Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Blue and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

I hope you find our lesson as interesting as I do.

Let's get started.

The outcome of this lesson is I can analyze how space, proportion and technique affect sculpture and apply this to my own creative making.

Let's go over our keywords: negative space: the empty space around and within a sculpture, that shapes its impact.

Proportion: how individual parts of a sculpture relate in size to each other and the whole.

Technique: the practical method used, for example, carving, modeling, assembling, and casting.

Let's start with exploring space and scale.

What do these two sculptures have in common and what makes them different? Pause the video while you decide.

When analyzing a sculpture, we may consider space, proportion, technique, and materials.

Jacob says, "Both artworks are 3D sculptures.

They both take space and have volume.

They have very different surface textures." Aisha says, "One is made from a shiny metallic material in bright colors, and the second is much more natural in materials, color and texture." A sculpture is more than its outside shape.

The negative space inside and around it changes how we see it.

Proportion and scale affect how the sculpture relates to people and its surroundings.

Different techniques such as carving, modeling, assembling, and casting create different meanings.

Artists around the world use sculpture to express culture, identity and imagination.

What does negative space refer to in relation to a sculpture? How might artists utilize negative space in sculpture? Pause the video while you come up with some ideas.

Negative space is the empty space around, between or inside parts of a sculpture.

Negative space can be as important as the solid material.

It may include openings, gaps and holes, which change how light and shadow move through the work.

It can make a sculpture feel lighter, heavier, calm, or dramatic.

Invites viewers to look through, around and inside a sculpture.

Sculptures use negative space as much as solid form.

Gaps, holes and openings created through negative space can make the sculpture feel lighter or more dynamic.

Negative space can create movement and rhythm in a design, Artists use negative space in their sculptures in different ways.

Rasheed Araeen uses geometric frameworks where the steel lines and the surrounding space work together as one sculpture.

Do Ho Suh transforms space by building translucent fabric houses that viewers can physically enter and walk through.

Louise Bourgeois filled spaces with her giant spider "Maman." This large scale sculpture surrounded viewers, evoking both a protective and threatening feeling.

Guadalupe Maravilla creates assemblages that shape ritualistic spaces, layering objects to form healing and protective environments.

Let's decide if this is true or false.

Negative space is just empty background and does not affect how we see a sculpture.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because negative space shapes the way light, shadow and perspective interacts with the sculpture, changing how we experience it.

Let's have a look at proportion and scale.

Proportion is how different parts of the sculpture relate in size to each other.

Balanced proportions create harmony.

Unusual proportions create tension or drama.

Scale is the size of the sculpture compared to the viewer or its surroundings.

A sculpture can feel powerful, fragile, overwhelming, or intimate depending on the scale.

What techniques and materials may have been used to create this sculpture? Have a look and pause the video while you come up with a response.

Sculptors use different techniques to shape materials and ideas, including: carving: cutting away from wood, stone or soap.

Modeling: building forms in clay or wax.

Assembling: joining materials like card, metal or found objects.

Casting: pouring liquid materials into a mold to set.

Each technique gives a different look, texture and meaning.

Sculpture interacts with space around it.

A sculpture never exists in one fixed angle.

Sculptures change as we move.

Sculptures may be experienced in a variety of spaces.

For example: Outdoor works, which use the landscape, sky or architecture as part of the artwork.

Indoor works: using galleries, rooms, and lighting to shape the viewer's experience.

Variety: moving around a sculpture reveals new perspectives and a variety of shapes.

Space changes with viewpoint.

Negative spaces look different from every angle.

Angles change how voids and solids relate.

What seems empty from one side may appear full from another angle.

Movement can reveal hidden or surprising details.

Let's think about how light and shadow can reveal space.

Light and shadow can pass through gaps and create new shapes and patterns, extending the sculpture beyond its physical form, changing how the sculpture is perceived.

Negative space interacts with light to create drama or subtlety.

The size of a sculpture compared to the viewer or environment is called.

A: balance, B: proportion, or C: scale? Pause the video while you work out the correct answer.

If you Said C, you'd be correct.

Why? Because scale is about the size of a sculpture in relation to people and surroundings, which changes how the work is experienced.

So how does the scale of this circular negative space impact how the sculpture feels? Pause the video while you come up with an answer.

The size of the negative space changes how a sculpture feels, including: big voids feeling open and dramatic and small gaps feeling delicate or hidden.

Balance is impacted, including how solids and spaces are arranged.

Proportion of the negative space to solid can make a sculpture feel stable or unstable.

Your task now is to explore negative space through planning a 3D form.

Show both solid form and negative space.

Sketch four to six quick designs.

Shade the solid and leave negative space white.

Pick one or two to develop further.

Keep drawing quick, bold, and experimental.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

Your response may have looked something like this.

It may have included negative space, ideas of scale and color or tone.

The second part of your task is to explore negative space through constructing a 3D form.

Create a simple sculpture that frames and holds negative space.

Use card, wire, tape or clay.

Cut and join carefully.

Check the structure from different angles.

Your response may have looked something like this.

This student has used cardboard and stone.

Now, the third part of your task is to experiment and reflect on the impact of light on your 3D form.

Explore how light, shadow, and scale change the sculpture's impact.

Shine a torch on your 3D form or use window light.

Place objects nearby to experiment with scale.

Photograph and sketch to document your findings or write your observations.

Pause the video while you work on this part of the task.

Your response may have looked something like this.

These are all great examples of how light and shadow changes the sculpture and how the viewer might experience it.

Part two is experimenting with techniques.

Sculptors use different techniques to shape material and ideas.

Materials, scale and construction all work together to shape the final artwork.

There are a wide variety of sculptural techniques, each with distinct properties.

Carving, modeling, assembling and casting each create unique textures and forms. Choosing a technique changes how a sculpture looks, feels and communicates meaning.

Experimenting lets you discover which technique best expresses your concept.

Curving removes material to create form.

Works with wood, stone, foam, or soap.

Solid parts are revealed while negative space can be cut out.

It gives sharp edges, smooth curves or texture, depending on the tools used.

Requires planning; once material is removed, it can't be added back.

Modeling builds up materials to make form.

Works with clay, wax, plaster or papier-mache.

You can add shape and smooth to create texture and detail.

Allows experimentation and changes as you go.

Good for both realistic and abstract forms. Assembling joins materials together to create form.

Works with card, wire, wood, metal, fabric or found objects.

Combines solids and gaps; negative space can be framed intentionally.

Great for experimenting with unusual shapes or mixed materials.

Strength and balance are important for stability.

Casting pours a material into a mold to make a sculpture.

Works with plaster, resin, metal, or concrete.

Reproduces shapes exactly from the mold.

Allows detailed surfaces or repeated forms. Can create large or small sculptures depending on the mold.

Which of the following statements is correct? Is it A: carving adds material to create form and you can change it easily, B: Modeling removes materials from a solid block to reveal the shape, C: Assembling joins material from a solid block to reveal the shape, or D: casting cannot reproduce a shape from a mold? Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

If you said, C, you'd be correct.

Why? Because assembling combines materials to create a sculpture.

and the gaps or negative spaces can be part of the design.

Artists choose different techniques because each method creates unique effects, meanings and textures.

Sokari Douglas Camp uses welded steel to create large, expressive figures, turning an industrial material into lively cultural stories.

Francis Upritchard works with polymer clay and mixed media, using fragile, colorful surfaces to give her small figures a strange, human quality.

Alberto Giacometti uses plaster and bronze, layering rough textures to make thin, elongated figures that feel ghostly and fragile.

Laura Ford combines bronze, textiles and found objects, using playful materials to create sculptures that look like dark fairy-tale characters.

Now, let's think about techniques and their meaning.

How do techniques change the meaning of the work? Calming can feel permanent or monumental.

Modeling can capture movement or emotion.

Assembling can suggest identity, memory, or storytelling.

Casting can replicate reality in surprising ways.

Which technique matches your idea best? Pause the video while you have a think.

Materials and expression.

The materials you choose change how a sculpture is understood.

Think about soft versus hard, natural versus synthetic, fragile versus strong.

Each creates a different impact.

What material would strengthen your idea? How might your local area influence your ideas? Pause the video while you come up with a response.

Let's decide if this is true or false.

Assembling is always less powerful than carving.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

The correct answer is false.

Why? Because each technique can be powerful in different ways, depending on the artist's intention and meaning.

Your task now is to plan your idea.

You might develop your ideas from Task A or establish a new focus.

Will you focus on negative space, proportion, or technique? Which material fits your ideas best? Is it clay, card, plaster, wire, or found objects? Which techniques will you try? Carving, modeling, assembling, or casting? How can you bring your own ideas and experiences into your work? Write down your thoughts and ideas in paragraphs or as a mind map.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

Your response may have looked something like this.

Lucas says, "I would like to try assembling found objects because it links to memory and identity." Andeep says, "My idea is to carve soap so I can explore how negative space changes the form." Laura says, "I'll use wire and card together to experiment with the fragile versus strong materials." The second part of your task is to experiment with techniques.

Develop your ideas by exploring and experimenting with different materials and techniques.

Choose a technique like carving, modeling, assembling, or casting.

Select a material that fits your idea and consider how the chosen material affects the meaning of your work.

Create a small maquette that explores space, proportion and technique.

Take photos and add annotation in your sketchbook.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

Your response may have looked something like this.

Have a look at these examples.

Your work may have included different materials, negative space, purposeful use of lighting.

Task three is to reflect on your work.

Review the experimentation from this lesson and think about and respond to the following questions: Which technique best expressed your idea and why? How did negative space affect your outcome? What role did proportion or scale play in your piece? Did the material change how the sculpture felt or looked? What would you change or develop further next time? Pause the video while you work on this task.

Your response may have looked something like this.

Jacob says, "Negative space made my maquette feel more open and less heavy.

If I did it again as a final outcome.

I'd change the scale and proportion because it feels too small to have an impact.

Using clay helped me show movement, which card couldn't do as well." To summarize, a 3D sculpture is not about the outside shape, but also the negative space around and within it, which changes how we see and feel the work.

The proportion of different parts and overall scale affects how the sculpture relates to the viewer and its environment.

Different techniques such as carving, modeling, assembling, and casting give artists ways to express ideas and create meaning.

Thank you so much for listening and paying attention in this lesson.

See you next time.