Relief Sculpture Drywall Project

1. Relief SculptureDrywall Project La Paz Community School

2. What does relief mean?

3. How has relief sculpture been used historically?

5. How do contemporary artists use relief techniques?

6. Materials Drywall. (12"x12" or smaller) 1” Gum Erasers Small Sponges Water and spray bottles Small Plastic Cups Popsicle sticks, carving tools, ceramic tools Pencils, glue and paint if you have it.

7. Example of a finished piece

8. Step 1_Drywall This can be done by scoring the drywall on the "right" side with a boxcutter, and then "snapping" it along the score line.

9. Helpful Tip Students can glue their square of drywall (back side down) to a piece of cardboard the same size. This will help to make sure that the piece stays together, even if it cracks while they are working on it.

10. STEP 2_Use sponges (wet, but not dripping) to soften and remove the paper on the front of the board. This takes a lot of time and patience!

11. Step 3_Creating a design in pencil Created designs on newsprint or scrap paper. Transfer these designs in pencil onto their clean plaster surfaces. Keep their designs simple and to keep raised lines or raised areas at least ½” thick due to the fragile nature of the plaster

12. Step 4: Use a small carving tool to outline their design.

13. Gum Erasers Junky 1” gum erasers that are often found in art rooms are really helpful in helping take the paper off. Just use it in a circular motion and you will see the paper magically come off and the smooth pristine plaster surface shining through!!!

14. Helpful Tip As you begin to carve, make sure to keep the surface slightly damp. This will make the drywall easier to carve and it seems to reduce chipping. If they get it too wet, however, it is much more likely to crack.

15. Once that is done, students should switch to a larger tool to more quickly remove areas that they intend to cut away.

19. More Helpful Hints • Add the plaster powder that is produced from the carving to watered down elmer’s glue to make a very thick, plastery paste that can be used to fill in cracks and repair breaks. • Put down newspaper on tables, so that cleanup is easy. • Use a bucket to rinse out sponges and clean tools. Plaster will clog your sinks. • Don’t let students carve too deep. It will make the drywall too fragile. It will break.

20. Students can experiment on scrap pieces of drywall to determine surface treatments that will enhance their pieces. • Acrylic Paint • Watercolor • Ink Washes • Shoepolish (rub on and off to create stain effect). • Spray paint • Metallic gold leaf, paints, etc…

30. Student carving: Sculpture II student

34. Professional Contemporary Relief Artist: Carving in Plaster and sealed

35. A contemporary artists use of drywall to create relief

36. Drywall relief for ornamentation

37. Another contemporary artists use of drywall carving

38. A closeup view

39. Another contemporary relief/plaster artist

42. Additional relief project:Press Mold Tiles

43. 1. The relief tiles are carved from the students‘ ideas into leather hard clay slabs.

44. 2. The original is cast in plaster to create a mold.

45. 3. The mold is used and the tile is hand-pressed and carefully dried.

46. Dry tiles for at least a week and bisque fire. Once done, glaze can be added and a glaze fire can take place.