2nd Graders, Let's Roll!

We're going to learn about sculptures today and then create our own. We're used to working in 3-D with clay, but there are many more ways to create a sculpture!

The artwork above is by artist Richard Sweeney and is made entirely out of paper. This piece is created just by bending and folding the paper in order to create these curves! For our sculpture today, we'll be using paper to create our own 3D sculptures.

What is a sculpture?

What makes sculptures different from other art forms, like paintings and drawings? What can you make a sculpture out of besides clay? Can you think of any famous sculptures?

Let's explore the world of sculpture a little bit further with the video below. Click below to get learn more about different types of sculptures and the artists who create them!

Let's get started!

We're going to be making rolled paper sculptures today! The example to the right is made with black and white images but I'm going to show you a variety of papers you can use to make your own pieces.

To start this project you're going to need a few supplies:

Paper Strips (these should be about 3-4 inches wide and 6 inches or longer)

-try to keep the edges of your strips straight, so they look like long rectangles

Glue I use Elmer's liquid glue, you could try a glue stick but it isn't as strong. If you don't have any glue, you could always use clear tape, but glue is better

A Pencil This is will be used to help you create the paper rolls, anything works

Watch the video below to see the types of papers you can use and how to make the rolls

Try to make about 15-20 different rolled paper tubes before you start your sculpture below. That should be enough to get a good start and you can always make more.

Let's build!

Grab a piece of cardboard to act as a base, because we need something to build our sculpture on. A base is just something for our sculpture to attach to so that it can easily stand on a flat surface. Sometimes bases are made or the same material as the sculpture itself, like with many metal pieces, and wood is commonly used for a base. Since cardboard is stronger than paper and easily available that's what we'll use.

Cut your cardboard into a square or a rectangle. My example is a 4" x 4" square and I wouldn't make yours any smaller than that, but you could go larger.

Watch the video below for how to start with your cardboard base and slowly build up your sculpture. Hot glue makes this project easier but you need parent permissions and probably supervision to use it. I used Elmer's liquid glue for my whole thing, you'll see how that affects the building process. Again, if you don't have glue, you can use tape.

Take breaks!

This is a great project to be working on at home. Sometimes when I tried to add a paper tube, I felt and saw my whole sculpture trying to fall apart! It was balanced and staying, but the glue hadn't dried enough, to make it strong enough to support more weight! If that happens to you, lightly press everything back together and leave it to dry, then come back later and keep adding! Sometimes I even put an object next to my sculpture to help hold a paper roll in place while it dried, so I didn't have to stay there myself!

Don't forget to look at your sculpture at different angles as you build. Because it has the 3rd dimension, depth, it changes as you move around that piece. Don't just look at it from above or one side. Try turning it as you work!

Check out my finished example below! Share yours with me if you create one yourself!