Grade Level
Duration
6 classes periods of 40 minute periods
Materials
Cardboard shoe boxes. foil or plastic garbage bags, wire for hanger to embed in the plaster, plaster, clay
Media
Plaster
Lesson Objectives
Students will learn to define and recognize a bas-relief (low relief) sculpture
Students will cast a plaster relief from a mold created in clay.
Student will consider three dimensional thing and apply compositional skills to three dimensional space.
Students will finish work that will emphasize the texture and space.
Introductory Activity
Teacher should introduce artwork and artists who worked in bas relief. Relief style art work can be found on friezes on the Parthenon or carvings on the side of old buildings and on gravestones as well. Artists who worked in relief might include Louise Nevelson, Lauren Collin, Goga Tandashvili, Duffy London
Students should be introduced to the concepts of a mold. The teacher might consider showing students common molds used in ever day life- toys like play dough, molds in the kitchen- used for cookies and candies, butter molds, etc. The teacher might talk about how manufacturing uses molds.
Show students example of plaster reliefs and the use of clay as a mold. Once you have taught the project once, document the project and show that to future students as well as student examples.
Lesson Process
Have student create the old. Start with the shoe box and line with plastic cut from a garbage bag. Static should spill over the sides. Fill the box with slabs
Vocabulary
Cast, Plaster of Paris, Mold, Patina, Positive and Negative Space, Relief (bas-relief) Wash
Resources
Author & Website/Blog
Supporting Images
