Giacometti In Motion

by Deborrah PagelThe High School of St. Thomas More

Champaign, IL 61822217-352-7210 ext. 413

dpagel@hs-stm.org

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.

• Plaster1. Distribute safety gear2. Cover work surfaces3. 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.