Fifth grade art students have recently been creating relief sculptures of sea animals. Students used the grid method to draw from photos. They transferred their drawings of aquatic animals to Styrofoam sheets which they cut out with hacksaw blades. One end of the blade has been wrapped with paper and tape to make a protective handle. The form of each animal is built with paper and tape on the Styrofoam base, which most students have reinforced with splints made of popsicle sticks and tape. The back of the sculpture remains flat so that it can hang on a wall when finished. After sculpting the form of the sea animal, students will apply paper mache and glitter glue to create a colorful skin. They will make hanging hooks with paper clips and screws.
A relief sculpture is a form of art that projects from a background surface. When hung, these sea animal sculptures will appear to emerge from the wall, in the way that the head on a coin projects from a flat surface.
