Figure Sculptures in Paris Craft (Plaster Gauze)

Before reading this article, click here for a useful list of supplies (with links to order them) so that you can build your own fantastic plaster sculptures.

Figure sculptures in pairs, an exploration of gesture and movement by Rachel Wintemberg

My 6th, 7th and 8th graders started out by drawing the human body and learning proportion.

http://thehelpfulartteacher.blogspot.com/2012/07/human-proportion-simplifying-figure.html

Next I introduced gesture drawing. We practiced using foreshortening and drawing an ‘action line’ starting at the weight bearing foot of the model and following the curve of the spine. http://thehelpfulartteacher.blogspot.com/2013/10/gesture-drawing-giving-human-figure.html

I rolled paper out on the table and we used models from the website http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/ projected from my desktop computer onto the white board at the front of the classroom to practice drawing. I turned off the lights, gave each student a black marker and set the website to change the pose every two minutes. By controlling the settings from my teacher station I was able to choose only models that were fully dressed. I reassured my students that I was not going to hang up their practice drawings or show them to anyone and that they would gain skill through experience. At the end of the period the paper covered tables were filled with a moving, jumping swarm of energetically drawn silhouettes. Now that we were comfortable drawing people we were ready to tackle sculpture.

I required each student to create paired figures that interacted with each other to tell a story. Each miniature person was created using three pipe cleaners wrapped in tin foil. One pipe cleaner was bent to create the two legs, a second pipe cleaner wrapped around to form the body and a third was snaked through the shoulders to create two arms. Finally a piece of tinfoil was wrapped around the neck to form the head and all the joints were wrapped with masking tape for reinforcement. I cut pieces of canvas board on my paper cutter  to create the bases and the students secured the figures in place using a low temperature hot glue gun. https://vimeo.com/150636514

We cut and dipped plaster coated bandages in water before using them to mummify our sculptures. Small pieces of plaster craft bandage can be wet, crumpled, sculpted and smoothed to create details. 

Once the sculptures were finished, the students painted them with a coat of modeling paste. I find that modeling paste works better than gesso to fill in the holes in the plaster bandages and to create a smooth painting surface. Finally we decorated our work with acrylic paint. 

After the project was finished, it was time for each student to write an artist statement. During the final critique I showed my classes the art of Alberto Giacometti, George Segal, Keith Haring and Mark Kostabi. We discussed all the ways that our work was similar to and different from the work of these famous artists before the students had a chance to reflect on their own work. Eliana Beauchamps, an 8th grade student writes: “George Segal reminds me of my sculpture because he sculpts realistic people moving but his (art) is life sized. I like how I made the girl in the air. I would love to try to make the bodies more proportional.” http://thehelpfulartteacher.blogspot.com/2016/01/figure-sculptures-in-paris-craft.html?m=1