9781422287132

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Creating Sculpture

She then can break off the mold on the outside, leaving the hard metal statue. Constructing is a more modern type of sculptural technique. Con- structing involves joining one or more pieces of material together using glue, pins, interlocking joints, or any number of other fasteners. Con- structing allows the artist to add just about any material to the sculpture he’s creating. Different techniques and materials use different tools. Here are some of the tools artists use when making certain kinds of sculpture. Some tools are common household items, while others are very specialized pieces of equipment that cost thousands of dollars. • stone: chisels, hammer, mallet, drill and bits, sandpaper • wood: carving knives, saw, chisel, gouge, sandpaper • metal: welding torch, welding machine, soldering iron, pliers, grinder, wire brush • ice: saws, scrapers, grinders, chisels, ice pick, ice tongs, heat guns • glass: high-temperature furnace, hollow steel rod, marver, tongs, annealer Don’t forget the safety equipment! Sculpture can be one of the more dangerous forms of art to create. Sculptors wear safety goggles to pro- tect their eyes. Wood and stone sculptors wear dust masks to prevent breathing in particles of their material. Metal and glass sculptors take even more safety precautions, wearing gloves and heavy-duty aprons. THE WHERE Artists create sculptures in different settings, based on the type of sculp- ture they’re creating. An artist wouldn’t want to pour molten metal into a • clay: wire, sponges, brushes, scrapers, carving knives, stamps, pottery wheel, kiln