Study Sheets
Elementary Art

Sculpture

Vocabulary:

dimension: A dimension is a measurement. This is what the "D" in the terms "2-D" and "3-D" stands for.

2-D: A two-dimensional object can only be measured two ways, for length (how long) and width (how wide). Two-dimensional art forms are only meant to be viewed from one side, the front. Examples include drawing, painting, and print-making. Using certain techniques such as shading and perspective, they may exhibit the illusion of depth and space.

3-D: Three-dimensional objects can be measured three ways: For length, width, and also for depth (how deep). Examples in art include pottery and sculpture. These are generally meant to be viewed from all sides.

sculpture: A sculpture is a three-dimensional art form that can be made a variety of ways (including by modeling, through carving, by assemblage, and with an armature) using a variety of materials.

modeling: Modeling is shaping clay or some other soft material into a form.

carving: A carving starts with a solid chunk of material (wood, stone, soap, plaster, etc.) and some of it is removed (through cutting, chipping, grinding, sanding, whittling, etc.) until it takes on the desired form.

assemblage: An assemblage sculpture is created by combining (connected by gluing, welding, wiring, etc.) separate pieces of things together to form a whole object.

armature: An armature is a skeletal framework (For example, made with wire, chicken wire, wood, newspaper and tape) which is used to determine the basic structure of the form, and is then covered by some type of material (Often meant to harden-clay, plaster, paper mache`, cement, cloth, etc.).

form: A three-dimensional object...Objects drawn to have the appearance of depth are also referred to as forms. Most objects consist of combinations of and variations on these four forms: cylinder, cone, cube, and sphere.

cylinder: A cylinder has two circular ends, straight sides connecting them (example-soup can).

cone: A cone has a circular base, straight sides coming to a point at the top from that (example-funnel).

sphere: A sphere is a round form, all points on its surface an equal distance from center (example-ball).

cube: A cube is a six-sided form, all sides being squares (example-box).

found-objects: The term "found-objects" in art can mean one of two things: Discarded items (junk) which are made into sculptures (Auto parts welded together, televisions made into shadow-boxes, for example), or commonly found household items (paper plates, paper cups, cardboard cylinders from a roll of paper towels, cans, bottles, clothes-pins, etc.) used to make art.

soft-sculpture: Soft-sculpture is made of cloth, sewn and stuffed (stuffed animals, for example).

relief sculpture: A relief is three-dimensional, but only built up slightly from a flat base.

standing sculpture: A standing sculpture is built upwards into the air, meant to be viewed from all sides.

Entire written contents copyright© 2005 by Ed DeVore