Fish Sculptures in Metal

It is always interesting for students to explore the use of texture in art. Both in our Mixed Media and Printmaking courses this is a significant area for experimentation for creating visually interesting works. Likewise, the students undertaking the Sculpture course are also exposed to a range of textural possibilities when creating three-dimensional forms. Recently my Grade 9 class applied their investigation of texture into a sculptural piece based upon fish.

Following a number of research tasks and media experimentation exercises, each student began to develop an idea based upon a series of line drawings. These were then adapted to the use of wire to create a central outline, which was then given width by adding loops of wire around the body of the fish. In this process students were taught basic techniques in wire cutting and soldering. In the end this provided the skeleton for the fish, which could then be clad with a range of metal textures and surfaces (ie copper, brass and aluminum). For the most part these materials were simply bent around the wire frame with pliers resulting in only minimal glueing.

The eyes were added using metal washers and the final sculpture was attached to a single metal rod, which was then set into a wooden base for stability. The students seemed to like the way that the original skeletal structure wasn’t always totally obscured by the added surface materials. Most of the works were confidently executed, with the bold scale of the works resulting for some impressive finished pieces.

Drawing a Neo-plastic building in perspective

When tackling any type of design project that is rectangular in nature, I find looking at Neo-plasticism is often a very good place for students to start. These principals which were the hallmark of the De Stijl art and design movement provide not only a good starting point for discussion, but also a framework from which students can gain confidence in creating their own designs. Such was the case when my Grade 10 Environmental Design students began to investigate our modern cities and the influence that De Stijl continues to have upon them.

They were given the task of designing and drawing a city building that followed Neo-plastic principles (the use of vertical and horizontal line and a limited colour scheme of primary colours plus black, white and grey) and presenting their idea as a two point perspective drawing. This provided them with an opportunity to not only explore their own building ideas within a defined set of perametres, but also demonstrate their ability to use perspective on a large scale.

With the initial line work completed in black pen on paper, the student then set about the task of using a knife to cut out the various coloured panels. Each colour was tackled one at a time in order to avoid confusion. When the various holes were cut, the drawing sheet was then turned over and coloured paper was taped or glued onto the back. The end result was very clean and consistent and the students certainly liked the overall scale of their presentation.