 mm.

In an alternative form of an artwork product according to the invention, the casting frame into which the castable material is poured, permits release of the cast product when the castable material has set. Thus, the frame does not become fixed to the set cast product, but rather the cast product and the casting frame are separated when the castable material has set. It is envisaged for example, that the casting frame could be flexible and for example, could be made from silicon, or a like product. In such an arrangement, when the castable material has set to form the cast product, that product is released from within the frame and thereafter further treated as required, such as to apply a frame to the edges thereof. In this form of the invention, a frame may be applied about the edge of the cast product when it is removed from the casting frame and this is particularly desirable when the castable material is a cementitious material such as gypsum, which is vulnerable to cracking and chipping at edges thereof. The frame which is applied can be flexible, such as a rubber or plastic frame, which can include an arrangement for fixing to the cast product, or alternatively, the cast product could be cast with cooperating parts for cooperating with the frame for fixing thereto. For example, the edges of the cast product could include lengthwise grooves for receipt of projections formed on the inside surface of a frame. A frame alternatively could be adhered to the cast product.

The frame could also be of a rigid material for fixing to the edges of the cast product and therefore the frame could be timber, plastic or metal, or other material or combination of materials as appropriate, while such frames could be fixed to the cast product in the manner described above, or in any other suitable manner.

The castable material is preferably a cementitious material, and that material preferably is a gypsum cement, most preferably a 100% gypsum cement, which provides a hard working surface but which readily facilitates erasure of artistic errors or mistakes. This is particularly useful for children, as the working surface can be repeatedly cleaned. Gypsum also is readily available, cheap and easy to mix and pour. The manner of cleaning is also simple and cheap, because a normal rubber eraser can be employed for pencil markings and the like, while abrasive materials, such as steel wool or synthetic scourers, can be used to remove paints and the like. Indeed testing has shown that the application of a wetted material to a gypsum surface can remove most, if not all markings applied to the working surface. Thus, the use of a wet sponge, or a wet fabric, is extremely convenient to clean the working surface of part or all of a work applied to that surface. The material can be wetted simply with water. While actual cleaning liquids can be used to facilitate cleaning, generally they are not necessary.

The cementitious material can alternatively be a plaster, or another form of cement, however it is important that the working surface produced is of a finish suitable for the purpose to which it is put. To date, gypsum has provided excellent results in trials carried out.

Gypsum cement has the advantage, in that it can accept many forms of drawing or writing implement. For example, drawing or writing can be applied to the facing surface of a gypsum cement artwork product, by ballpoint or fountain pen, felt-tipped pens, whiteboard markers, chalk and crayons, paint, and most other forms of like implements. This distinguishes the present invention from other products on which writing or drawing takes place which rarely can receive writing or drawing from such a wide variety of implements. For example, it is not readily possible for a whiteboard to properly receive fountain or ballpoint pen, but instead, it is largely restricted to the use of whiteboard markers, which usually are felt-tipped markers. Likewise, a blackboard also cannot accept a wide variety of writing and drawing implements.

A further advantage of gypsum cement is that it has a white colouring, that is conducive for the application of writing and drawing, and for other artwork such as photographs, etchings, paintings etc. Other castable materials could have the same white colouring, although gypsum cement is naturally white.

Preferably the castable material is reinforced and a suitable reinforcing material is a material mesh such as a hessian mesh, although recent testing indicates that lighter open weave fabrics may provide suitable reinforcement with improved results. Surprisingly, the applicant has found that fabrics traditionally marketed for use as domestic absorbent cleaning cloths can provide advantageous reinforcement. Such fabrics are cheap and lightweight and can be produced in white without colouring that may leach from the cloth to alter the colour of the cast product. Other alternative fabrics such as shade cloth, could also be applied as appropriate for the reinforcing requirements of an artwork product according to the invention.

The reinforcing material can be placed into the interior space of the casting frame prior to the castable material being poured into that space, or the reinforcing material can be added to the castable material after it is poured but before it has set. The type of reinforcing material used will have some influence on the order of pouring the castable material and placing the reinforcing material. In a further alternative, the reinforcing material can be of a fibre type, such that it can be added to the castable material prior to its pouring, but this requires that the reinforcing material does not interfere with the surface finish of the working surface of the finished artwork product. The reinforcing material preferably extends or is present fully across the interior space of the frame, but it may be acceptable for a lesser extent or presence, such as through a central region of the interior space only.

To produce the quality of working surface generally preferred, the method preferably utilises a glass surface onto which the castable material is cast. The castable material may be cast into direct contact with the casting surface, or an intermediate layer may be interposed between the castable material and the casting surface. As will become apparent from some embodiments of the invention, the interposed layer may be a protective layer which fixes to the outward facing surface of the cast product. Such a layer may be a resin, such as an epoxy resin. The layer may alternatively be a release layer to facilitate release of the cast product from contact with the glass surface. The use of other interposed layers for other purposes may also be made.

In relation to the use of a cementitious material, in particular gypsum cement, a glass surface advantageously is incompatible adhesively with gypsum cement, so that when the gypsum cement sets, the set cast product can be separated from the glass without having to break any adhesion. Also, glass provides a hard and an extremely smooth surface, so that the working surface of the artwork product likewise can be extremely smooth with appropriate selection of castable material. Other materials could alternatively be used and for example, glazed ceramics can be employed, as can certain plastics, marble, granite and the like. However, the choice relies principally on the absence of an adhesive compatibility between the castable material or the interposing layer and the material of the casting surface.

In the method of the invention it is preferred that the casting frame be firmly fixed to the casting surface, regardless of whether the casting frame is to be attached to or released from the set cast product, and in one preferred arrangement, this is achieved by clamping. Clamping can secure the frame against movement relative to the casting surface and also can prevent the frame from bowing when the castable material is poured into the interior space and is setting. Alternatively, the casting frame may be fixed to the casting surface by suitable fasteners or adhesives, or it might even be formed integrally with the casting surface.

As clamping is the preferred manner of securing the casting frame to the casting surfaces, a simple clamping arrangement which employs C clamps could be used, or a bench may be set up as a jig with movable clamping pucks. In this latter arrangement, the bench may accommodate a plurality of casting frames for creating several of the artwork products at once and these may be of the same or different size. If sufficient volume of production is required, the process may be automated using minimal manual labour. Robotic arms may be employed to place and clamp the frames, or separate clamping arrangements may be employed, while automised pouring of the castable material can be readily provided with suitable sensing arrangements to identify the existence, position and size of a frame for receiving a charge of castable material.

It is preferred that the castable material be left to set fully prior to removal from the casting surface. In one arrangement, the casting surface may be a sheet, such as a glass sheet, which can be shifted from a bench with the setting castable product attached thereto, to a setting station, so that new casting frames can be introduced to the bench for receipt of castable material. The setting station may be a rack placed in a controlled atmosphere, which optimises the setting process. Accordingly, the method of the invention may include a pouring station and a separate setting station and the casting surfaces on which the frames are placed may be discrete and portable for movement between the respective stations. Once a cast product is removed from a casting surface, the casting surface it may be cleaned (if necessary) and a manual or industrial cleaner may be employed for this purpose, prior to its return to the pouring station to form the next artwork product.

An artwork product according to the invention can also include a bracing arrangement for improving the rigidity of a framed artwork product. The bracing arrangement is provided to brace the cast product against flexural movement, which might cause the cast product to which the frame is applied, to fail by cracking. Any suitable bracing arrangement may be employed, and in one preferred arrangement, bracing is provided by a rigid sheet which is applied to, or within the frame of the artwork product. The bracing sheet can be a rigid foam polystyrene sheet, or like sheet. The sheet can be applied to the artwork product in any suitable manner and for example, can be applied either while the castable material is setting, or after setting is complete. The advantage of applying the sheet while the castable material is setting is that the sheet can be adhered to the cast product by bringing the sheet into contact with the castable material while it is still in a liquid state. Otherwise, the sheet can be fixed in place in any other suitable manner, such as by suitable fasteners and/or adhesives, or by suitable frictional cooperation between the sheet and the frame. For example, the frame may include one or more grooves suitable to receive and locate one or more edges or edge portions of a bracing sheet.

An artwork product according to the invention has been described above principally in relation to such a product that provides a working surface to which an artwork can be applied, by suitable drawing and/or painting implements. The invention does however have other alternative uses and can, for example, be used for producing artwork products in which a finished artwork is formed as part of the artwork product. One example of this embodiment of the invention is the provision of photographs as part of the artwork product. In this embodiment, the invention provides a cheap and robust alternative to the traditional way in which photographs are framed.

The preferred method for framing an artwork sheet, such as a photograph, can include applying the artwork sheet to the casting surface, applying a frame over or about the artwork sheet, casting a castable material within the frame, whereby the artwork sheet adheres to the castable material as it sets. This method therefore can be substantially identical, with the addition of a photograph, to the method described above, and can further include the application of a suitable reinforcement as described above and of a suitable bracing arrangement.

As described above, the invention provides for a release layer to be applied between the casting surface and the artwork sheet and that layer may additionally, or alternatively provide a protective surface to the artwork sheet. As discussed earlier, an epoxy resin or a PVA can be used and these materials can advantageously form a glass-like finish to the artwork sheet, so that the application and expense of an actual sheet of glass, as is commonly employed over the working surface, is not required. For this, the method can first include the application of a wax product, such as a bees wax, to the casting surface interposed between that surface and the epoxy or PVA, or other like material, to facilitate easy release of the cast product from the casting surface and to also or alternatively facilitate polishing of the epoxy or PVA to a glass-like finish.

The invention has been described above principally in relation to an artwork product of the kind which might be hung or applied to a wall or the like. However, it is to be appreciated that the artwork product of the invention can have other uses and for example, could be a self supporting product which can be placed on a table or desk top or the like. The artwork product could actually form the upper surface of a table or desk and a blank artwork product could be employed to be used in houses and offices instead of paper pads. The use of such tables in children's restaurants would provide an activity for children which could be erased as new children arrive at the table. Professionals could use such a table in place of a notepad. Also, the artwork product could be used as a wall panel in which a wall, or part of a wall is formed by a plurality of panels. Likewise, the artwork products can be used in ceiling or floor panels. The panels could include artwork, or they could be blank for artwork to be applied later. The panels could be used externally as graffiti walls.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming an artwork product, including transferring an image from a medium which bears the image onto a surface of a set castable material. In one embodiment, this is achieved by placing a medium, such as an artwork sheet bearing an image onto a casting surface within a casting frame, and casting a castable material onto the casting surface within the casting frame and allowing the castable material to set to form a panel, wherein as the castable material sets, at least a portion of the image proceeds to transfer from the medium to the castable material so that the image appears on a surface of the panel.

Preferably, as the castable material sets it interacts with the medium so that the medium adheres to a front surface thereof. In this form of the invention, the method further includes removing the medium from the front surface of the set castable material without removing the transferred image therefrom. In one embodiment, the castable material is gypsum cement, while the medium bearing the image is photo, printer or copy paper upon which an inkjet image has been printed. In a particularly useful application of the invention, the image can be a photographic image taken by a digital camera with the image being printed on ordinary photo, printer or copy paper, such as by an inkjet printer. By the invention, the image can be transferred so that it appears on a surface of the panel and the panel forms a mount for the image. This form of mounting is expected to be substantially cheaper than conventional mounts in which a photograph is fixed to a paperboard backing and glass and a frame are fixed in place. Additionally, suitable selection of a castable material will result in a robust artwork product which can be mailed or shipped without requiring the substantial wrapping of conventional mounts that are typically quite fragile.

Particularly in relation to digital photographs, it is anticipated that a photograph can be sent through the internet to a suitable workshop for mounting and that the finished artwork product can be returned by mail. This process could have a turnaround of about two days, which again, typically is far less time consuming and expensive than conventional methods of mounting.

For inkjet printed photographs being mounted according to the above embodiment, the paper bearing the image is placed on the casting surface with the image facing upward, and the gypsum is cast over the paper upon the casting surface and within the casting frame. As the gypsum sets, the ink forming the image is caused to at least partially, but preferably fully migrate from the paper to the gypsum such that at least a portion of the image is transferred to the gypsum. Once the gypsum has set, the artwork product is separated from the casting surface. The paper, which bore the image, can then be separated from the set gypsum, wherein at least a portion of the image, formerly appearing on the paper, appears on a surface of the set gypsum. Preferably, the migration or transfer is such that the image appearing on the gypsum is a facsimile reproduction of the image originally appearing on the paper. Trials have shown that significant ink transfer takes place and that an image can be transferred to appear on the artwork product which is of substantial clarity approaching that of the image appearing on the paper prior to transfer.

Preferably, the casting surface is wetted prior to the placing of the paper medium thereon. The wetting of the casting surface serves to retain the paper in the correct orientation thereupon and within the casting frame. Preferably, after wetting of the casting surface, the paper is placed thereupon in the correct orientation. Following placement of the paper and absorption of at least some of the water by the paper, any excess water can be removed from the casting surface, such as by the use of an absorbent article. Most preferably, the step of removing excess water from the casting surface includes the step of passing an article having a substantially straight edge over the casting surface and the paper placed thereupon. For example, an implement having a rubber blade, such as a squeegee, may be drawn over the casting surface and the paper. This has the effect of both isolating the excess water for removal and also smoothing the wetted paper on the casting surface to ensure accurate migration of the image to the gypsum in the later steps of the method. It is believed that in addition to retaining the paper in the correct orientation, the wetting of the casting surface, resulting in the wetting of the paper bearing the image, aids in the migration of the image from the paper to the gypsum. It is also believed that the heat generated by the curing of the gypsum further assists in the migration of the image.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a castable material is cast and allowed to form a cast product which has a face for transferring an image onto. The cast product can be a panel having a broad face for the transfer of the image, and further discussion will take place in relation to such a panel, although it is to be appreciated that the cast product could have forms which are

^' other than a panel, such as a cylinder. Following setting, a medium bearing an image is placed onto the face of the panel with the image facing the panel face. Thereafter, a release medium is applied to the medium to release the image therefrom and to transfer it to the face of the panel. In the above embodiment, the release medium advantageously can be heat, such as can be applied by a domestic electric iron. This embodiment offers significant benefits, as it enables non-skilled persons to form suitable artwork themselves, in a cost and time effective manner, with an aesthetically pleasing result. That is, non-skilled consumers can purchase one or more panels and can thereafter transfer an image to a surface of the panel themselves, with an ordinary domestic appliance. It is envisaged that this embodiment will facilitate mounting of images that previously would not have been mounted due to the expense of traditional mounting techniques.

It has been found that the above embodiment is successful for transferring images which are printed onto paper. In particular, ink jet printed images which are printed onto ordinary photographic paper, preferably glossy photographic paper, have been found to transfer to the panel surface substantially completely and substantially as a facsimile of the image as it appeared on the paper prior to transfer.

The above method is a "dry" method not requiring the image to be transferred as part of the casting process. This further enhances the attractiveness to non- skilled persons who wish to frame their own artwork. It is expected that this method will be very suitable for the mounting of digital images of the kind described earlier, where the image is taken by a digital camera and printed by ink jet printing onto photographic paper.

While a domestic iron has been described above as a suitable appliance for providing a heat source, any suitable source could be employed. A suitable press could be employed, although this may be more suitable for commercial use than domestic use.

It is expected that the heat which is applied as the release medium is operable to liquefy the ink image applied to the paper for transfer to the panel surface. By selecting a panel material that will absorb the ink of the image in preference to the ink remaining on the paper, the ink migrates to the panel. Tests have shown that a panel of gypsum or like cementitious material has this characteristic.

When a gloss paper is selected for printing of an image, the heat is likely to liquefy the gloss covering, which usually is an acetate, as well as the image applied thereto, so that both the image and the covering are transferred. However, the gloss covering may not be transferred in full, or at all.

Because the panel surface absorbs the image, the image is flush with the surface. This differs from other forms of image transfer, such as images which are applied to a thin transparent sheet, sometimes referred to as "decals", whereby the transparent sheet is transferred with the image and an adhesive is employed to adhere the transparent sheet to the mounting surface. In this arrangement, the image remains in place on the sheet on which it was originally printed. Also in this arrangement the image and the transparent sheet sit proud of the mounting surface.

The invention also extends to transfer of images from non-paper sheet, such as plastic sheet. The same process would be employed as discussed above, whereby a release medium is applied to the sheet to release the image to the panel surface. The release medium is again likely to be heat, but the benefit of the plastic sheet is that it has the potential for re-use once the image has been removed therefrom. That is, a second and subsequent image can be applied to the plastic sheet for repeated transfers. This further can reduce the overall expense, by reducing or eliminating waste paper.

An artwork according to the above embodiments of the invention can have several advantages in addition to those discussed above. For example the castable material provides a medium for the reproduction of an image which has substantially increased durability over traditional media such as paper. Further, the above methods, by selection of a suitably inexpensive casting material, provide an inexpensive method of reproducing an image in a form which may be readily displayed without need for traditional framing. As above, the artwork may be cast so as to form an integral product with the casting frame, or alternatively may be cast so as to be separated from the frame subsequent to casting.

It will be appreciated that while the above discussion has concentrated mainly on image transfer of photographic images inkjet printed on printer or copy paper, the method of the invention could also apply to other forms of printing on paper, such as laser, dot matrix, type and screen printing. In addition to dye based printing methods, the present invention also has application to other forms of printing. In particular, the method of this aspect of the invention has been found to have application to images formed from pigment, such as those printed using pigment based printers, including ink jet pigment printers. Also, the medium could be other than paper, such as plastic sheet or canvas, although the economic benefits at this stage appear to rest principally with the use of paper. Likewise, gypsum cement is at this stage thought to be the most appropriate castable material in terms of cost, workability and effectiveness, but other materials may be better suited for use in the method of the invention, particularly with mediums rather than paper.

The attached drawings show an example embodiment of the invention of the foregoing kind. The particularity of those drawings and the associated description does not supersede the generality of the preceding broad description of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bench upon which is positioned a frame for construction of an artwork product according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a rear view of an artwork product according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a front view of the artwork product of Figure 2.

The figures show an artwork product 10 which includes a frame 11 of generally square shape which is likely to be made of wood, preferably a hard wood. In Figure 1 , the frame 11 is supported on a bench 12 which forms a casting bench for casting a castable material into the interior space 13 of the frame 11. While not evident in Figure 1 , the surface 14 is a glass casting surface. It will be appreciated that the bench 12 is shown in rudimentary form only and that the shape and form of the bench could be significantly different. What is important is that the bench 12 provides a casting surface, or alternatively, a supporting surface on which a plate or the like which has a casting surface can be supported.

The frame 11 has both front and rear sides 15 and 16 and in Figure 1 , it is the front side 15 which rests against the casting surface 14 of the bench 12.

The frame 11 is placed on the casting surface 14 of the bench 12 and can be clamped in any suitable manner to secure it in place relative to the surface 14. In Figure 1 , the bench 12 can include openings or slots for receipt of suitable clamping members, which extend up through the underside of the supporting surface 14 and which engage the rear side 16 of the frame 11 to clamp it in place. Clearly however other clamping or fastening arrangements could equally be employed.

Having clamped or otherwise secured the frame 11 in place, a suitable castable material, preferably 100% gypsum cement, is poured into the interior space 13 defined by the frame 11. With a frame depth D (Figure 3) of about 30 mm, the depth of castable material poured into the interior space 13 can be in the order of 5 mm. This is shown in Figure 2, in which it can be seen that the depth of the castable material 18 is less than the depth D of the frame 11. Also, Figure 2 shows in schematic form, the weave of an open weave fabric which extends completely across the interior space 13 of the frame 11 and which has a reinforcing function for the castable material when set.

The fabric mesh may simply be pushed by hand into the liquid castable material, to extend fully across the interior space and to reinforce the castable material when it sets. Alternatively, the fabric could be placed in the interior space prior to pouring of the castable material so that the material permeates through the fabric.

When the castable material has set to form a solid cast product, the frame 11 may be lifted from the casting surface 14 as a finished artwork product 10. The product 10 can then be used for artistic purposes, to apply an artistic work to the working surface 17 cast, in substantially the same manner as artistic works are presently applied to canvas or paper. However, it will be apparent from the preceding description that the artwork product 10 according to the invention has many advantages over traditional forms of canvas and paper.

Figure 1 also illustrates a paper sheet 20 which is shown elevated above the bench 12, but in broken outline, the placement of the sheet 20 is shown within the frame 11. By placing the sheet 20 within the frame 11 , and by proceeding as described above with casting of a suitable castable material, the sheet may be formed as part of the artwork product 10.

In accordance with earlier described embodiments, the sheet 13 may be cast with the image facing towards the casting surface 14, and in that arrangement, the sheet 20 remains part of the artwork product 10 when finally formed. By that mechanism, the image which is applied to the sheet 20 remains on the sheet 20, and the sheet 20 remains embedded in the working surface 17 of the product 10. In this arrangement, it is typically not intended for the artwork product 10 to be used for further application of an artistic work to the surface 17, but rather the artwork product 10 remains as formed with the image being presented on the working surface 17.

Alternatively, the sheet 20 may be placed so that the image formed thereon faces away from the casting surface 14. In this arrangement, the castable material is cast onto the image which appears on the sheet 20 and the method is arranged so that the image transfers or migrates into the castable material, so that after the castable material sets, the sheet can be removed from the working surface 17 of the artwork product 10 but the image which previously appeared on the sheet 20 substantially remains on the working surface 17. Because the sheet 20 is likely to at least partially adhere to the working surface 17, it is likely that the sheet 20 will have to be removed with a suitable removal agent, which could include water or other solvent type liquids.

Figure 4 illustrates an alternative arrangement, in which an artwork product 30 has been cased and set and a sheet 31 which bears an image on one surface thereof is placed on the artwork product 30 with the image facing the working surface 32 and thereafter, a release medium is applied to the rear or back surface 33 of the sheet 31 to release the image on the opposite surface for transfer or migration to the working surface 32. The release medium can be a heat, which can be applied by any suitable means, such as by a domestic iron. Once transfer of the image has taken place fully, the sheet 31 can be lifted from the working surface 32 and discarded, or reused if possible.

The present invention can be provided in a kit form, whereby the kit includes a member having a hard casting surface, frame members for forming a casting frame and ingredients to form a castable material. The kit can include other component parts, and for example could include photographic or other forms of paper for receiving of images for transfer to a panel or other product formed with the kit materials. The kit could further include writing or drawing implements for use with a product formed with the kit materials and might further include items for removing writing or drawing that is applied to a working or facing surface of a panel or product formed with the kit materials.

The member having the hard casting surface, could be a glass sheet, or a sheet or substrate made from other materials such as granite or marble, or other materials referred to earlier herein.

The kit may include clamping means, such as U or C - clamps, and the member including suitable arrangements for interacting with, or locating such clamps for clamping the frame members over the hard casting surface.

In an alternative embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the kit might include a member having a hard casting surface with a frame integrally formed therewith. Alternatively, the frame may be attached to the hard casting surface but in a permanent manner.

The ingredients to form a castable material typically will be powdered, so that water or another liquid is added when an artwork product is intended to be made. Forms of cement, such as gypsum cement, can easily be provided in a powdered form and are suitable for inclusion in a kit of the above kind.

The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the above description.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of forming an artwork product, said method including casting a castable material onto a hard casting surface within a casting frame, the casting surface being substantially adhesively incompatible with the casting material, so that the facing surface of the castable material cast onto the casting surface, when set can be separated from the casting surface.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the castable material is a cementitious material.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the castable material is a gypsum cement.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the castable material sets in connection with the casting frame.

5. A method according to claim 4, in which the castable material adheres to the frame.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the set castable material is separated from the casting surface, it is released from the casting frame.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the casting frame is of a flexible material, such as silicone.

8. A method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein following release of the set castable material, a frame is fitted to the side edges of the set castable material.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the edges of the set castable material include cooperating parts for cooperating with the frame which is fixed thereto.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a reinforcing material is employed to reinforce the set castable material.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the reinforcing material is a material mesh, preferably a hessian mesh.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the reinforcing material is an open weave fabric.

13. A method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the reinforcing material is placed to be embedded within the set castable material.

14. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the casting surface is provided by a glass, plastic, ceramic, marble or granite surface.

15. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the casting surface is planar and smooth so that the facing surface of the set castable material is planar and smooth.

16. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the casting surface is textured so that the facing surface of the set castable material is textured.

17. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein a bracing arrangement is applied to the rear of the set castable material to brace the material against fracture.

18. A method according to claim 17, when dependent on claim 4, wherein the bracing arrangement comprises a rigid sheet which is connected to and extends between opposite sides of the frame.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the bracing arrangement comprises a rigid sheet which is applied to the rear surface of the castable material as the castable material sets so that the sheet becomes adhered to the castable material.

20. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the facing surface can be employed to receive drawing or writing thereon and the castable material is such that the drawing or writing can be removed by rubbing the facing surface where the drawing or writing has been applied.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein an abrasive pad is employed for rubbing removal of the drawing or writing.

22. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein an artwork sheet is placed on the casting surface within the frame and prior to the castable material being cast onto the casting surface, so that the artwork sheet adheres to the castable material and forms part of the facing surface of the castable material which is cast onto the casting surface.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the artwork sheet bears an image and the sheet is placed so that the image faces away from the casting surface, and wherein the method facilitates at least partial migration of the image from the artwork sheet to the castable material, so that upon setting of the castable material, at least a portion of the image remains on the facing surface of the set castable material.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the artwork sheet is adhered to the set castable material and the method includes removal of the artwork sheet to reveal the image remaining on the facing surface of the set castable material.

25. A method according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the castable material is a gypsum cement and the artwork sheet is photographic, printer or copy paper upon which an inkjet image has been printed.

26. A method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the casting surface is wetted prior to placement of the artwork sheet thereon.

27. A method according top any one of claims 1 to 3, said method further including printing of an image by a printing machine directly onto said facing surface.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein said printing machine is a flat bed printer.

29. A method of forming an artwork product, said method including casting a castable material into a form which defines a front, generally planar surface, said front surface being for the application of drawing or writing, said castable material being of a material which permits removal of the drawing or writing by rubbing, so that new drawing or writing can be applied to the front face following removal of earlier applied drawing or writing.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the castable material is a cementitious material.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein the castable material is a gypsum cement.

32. A method of forming an artwork product, said method including casting a castable material and allowing the castable material to set to define a face for transferring an image onto, placing a medium which bears an image onto the face with the image being in facing relationship thereto, applying a release medium to the image bearing medium to release the image therefrom and to facilitate transfer of the image to the face of the said castable material.

33. A method according to claim 32, wherein the release medium comprises application of heat to the medium.

34. A method according to claim 32, wherein the heat is applied by a domestic iron.

35. A method according to any one of claim 32 or 36, wherein the medium is a paper sheet and the image is an ink print applied to one surface of the paper sheet.

36. A method according to claim 35, wherein the face of the castable material has a greater propensity to absorb the ink of the image than the paper sheet to which the image is applied, so that upon application of the release medium, the ink is released from the paper sheet and is at least partially absorbed into the face.

37. A method according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the ink print is an ink jet print.

38. A method according to any one of claims 35 to 37, wherein the paper sheet is a photographic paper and wherein the release medium is applied directly to the surface of the paper sheet which is opposite the surface on which the image is applied.

39. A method according to claim 38, wherein the image is a digital photograph image which is applied to the photographic paper as an ink jet print.

40. A method according to any one of claim 32 to 39, wherein the castable material is a cementitious material.

41. A method according to claim 40, wherein the cementitious is a gypsum cement.

42. A set castable material for use in the method of any one of claims 32 to 41.

43. An artwork product formed according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 3 or 29 to 31.

44. An artwork product formed according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 3, for the purpose of receiving drawing or writing on the facing surface thereof.

45. An artwork product according to claim 43, wherein the castable material is such that the drawing or writing can be removed by rubbing where the drawing or writing has been applied.

46. A panel, which has been formed by casting a castable material and allowing the material to set to define a face for transferring an image onto.

47. A panel according to claim 46, the face being arranged to receive an image transferred from a paper sheet which bears an ink printed image.

48. A panel according to claim 47, wherein the image is an ink jet printed image of a digital photograph.

49. A panel according to claim 47 or 48, wherein the panel is to receive the image by the paper sheet being placed on the face of the panel with the image in facing relationship with the face of the panel and heat being applied to the paper sheet to release the image for transfer to the face.

50. An artwork product formed according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 40, the set castable material forming at least a portion of the top of a table or desk.

51. An artwork product formed according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 40, the set castable material forming a panel for attachment to a wall or a ceiling.

52. A panel formed according to the method of claims 27 or 28.

53. A kit for making an artwork product, said kit including a member which has a hard casting surface, frame members for forming a casting frame and ingredients to form a cast for material.

54. A kit according to claim 53, wherein the frame members are integrally formed with the member, to project from the hard casting surface.

55. A kit according to claim 53, wherein the frame members are separate from said member and may be attached to the hard casting surface of said member to form said casting frame.

56. A kit according to claim 53, further including clamping means for clamping said frame members in place on said hard casting surface.

57. A kit according to any one of claims 53 to 56, wherein said ingredients includes a powdered material which can be mixed to form a castable material.

58. A kit according to claim 57, wherein said powdered material is a powdered cement, preferably a powdered gypsum cement.

59. A kit according to any one of claims 53 to 58, further including items for writing or drawing on an artwork product produced from said kit.

60. A kit according to any one of claim s53 to 59, further including paper, preferably photographic paper, for receiving images for transfer to an artwork product formed from the kit.