Art and Design A comprehensive guide for creative artists - Aaltodoc

Sometimes plaster of Paris is used for full artwork
executions and for making moulds used during casting.
Rich (1998) argues, “plaster of Paris is the material
of choice when the object to be cast is large ... It is
also employed as a reinforcing material for flexible
negatives of agar, rubber and gelatine ... For sculptural
use, the finer-grained plaster are preferable.” A creative
sculptor will spend less while using plaster of Paris;
by cutting tatters of raffia or grass and then mix them
with plaster of Paris. The technique adds durability and
reinforcement. It is as well very economical.
Sculpture techniques
Different approaches can be used to produce artworks
of sculpture. “Although a sculptor may specialise in, say,
stone carving or direct metalwork, the art of sculpture is
not identifiable with any particular craft or set of crafts. It
presses into its service whatever crafts suit its purposes ...”
(Encyclopaedia Britannica 2003, 49)
Let us make a quick review of the basic sculpture
techniques using a table checklist here below:
Riveting
Fabrication
Nailing
Modelling
Is used by sculptors to attach sheets of metal
or on wood and other surfaces.
Riveting can be done on small or big sculpture
artworks. It can make magnificent decorative
textures. It also serves as a hammer to a nail.
This technique constitutes construction by
using metal or wood. The action and process
at times requires welding to construct
artworks of sculpture. Metal artists usually seek
professional help from specialists.
A sculpture can be built with the assistance of
a hammer to drive nails into a surface as a way
of holding two parts together. Apart from that,
nailing alone can be used to produce relief
sculptures on two dimensional surfaces. Nails
just like hammers are made in different sizes.
A sculpture artwork can be executed in
approaches like, slabbing, pallets or balls and
coils by ways of modeling; this technique uses
the additional approach—with materials like
clay, wax and paper machê. Rich (1988, 512)
offers a rational explanation: “Modelling is
a process of addition; whereas carving is a
process of subtraction.”
190 191
Carving
Construction
Tying
Soldering
Assembling
Casting
This is among the commonest techniques of
producing a sculpture. It can be done by ways
of cutting or engraving to obtain a shape of
the presumed sculpture artwork. Carving can
be done on materials like wood, stone, clay,
glass, cement and some types of plastics.
Is mainly architectural. A sculpture can be
creatively erected with materials such as card
board papers, books, metal, stones, pieces of
wood and from any solid firm materials that
are able to sustain weight or pressure—hard
enough to with stand a construction process.
This is a technique of attaching parts of
a sculpture artwork—by fastening them
together using a string, a wire or a similar
cord. Spilsbury (2009, 9) argues, “constructed
sculptures are made from different materials
combined and joined together to form a
three-dimensional object.” By using a system
of “tying together.”
This technique requires special hand held
equipment used for joining wires and other
metallic objects together. Hale (1994, 45)
asserts, “soldering is an extremely useful
technique used by sculptors. It makes a very
strong bond between metal surfaces and it
does not require the high heat that welding
does.” It is also good for surface decorations.
It is easier to do assembling, mainly because
a sculptor can use objects within easy reach
to make sculpture artworks. Baldwin (1967,
27) argues, “when a sculptor assembles his
creations from scrapped machine parts, setting
them in motion is an obvious development.”
Distinctly, well composed assemblages can
result into free standing sculpture artworks
round and relief.
Is a technique used by sculptors to shape
artworks by using a mould and solid materials
of molten metal or slip clay and sometimes
wax—to mould a resemblance of the original
artwork. The obligatory material meant for use
as molten has got to be liquefied by heating,
or be saturated with water. Materials used
during casting include wax, sand, sawdust,
plastics, cement and sometimes glue. Mamiya
& Kleiner (2009, 3) assert, “casting sculptural
technique falls into two basic categories,
subtractive and additive.” These must also be
accredited to the learner.