Giacometti In Motion by Deborrah Pagel The High School of St. Thomas More Champaign, IL ext. 413

Project steps: Planning 1. Gesture Drawings to study proportion and movement. 2. Thumbnails using gesture style. Exaggerate movement. 3. Select the most interesting design and draw from 4 viewpoints. A student could model a pose and rotate so others can see different viewpoints

Sculpture Construction Armature 1.Cut an arms span worth of wire. 2.Tape the ends for safety. 3.Bend in half to form a loop in the middle, twist. 4.Arm wire should be approximately twice the length of the neck and head, bend back toward torso and twist. 5.Bend wire downward in a V to form the chest and waist. 6.Form hips, then bend wire back downward. 7.Double the wire back and twist to form legs. 8.Pose figure and nail to base.

Two fencing nails should securely hold the wire to the block.

Plastering Fabric 1.Tear strips of cotton 1” wide, 6-12” long. 2.Tear 10 to 15 strips per student. Plaster 1.Distribute safety gear 2.Cover work surfaces 3.Mix plaster according to directions. 4.Dip strips into plaster, wiping off some of the excess, but don’t wipe off all (like paper mache). 5.Wrap the wire starting at the bottom and work up. Plaster may need to set up before continuing. 6.If new plaster fabric is needed after the sculpture is dried, spray water onto the area.

Be sure not to wipe off too much plaster.

Both the sculpture and artist have to go through contortions!

Painting 1.Can be painted with acrylic, tempra or watercolor. 2.A protective coating should be applied to bare plaster or paints with minimal binders. 3.Paint colors should enhance the concept of the design.

Color to enhance concept

Line, negative space and color emphasize stress!

Simple vs Embelished

More highly motivated students may take it farther.