Sculpture Prompts

3D DESIGN CONCERNS
  • UNITY
  • VARIETY
  • BALANCE
  • EMPHASIS
  • CONTRAST
  • RHYTHM​​
  • REPETITION
  • PROPORTION
  • SCALE
  • OCCUPIED / UNOCCUPIED SPACE
  • TIME​
3D VISUAL ELEMENTS
  • MASS
  • VOLUME
  • COLOR
  • LIGHT
  • FORM
  • PLANE
  • LINE
  • TEXTURE
CONSIDERATIONS
  • USE OF COMPOSITIONAL SPACE (ELEMENTS OF ART / PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN)
  • DECISION MAKING AND INTENTION
  • ORIGINALITY, IMAGINATION, INVENTION
  • EXPERIMENTATION, RISK-TAKING
  • CONFIDENT, EVOCATIVE WORK ENGAGING THE VIEWER
  • TECHNICAL SKILL
  • DIGITAL PROCESSES, DOCUMENTATION OF VIRTUAL OR TIME-BASED WORKS
  • STUDENT VOICE
  • ACTIVATION OF SPACE
  • GROWTH (Concentration Portfolio)
Types of Sculpture: ADDITIVE, SUBTRACTIVE, FABRICATION, DIGITAL, INSTALLATION

SCULPTURAL PROJECT IDEAS

MONOCHROMATIC FOUND OBJECT
  • Build a found object sculpture with interesting negative space. Collect objects of one color or spray paint all of the objects one color. Place the sculpture in front of contrasting solid colored backgrounds (wall, sheet, painted cardboard, etc.) Practice documenting your sculpture using different cropping and lighting. You need to have at least one overall shot (you can see the whole thing plus negative space around it) and one detail shot (you can only see a part of the sculpture, but that part is very interesting).
COLOR SCHEME
  • Create a portrait, still life, or landscape using either a complementary, analogous, or split-complementary color scheme in any 3D medium making color the subject matter. Can be traditional or non-traditional sculpting materials.
ORGANIC MOVEMENT
  • Using cardboard, mat board, chipboard or other materials, make a sculpture that expresses organic movement.
EMOTIONAL SERIES
  • Select five people you know really well. Create a sculpture representing each person's emotional landscape or personality. The sculpture should not look like the person, but should feel like them. The differences between the sculptures you make should reflect the differences between the people you selected.
LANDSCAPE
  • Create a sculptural world that could be used by animators for tiny characters to run around in. Making it mostly monochromatic will create unity. Use a significant amount of detail in at least two distinct areas. Should be free standing, not a diorama with walls. Photograph your sculpture from different angles and with different lighting (spot, flood, low, sunlight, etc.) to create different moods.
WOODEN WIREFRAME
  • Build a sculpture that feels like drawing in three-dimensional space with small pieces of wood as the lines. Using toothpicks, bbq skewers, tiny wood sticks or dowels, create a sculpture that has more negative space than positive space.
DIGITAL SCULPTURE
  • Download and learn how to use a digital 3D sculpture program, like Blender (free to use). Create either a character, vehicle, or non-representational sculpture with great negative space. Render out three different views of the sculpture. 
MOVEMENT OVER TIME
  • Create a work of art that incorporates movement, so that it would change shape or configuration over time. This could be a mobile or other wind powered movement, or something more complex with gears.
FOUND OBJECT CLOUD
  • Using found objects (objects you did not make yourself) of a limited color palette, create a sculpture that expresses rhythm. Color matters when trying to create contrast with your objects and their environment.
ANALOG PHOTOGRAPHY
  • Make a pinhole camera out of paper or found object. Take a photo of your new object as a sculpture, then use it as a camera to take a picture of other sculptures you have made. Showing both the object and the results of the object will make a good diptych.
PUSHING THE MATERIAL
  • Create a sculpture out of coffee stirrers and hot glue; or sculpey; or wire and paperclips; fabric or papier maché. Try to get the material to do something surprising. Use different elements (color, line, texture, value, etc.) to create dominance in your sculpture.
INSTALLATION
  • Create an installation. It could be out of string, or tape, or any material that can be easily affixed to a space and conform and translate that space in a new way.
ARCHITECTURE
  • Use small wood sticks and glue to construct a model scale building. Use a specific architectural style that appeals to you (craftsman, mid-century modern, victorian, swamp cottage, etc.)  Include as much detail as you can. That is what will make this sculpture shine.
SURFACE QUALITY
  • Make a papier mâché sculpture using strips of paper and watered down glue. Finish the surface so that it has two very different textures. For instance, dipping an area in glue or resin will make a shiny wet look, whereas flocking another part will make that area look fuzzy like a peach. Paint the surfaces before adding textures on top.
SURREAL REPRESENTATION
  • Using ceramic clay, paper maché or sculpey clay, create a representational form that is distorted in some obvious manner. You can treat the color representationally or abstractly.
PAPER SCULPTURE
  • Use paper to create a small sculptural form, paying attention to small details to create visual interest.
FAMILIAR OBJECTS
  • Using any medium you wish, reproduce a common object from scratch. Consider color and detail as important areas of creative expression, while the main form elements will be representational.
PIÑATAS
  • Using papier maché as a base for the form, create an organic piñata. Piñatas are hollow, hanging sculptures, so make sure you add a hanging hook. Cover the surface of the sculpture with colored paper, so that only one end of the short paper strip is attached to the form. This will create a feather or fur effect for your piñata animal.

Variety within a series of works keeps viewers engaged

WAYS TO VARY A SCULPTURAL COMPOSITION
CONTENT
  • Representational object (discrete thing)
  • Portrait (person, creature, etc.)
  • Architecture (place)
  • Non-representational (Surface, form, negative space, etc.)
MEDIUM
  • Metal
  • Wood
  • Paper maché
  • Soft Materials (fabric, air, string, liquid, light, etc.)
  • Clay
  • Found objects
VISUAL WEIGHT
  • Dense, heavy
  • Delicate, fragile
  • Light, fluid
  • Transparent, layered
  • Opaque, detailed
HOW IT IS DISPLAYED 
  • Sitting on a pedestal
  • Hanging on a wall
  • Standing on the floor
  • Suspended in air from the ceiling

Expectations

  • Create work for 45 minutes a day
  • 15 minutes for setup, cleanup, etc.
  • Be flexible with materials. Use what you have and rethink how to approach the visual problem if there are materials you are missing.

Photographing your work

  • Place the sculpture in front of a solid colored background.
  • Use lighting to make the aspects of the sculpture you want to highlight clear and visible.
  • Take multiple pictures from a few different angles. Turn the sculpture so that more than one side is seen across your images.

Turning in Work

  • Turn in at least three images of each finished sculpture: a frontal view, a secondary view, and a detail view.
  • Turn in your work to both Google Classroom and Google Drive.
  • In Classroom, use the comments feature to write about your finished composition.
    • What did you learn from making this sculpture?
    • What was successful about this sculpture?
    • What did not go as well as you had hoped?
    • What will you do on a future sculpture as a result of doing this project?
  • Post one image of your work to our shared art wall or art wall two or art wall three. Name it (Sculpt1 - Name) and comment and upvote others' artwork you admire.