WIRE ANIMAL SCULPTURE

Students will investigate form using photographs of an animal to guide their work, practice tooling techniques with wire, pliers, and snips, make a prototype to ensure enough volume is achieved, create a wire sculpture of an animal, and document their work using commercial photography techniques.

This unit has six parts: research, photo references, drawing to scale, prototype, final sculpture, and documentation of the finished work.

Overview Unit Goal

Picture

Content

  • Animals
  • 3D Form
  • Details to make the subject recognizable

Art History

Wire Sculpture Artists
  • Celia Smith
  • David Oliveria​
  • Tomahiro Inaba
  • Ruth Asawa

Composition Concepts

  • Volume
  • Modeling 
  • Symmetry & Asymmetry

Technical Skills

  • Wrapping
  • Coiling
  • Crocheting
  • Knitting
  • Crimping
  • Bending
  • Tying

Tools & Supplies

  • Photo References
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Wire (two gauges)
  • Pliers (round nose, needle nose)
  • Wire Snips

Content: Animals

Art History: Wire Sculpture Artists

Composition Concepts

Technical Skills

Knitting with Wire (Video)
Knitting with Wire - Single, Double, Triple (Video)
Crochet with Wire (Video)
Weaving / Wrapping with Wire (Video)
Coiling with Wire (Video)
Coiling over a coil (Video)

Tools & Supplies

Exercises
  • Paper & Pencil/Pen
  • Pipe Cleaners
Main Sculpture
  • Round Nose Pliers
  • Chain Nose Pliers
  • Wire (2 Different gauges)
  • Optional: Dowel for Viking Knit or Coiling Rod

Unit Components

Research

5 Animal Images

  • Five images of the same animal species: 3/4, side, top, front, back
  • You can have more images - the 5 required are the minimum

Drawing

  • Use the photo references to help you understand the proportions and placement of body parts.
  • Make 2 drawings of your animal - one side view, one frontal view
  • Each drawing should be the size you want to make your sculpture (about 4 inches big - or the size of the palm of your hand)
  • Capture all of the important details that make your animal specific and recognizable. 
  • Use a scrap piece of paper as a ruler to help make the two drawings the same measurements, or resize the images on your iPad and then copy.

Prototype 1

  • Use pipe cleaners to create a first draft of your sculpture
  • Your prototype must be volumetric (contain space inside it)
  • It should be recognizable as your animal
  • It should look like your animal from every side (top, front, side, etc.)

Prototype 2

  • After getting feedback about your prototype 1, create a second prototype improving on your first attempt
  • Create the same animal using different creative decisions.
  • Try making your lines follow the contours of the form to mimic how the body moves - organic modeling lines will help make your sculpture look more life-like.
  • Get your prototypes checked off to receive the final materials.

Wire Sculpture

  • Use wire to make your chosen animal sculpture
  • Include at least one of the following techniques: wrapping, coiling, crocheting, or knitting
  • Include at least one of the following techniques: crimping, bending, tying
  • Use two different wire gauges (bigger wire makes a bolder line, fine wire is great for details, tying, coiling, crocheting, or knitting)
  • Some of your wires should follow modeling lines (lines that follow the shape of the form) and flow organically, highlighting body features
  • Have some wires close together creating a solid looking area while other wires are more open
  • Include as many details as you can - you want your sculpture to be recognizable and specific

Documenting your Sculpture

  • Use a solid background (no distracting lines, shadows, table, or other stuff)
  • Use quality lighting (soft shadow from sculpture only)
  • Photo should be in focus, with sculpture centered
  • One photo of 3/4 or frontal
  • One photo of side or top
  • You can edit the two photos together, but you need to have a consistent border between and around both images and they should be the same height