Small Sculpture Workshop

What happens on this creative arts workshop for schools & young people?

A fantastic workshop to let your imagination run wild and make individual expressive figures!

During this workshop each participant will make a table-top sized sculpture out of wax-based modelling materials onto a pre-prepared wire framework.

I make the wire armatures, or frameworks, for standing figures about 15 to 20cm tall in advance, and bring them along with me.  Then I support the participants to decide what they want to make, and we look at reference images and put ourselves into that sort of position to understand how the pose differs from a straight standing pose.  Then I guide them to bend the wire into the same orientation as the image or our stance, and I nail it onto a board for them.  Then I introduce modelling technique, and talk about how to use small pieces of material to build up a form.  I help with any points where they are stuck, and let them run with their own enthusiasm.

I have brightly coloured modelling material to light-up the sculptures, and various fabrics that can also decorate them.

We are using wax-based modelling materials, mainly Newplast, which is a type of plasticene sold to sculptors, or wax.  Plasticene may be a familiar material, but the secret to making something fantastic lies in the use of the armature.  If you try to model plasticene without an armature you will be left with quite blobby shapes that are hard to get to stand up, but the armature allows for dynamic poses and life-like forms.

The materials are clean compared to clay, and after they are finished, they can be kept for many years just as they are.

I usually make armatures for standing figures, and tell the participants that they can make whatever person they would like to.  These may be someone they know or admire, sports stars, pop stars, superheroes, an imaginary

Creature, Manga, an avatar – or anything really!  People tend to work at different rates, so some might make more than one during the time, and some may need to take material home with them to finish off later.  Some participants have further ideas that I can help them with, such as how to adapt the project to make their figure look like it is flying, or walking on stilts. All of this can be accommodated.

It is also possible to put the emphasis of the workshop onto using the figures as metaphors for feelings; in which case I would lead the participants to think about things such as what activity might represent how they are feeling, and how they would stand in that case.

Another option is to all make figures around a theme that fits in with other parts of the curriculum, such as Romans, Tudors, People of the World, Astronauts, Sports People, Celebrities, Avatars or Superheroes.  We could also adapt the workshop so that everyone makes a figure that all work together in a diorama, such as a nativity scene or soldiers all marching together.

If agreed in advance, we could also make non-human creatures, such as Mythological Creatures, Dragons, Dinosaurs, Insects, Pets or Garden Visitors.  I would need to prepare special armatures for these.

It is really useful if participants and staff can bring in reference images which they have found in advance, or else have devices available to look them up on during the workshop.  These could be printed or digital.

I can also coach the staff involved about how to continue to work in this way for future projects.

What areas does this creative arts workshop for schools & young people cover on the national curriculum?

Art Curriculum:

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
• to use…sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space

 Cross Curricular:

It can be used to enhance any theme or study area.

Usually I encourage participants to choose to make a person of their own choice, but if agreed in advance, we could work to any theme, such as: Romans, Tudors, People of the World, Astronauts, Sports People, Celebrities, Avatars or Superheroes.

If agreed in advance, we could also make non-human creatures, such as Mythological Creatures, Dragons, Dinosaurs, Insects, Pets or Garden Visitors.

What will young people get from this creative arts workshop for schools & young people?

• An inspiring and fun activity to light them up.
• An opportunity to try 3-dimentional art, which there is sometimes less facility for in the general school provision.
• The chance to use wax-based modelling materials instead of clay.
• An arena to express themselves and make something meaningful to them.
• A chance to channel their emotions and enthusiasms through creativity.
• A place to be introduced to the use of metaphor, if appropriate.
• The use of an armature, or framework to support the sculpture as an introduction to thinking about support structures for objects.
• Engaging with spatial awareness, three-dimensional thinking and kinaesthetic expression, which is often less prevalent in education, and which particularly suits some people.
• A chance to shine and use their imagination.

• Observation of form, balance, anatomy and movement.

What sizes does this creative arts workshop for schools & young people come in?

This workshop runs great over a full day

It could also be run as only a half-day workshop with a small group of able students, if their usual teacher/facilitator feels confident to carry it on with them afterwards if extra time was needed. 

It could be run over two half-days, or as 6 x 1-hour after school club sessions.

How many young people can this creative arts workshop for schools & young people workshop accommodate?

It could be up to 30, with at least 2 of their staff, for a group that is easy to manage.  More complex groups of students will need to be smaller.

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