Sculpture Badge
Transcription
Sculpture Badge
Sculpture Badge This badge teaches the creation and appreciation of three dimensional artwork. Scouts will choose to learn about a variety of materials and techniques applicable for those materials, from preparation, safe use of tools, decorating and embellishing, and finishing techniques. Sculptural techniques fall in three main groups: assembly, additive methods (both modeling and molding and casting) and subtractive methods (carving). Sculptural forms range very widely: figures and figurines (whether anthropomorphic or zoomorphic), abstract structures, lawn and garden ornaments and structures, mobiles, altar fittings, dramatic props and masks, jewelry (sculptural artforms designed to be worn), models of vehicles and landscape forms, and even functional containers for the table (pottery). Scouts will learn at a general level about multiple groups, but will be able to choose to focus on a favorite form and its associated techniques as they go through the levels. In order to appreciate sculpture, scouts will learn about the elements of design, sculpture in history and culture, the role of the artist, and sculpture in mythology and religion. Main themes of the sculpture badge through the levels: • Materials and Techniques • Sculptural Forms and Uses • Appreciation: Elements of Design, History and Culture, Mythology, Artists Sculpture (RainDrops) Pick 3 activities: 1. Make a pet rock or some other sculpture by gluing things to rocks and painting them. OR Make a skinny sculpture from bending pipe cleaners into a shape and decorating with other materials. OR Make a sculpture by connecting miniature marshmallows with toothpicks. 2. Make a pinch bowl out of clay, play-dough, or some other modeling compound. 3. With an adult or an older Scout, make homemade play-dough and bring it into your circle or hearth to share. To the best of your ability, explain how you made the play-dough. 4. With an adult or an older Scout, make a wax or plaster cast of your hand or foot. 5. Make a sand castle or a snowman. Are sand castles and/or snowmen fun to make? How did the sand or snow feel? Was it easy or difficult to make a sculpture out of sand or snow? 6. Create a sculpture using any medium and share it with your circle or hearth. 7. Show your circle or hearth a picture of a sculpture from a book, museum, or sculpture garden, and pose just like it. Is it difficult to keep the pose? What do you like about this sculpture? 8. Play a game of statues (sculpture tag) with your circle or hearth. 9. Read or have read to you a book about sculpture, such as 3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet by Bob Raczka, Snowballs by Lois Ehlert, or Fairy Houses by Tracy Kane. 10. Visit a museum or a sculpture garden. Share the experience with your circle or hearth. Which sculpture did you like best? Why? 11. Find or create another activity related to this badge. Get one of your leaders to approve the activity, and then complete the activity. Award Completed:_______________________________________________________ Scout Signature: ____________________________________Date:________________ Adult Signature:____________________________________ Date:________________ Sculpture (FireFlies) Required: 1. 2. List some common materials used to make sculptures. Make a sculpture. Choose from one of the following: • a. Assembly (do one of optional requirements 3-6) • b. Additive (do one of optional requirements 7-12) • c. Subtractive (do one of optional requirements 13-14) Optional (Pick 2): 1. Learn about a sculpture. Pick a sculpture from a book, website or other source. What material was it made from? What was the technique called? What country did it come from? When was it made? Do we know who made it? Do you like it? Why? 2. Can you give examples for what these elements of design mean: Color, Line, Texture, Shapes/Form, Space, Value? Assembly 3. Make a pet rock or some other sculpture by gluing things to rocks and painting them. 4. Assemble found objects onto larger base objects with tape or glue. 5. Make a fairy house 6. Make a mobile (kinetic sculpture) Additive: Modeling 7. Make a pinch bowl out of clay, play-dough, or some other modeling compound. 8. Make homemade play-dough and bring it into your circle or hearth to share. To the best of your ability, explain how you made the play-dough. Additive: Molding and Casting 9. With an adult or an older Scout, make a wax or plaster cast of your hand or foot. 10. With an adult or an older Scout, cast sidewalk chalk in simple plastic soap molds from plaster of Paris and powdered tempera paint. Pay attention to safety in mixing the plaster. 11. Learn about using the molding process by casting gelatin into edible sculptures: mix the gelatin, pour into mold, let gel, place additives (fruit), mix and pour the second layer, allow to cure, and unmold. 12. Make a project from a flexible mold with polymer clay, air dry clay or paper clay. Subtractive 13. Make a sand or snow sculpture. Are sand castles and/or snowmen fun to make? How did the sand or snow feel? Was it easy or difficult to make a sculpture out of sand or snow? 14. Carve a bar of soap into a sculpture, or carve a block of paraffin or wax, or a soft stone made from vermiculite mixed with plaster of Paris. These can be carved with plastic picnic knives or a small pocketknife, with toothpicks for adding details. Decorating and Finishing 15. Visit a "paint your own pottery" type of store that provides premade pottery/sculptural items, provides studio space for painting, and then glazes and fires your item for you. Pick a project, and paint it with your own design. Other 16. Read or have read to you a book about sculpture, sculptors or potters, such as Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill illustrated by Bryan Collier or Forest Secrets: A Fairy Houses Mystery by Tracy Kane and Kelly Sanders, or learn a myth about sculpture or pottery or a deity associated with sculpture or pottery such as Pygmalion, the golem, gargoyles, Khnum, etc.. 17. Play a game of statues (sculpture tag) with your circle or hearth. 18. Visit a museum or a sculpture garden. Identify the country, culture or stylistic tradition the sculptures are associated with, as well as the materials and general methods used. Share what you have learned with your circle or hearth. 19. Exhibit your work at a fair, exposition, craft show or other venue. 20. Find or create another activity related to this badge. Get one of your leaders to approve the activity, and then complete the activity. Award Completed:_______________________________________________________ Scout Signature: ____________________________________Date:________________ Adult Signature:____________________________________ Date:________________ Sculpture (SpiralScouts) Prerequisites: Complete the Sculpture badge as a FireFly. OR 1. 2. Be able to list some common materials used to make sculptures. Have experience making a sculpture. Required: 1. 2. 3. Explore Materials and Techniques. For each of the following, choose a material, learn about how it is prepared for use, and learn what tools are used and the safety rules, then try a technique to make a small exploratory sample-size piece (such as a maquette). Choose from two of the following groups: a. Assembly (do one of optional requirements 4-6) b. Additive (do one of optional requirements 7-15) c. Subtractive (do one of optional requirements 16-18) Learn about the Elements of Design. • Value and Color • Form and Shape • Line and Space • Texture • Balance, Pattern and Rhythm • Movement, Contrast and Emphasis • Unity Pick a culture, prehistoric or historical era (which could be the current era), and learn about a sculptural form. What materials were used? What do we know about how they were prepared, and what tools and techniques were used? Were the artists anonymous, or is there a famous artist you can find out about? Optional (Pick 3): 1. 2. 3. Create a sculpture of a person. Share examples of famous sculptures with your circle. Identify different styles of sculpture from different periods and cultures. Include sculptures other than stone or clay. Assembly 4. Build and decorate a plastic, vinyl or resin model from a kit. 5. Assemble a sculpture from common materials, such as rubber bands, paper folding (origami), balloons, Legos, perler beads fused into a 3-D structure, etc. 6. Make a mobile (kinetic sculpture) from any materials you like. Additive: Modeling 7. Make a mask, box, cup, bowl or sculpture from papier mache. 8. Make a batch of baker's clay (salt clay), create a bowl, pinch pot or other sculpture, bake it, and paint it. 9. Craft a character from multiple colors of polymer clay, or form rolled polymer clay around another structure (such as a glass candle votive), or shape a holiday ornament or jewelry pendant and decorate with stamps or other texturing tools, powdered coloring agents, or paint. Bake at the appropriate stage. 10. What is an armature? Why is it used and what are some common ways for making one? 11. Learn about the four stages of ceramic process: building with wet clay, detailing with leather-hard clay, decorating on bone-dry clay, and firing in the kiln. How do you join clay when it is soft? How do you join it when it is leather-hard? Additive: Molding and Casting 12. Use a purchased mold and cast gelatin, soap, wax or candy. How do you release the final molded item? How is the process the same as a harder material like resin, and how is it different? 13. Cast sidewalk chalk in simple plastic soap molds from plaster of Paris and powdered tempera paint. Pay attention to safety in mixing the plaster. 14. What casting materials can be used with plastic, polypropylene, polymer clay, rubber, silicone and sand molds? What is the master? What is mold release? What is an undercut? 15. Learn about the differences between clear casting, plaster casting, cement casting and hypertufa casting. What are the differences between the materials used? What safety practices are necessary for working with these materials? Choose one and try a sample with the technique you've chosen. Subtractive 16. Make a sand or snow sculpture. What factors are important for making the original block hold together well enough to be carved? What tools did you use for the carving? 17. Practice carving a bar of soap, a block of paraffin or wax. These can be carved with plastic picnic knives or a small pocketknife, with toothpicks for adding details. 18. Practice carving basswood or soapstone (you can use a kit if you like). These are relatively soft materials, but will still require actual carving tools. What safety practices do you need to observe to work with carving tools? Decorating and Finishing 19. Research and learn about kilns and the firing process and share with your circle or hearth. You could do research in books or the Internet or you could visit a working potter, sculptor who works with clay or a "paint your own pottery" type of store that provides pre-made pottery/sculptural items, provides studio space for painting, and then glazes and fires the item for the customer. Interview the person to learn details about the glazing and firing process. 20. Experiment with firing primitive pottery in a campfire or garbage can (also called smoke firing or pit firing) Other 21. Read a book or watch a documentary about sculpture, sculptors, potters or masons. 22. Find a sculpture of a deity or supernatural being in a museum, book or on the Internet. What culture found meaning in this deity or being? What are some of the myths or legends associated with him/her/it? Share what you have learned with your circle or hearth. 23. Exhibit your work at a fair, exposition, craft show or other venue. 24. Invent a game that teaches sculptural or design principles and play it with your circle or hearth. 25. Visit a museum or a sculpture garden. Pick a sculpture and learn about it using any outher sources you like (library, internet, interview, etc.). What country, culture and era is it from? Who made it? What materials were used? How was it made? Are these the same methods used today to to make similar items? Share what you've learned with your circle or hearth. 26. Find or create another activity related to this badge. Get one of your leaders to approve the activity, and then complete the activity. Award Completed:_______________________________________________________ Scout Signature: ____________________________________Date:________________ Adult Signature:____________________________________ Date:________________ Sculpture (PathFinders) Prerequisites: Complete the Sculpture badge as a SpiralScout OR 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Be able to list some common materials used to make sculptures. Have experience making a sculpture. Explore Materials and Techniques. Have done two projects (assembly, additive, or subtractive) with the following steps: choose a material, learn about how it is prepared for use, and learn what tools are used and the safety rules, then try a technique to make a small exploratory sample-size piece (such as a maquette). Be able to discuss the Elements of Design. • Value and Color • Form and Shape • Line and Space • Texture • Balance, Pattern and Rhythm • Movement, Contrast and Emphasis • Unity Be able to discuss a sculptural form from a culture (prehistoric, historic or modern). What materials were used? What do we know about how they were prepared, and what tools and techniques were used? Were the artists anonymous, or is there a famous artist you can find out about? Required: 1. 2. Explore Materials and Techniques used by professional sculptors. For each category, choose a material, learn what variants there are for that material, learn how to prepare it properly to get it ready to use, learn what tools are used and the safety rules, learn the steps to create the sculpture, options for surface decoration and how a project is finished and installed. For each of the following, either create a report addressing the above points or create a small exploratory sample-size piece (maquette) that explores a particular technique (don't repeat the same exact material/technique combination done at the FireFly or SpiralScout level): a. Assembly (do one of optional requirements 4-6) b. Additive (do one of optional requirements 7-15) c. Subtractive (do one of optional requirements 16-18) Create a masterwork. Using a material and technique group that you have experience working with, research possible forms, design the project on paper or make a maquette, prepare the materials, build, decorate and finish the project. Include the appropriate steps for mounting or installing the sculpture if appropriate. Be able to describe your project in terms of elements of design, and any historical, cultural, religious or mythological inspirations. Optional (Pick 3): 1. 2. Create a sculpture of something in motion. Compare sculptures made from at least 3 different materials. Explain how the different materials give a different feeling to each of the sculptures. 3. Compare and contrast sculptures made from at least 3 different cultures and historical eras. Assembly 4. Assemble a sculpture from common materials, such as rubber bands, paper folding, balloons, legos, perler beads fused into a 3-D structure, etc. Document or demonstrate for your circle or hearth the different techniques used to form the sculpture. 5. Learn methods for metal assembly, such as wire wrapping and jewelrymaking techniques. Make a project using your favorite technique. 6. What tools and techniques are recommended for doing a more professionallooking job of assembling and decorating a plastic, vinyl or resin model from a kit. Additive: Modeling 7. Create a modeled project, choosing your forming technique, material, preparing the material, modeling, determining if supporting structures are needed, decorating and finishing it. 8. Practice conditioning polymer clay and making different kinds of polymer clay canes, and use them in a project. 9. Learn about the different categories of clay ware: earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, raku clay, sculpting clay, casting clay, low-shrink clay, paper clay, colored clay and bone china. Address their appearance, grog content, firing temperature and typical uses. 10. What are the parts of a potter's wheel, and what are the safety rules needed for using it? What is wedging the clay, and why do you do it? How do you attach the clay to the wheel head, and how do you center it? How is a project cut off the wheel? What is trimming a foot? 11. What are the options for supporting structures or armatures when creating a clay sculpture? 12. Build a lawn or garden sculpture or functional structure with raw clay (i.e. unfired clay: cob, adobe, etc.) Additive: Molding and Casting 13. Research movie prop making or the process a commercial action figure takes from brainstorming through production (including the wax, silicone mold making, and hardcopies). 14. Make a simulated landscape using molded and casted forms. 15. Make a sculpture or project using clear casting, plaster casting, cement casting or hypertufa casting. Acquire or create the mold, mix and pour the casting material, release it from the mold and finish and decorate it appropriately. Justify why you chose the materials and techniques you did for your project. Subtractive 16. Carve a sculpture from any material. Use the appropriate tools and follow the appropriate safety rules. 17. Research stonemasons in Gothic times, the possible origin of the term freemason, and gargoyles and their close cousins: carved heads, such as the Green Man, Hagodays, Janus heads, Sheila-na-gigs, etc. Share what you have learned with your circle or hearth. 18. Research the history, legends and process of making giant sculptures and figures carved into hillsides, such as the Cerne Giant, Mount Rushmore, or the Crazy Horse Memorial. Share what you have learned with your circle or hearth. Decorating and Finishing 19. Research and learn about kilns and the firing process and share with your circle or hearth. 20. Experiment with firing primitive pottery in a campfire or garbage can (also called smoke firing or pit firing). 21.. Practice different painting techniques for plaster items to simulate finishes such as tarnished silver, gold leaf, rust, pewter, pearl, verdigris, terra cotta, antique ivory, and aged plaster. 22. Mosaic can be a beautiful surface finish for 3-dimensional objects. Practice basic mosaic techniques: priming, working with mastic, grouting and cutting tiles. 23. How are CAD software and 3-D printers used in sculpture designing? 24. Read a book or watch a documentary about sculpture, sculptors, potters or masons. 25. Find a sculpture of a deity or supernatural being in a museum, book or on the Internet. What culture found meaning in this deity or being? What are some of the myths or legends associated with him/her/it? Share what you have learned with your circle or hearth. 26. Exhibit your work at a fair, exposition, craft show or other venue. 27. Teach younger Scouts some aspect of sculpture. 28. Visit a museum or a sculpture garden. Pick a sculpture and learn about it. What era is it from? Who made it? How was it made? Share what you've learned with your circle or hearth. (what else do they need to learn?) 29. Find or create another activity related to this badge. Get one of your leaders to approve the activity, and then complete the activity. Award Completed:_______________________________________________________ Scout Signature: ____________________________________Date:________________ Adult Signature:____________________________________ Date:________________ Resources the Badge Committee Found Useful for Sculpture RainDrop level: • Recipe for homemade play-dough: http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,10,homemade_playdoh,FF.html • Instructions for making a plaster cast of a hand or foot if you don’t want to buy a kit: http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/plastercasting_sesp.htm • Skinny sculptures - http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/skinnysculptures/ • Sand Castle Central - http://www.sandcastlecentral.com/index.html • The Game of Statues / Sculpture Tag http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statues_(game) FireFly level: Assembly: Theme Sculptures Mudworks: Creative Clay, Dough, and Modeling Experiences (Bright Ideas for Learning) MaryAnn F. Kohl - more than 100 recipes for dough, plaster, clay and other modeling mixtures Sand Castle Central - http://www.sandcastlecentral.com/index.html Tips and Tricks for Sand Sculpture: http://www.sandtools.com/tips.html Carving a block of paraffin: Paraffin can be found at a grocery store (in the canning section). It is extremely flammable, so this part is done by an adult: melt it slowly over low heat in a double boiler. It can be colored by adding pieces of crayon to the melting wax. Once it is fully melted, pour it into a clean, empty waxed milk carton and allow it to cool and harden for a day. The next day, peel away the carton. Making soft stone: 3 scoops vermiculite to 2 scoops plaster of Paris and 2 scoops of water. Mix in a bucket with a stick. It should look like thick gravy. Pour the plaster into the empty milk carton. It will turn hard in about 15 minutes, and be ready to carve in about 1/2 hour. After 1/2 hour, peel away the milk carton. NEVER POUR LEFTOVER PLASTER DOWN THE DRAIN. Dump it right in the garbage. Use old or disposable tools to carve - nothing good, as it will ruin them. Good tools - plastic spoon, nail for carving details. Work over a newspaper, scraping plaster away with the plastic spoon. It will stay soft for 2 or 3 days if you wrap it in a plastic bag when you stop to rest. When you're finished, let it dry for 2 weeks. Varnish when it's completely dry to protect and finish. http://www.kinderart.com/sculpture/ Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill (Author), Bryan Collier (Illustrator) Forest Secrets: A Fairy Houses Mystery by Tracy Kane and Kelly Sanders SpiralScout level: Good discussion of elements of design: Foundations in Polymer Clay design by Barbara A. McGuire Baker's Clay 4 cups flour 1 cup salt 1 1/2 cups - 1 3/4 cups water 2-3 drops food coloring if desired. Mix all the ingredients together. Knead for 10 minutes to condition it for modeling. To harden, shape and air-dry for about 48 hours, or bake in a 250 degree oven for about 1 hour. After it hardens, paint (liquid tempera) or decorate and then varnish. Kinetic sculpture could be made from craft foam stacked shapes attached by wires. It is common to make papier mache sculptures by covering an armature of wadded folded newspapers (taped with masking tape) and/or a blown-up balloon if you want a round/head type shape. polymer clay is a fine particle clay (Sculpey or Premo) a stronger clay such as Cernit, Pro-Sculpt or Diamond Paperclay. I've also had good luck with Paperclay or the air-dry polymer "Makin's Clay" if you'd prefer to avoid the baking step) Polymer Clay Jewelry painted with Acrylic Paints use flexible molds with POURED materials (Utee, Wax, Soap, Hot Glue etc.) Utee: Poured embossing powder Resin: Usually resin comes in a two to three part system: resin, catalyst (hardener) and color (oil based inks/dye.) Follow manufacturer instructions for mixing and pour into mold. Usually resin takes 24-72 hours to set. Since molds are shaped to the item cast, you'll need to build a base to keep it level with your table. Lego blocks work well for building temporary bases. flexible molds: http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/artdoll.html Simple example of wire frame armature covered with air-dry modeling clay for a sculpture in Cool Sculpture: The Art of Creativity For Kids! by Anders Hanson Casting (source: Casting for Crafters by Marie Browning) • Clear Casting o Two-Part Epoxy Casting Resin (resin and hardener are mixed together and the resulting chemical reaction hardens the resin) - casting small objects, such as sculptures for jewelry pendants and matching beads, furniture knobs, coasters, mattings for picture frames, or adhering items to glass or ceramic tiles o Polyester Casting Resin (a catalyst (hardener) is added to resin to produce a chemical reaction that generates heat and hardens the resin - cast crystal • • • clear plastic shapes and embed objects in the resin to create memory pieces, such as paperweights o Items can be embedded in resin Plaster Casting (such as hydrocal used by model railroad builders) - gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate) that is treated with heat and ground to a fine powder forms plaster. When rehydrated with water, it reacts chemically to form a rigid, strong crystal. - create paintable castings for use in home decor. Never pour excess plaster down a drain. Cement Casting - cement is a dry powder and concrete is the finished product good for making waterproof, long-lasting castings for the lawn and garden, such as garden edgers or stepping stones. Hypertufa Casting - pourous walled spongy rock made from Portland cement, sand, peat moss, and vermiculite or perlite. good for making planters, birdbaths or fountains. Step by Step Papier Mâché by Judy Balchin - has instructions for making a celtic goblet, indian frame, carnival headdress, mexican bowl, gothic mirror, egyptian cat, aztec necklace, roman box, and african pencil pot. The Kids 'n' Clay Ceramics Book by Kevin Niernan • Handbuilding o Pinch Pots o Coil Method o Slab Method and Press Molds • Sculptures o Supporting the clay (newspaper or wire armature) o Poking holes in hollow closed objects to let trapped steam escape in the kiln and prevent project from cracking or exploding • Wheel-Throwing Recommends smooth, low-fire clay that has a cone of 06 to 04 (the temperature at which clay become ceramic), low-fire nontoxic underglazes and glazes. Polymer clay varieties: FIMO, Sculpey, Super Sculpey, Sculpey III, Sculpey Premo, Sculpey Granitex, Sculpey Super Flex, Liquid Sculpey, Cernit One sculptural form that is fruitful to investigate is the mask. Masks can be made of a multitude of materials (plaster gauze or cast plaster, clay, laminated paper, papier-mache, buckram, wire, celastic, carved wood, etc.) They have been used for more than 30000 years on all six continents, and are often used in earth spirituality ritual. Nice resource that goes into to detail into history, cultural forms and how to make masks of various materials (including the plaster gauze process for making a mold of the face): Carole Sivin, Maskmaking. Clay Characters for Kids by Maureen Carlson Mudworks: Creative Clay, Dough, and Modeling Experiences (Bright Ideas for Learning) by MaryAnn F. Kohl - more than 100 recipes for dough, plaster, clay and other modeling mixtures Michelangelo (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia The Story of Sculpture : From prehistory to the present by Francesca Romei and Giacinto Gaudenzi Hands on Sculpting: From Your First Trip to the Art Store to a Fun and Relaxing Hobby in a Truly Satisfying Art by Dottie Erdmann Oberon Zell Presents: Gargoyles: From the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry. By Susan "Moonwriter" Pesznecker http://www2.goshen.edu/~marvinpb/arted/clay-assemblage.html - Learning how to join clay Rubb-Origami: The Art of Creating Rubber Band Sculptures by Smatt and Charlie Read. Step by step instruction for building a rubber band man from 12 thick rubber bands, 29 medium rubber bands, 38 thin rubber bands and 21 colored rubber bands. The following techniques are used: LAT (loop and twist), link, thread, dual link, tucked link, tucked dual link, joint cover, criss-cross, endcap. Primitive pottery is covered in some detail in Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills. This book also shows how to make assemblage sculptures from green willow twigs (Split-Willow Figures) PathFinder level: At this level, we do want scouts to learn about using professional grade materials and tools, if possible. However, many of these are extremely messy (and can ruin home plumbing if disposed of improperly) and some can be toxic. Tools can potentially be dangerous and require expert training (e.g. welding), or very expensive (e.g. a kiln). If access to a professional studio (such as through a formal class) is not possible, research presented as written reports / video compilations can be substituted, and the hands-on work can continue to be done with home-grade materials and techniques. Note that it is fine to incorporate explorations done for Required #1 into the final Required #2 project, but it is not required - they can be completely separate. Making polymer clay canes and using them: Polymer Clay for the First Time by Syndee Holt Creating Life-Like Figures in Polymer Clay: a step-by-step guide by Katherine Dewey Sculpting Basics: Everything you need to know to create fantastic threedimensional art by Karin Hessenberg cob: Living Earth Structures site: http://www.livingearthstructures.com/ or if you want a book about making sculpture from cob: Dig Your Hands in the Dirt: A Manual For Making Art Out Of Earth by Kiko Denzer cultures-n-clay: http://culturesnclay.wordpress.com pottery.about.com The Stone Foundation: http://www.stonefoundation.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonemasonry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_carving My Heap: http://www.myheap.com/book/chapter-00/introduction.php (Mold making, casting, creating masters for molds and basically any information to aid in the development of such devices) Action Figure process: http://www.behindthetoys.com/features/creation.asp The 20+ best Sculpting, Molding, Casting and Toy Making Resources: http://www.smallstuff.ch/sculpting/the-20-best-sculpting-recources-andtutorials/ Jewelry Studio: Wire Wrapping by Linda Chandler and Christine Ritchey (Interweave Press) stepbystepwire.com - Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine If you have the desier and access to metalworking equipment and training, brazing, welding and riveting could be explored instead of metal jewelry techniques. Or you could explore metal sculptures from a research angle only. One place to start is John Plowman's The Encyclopedia of Sculpting Techniques, which covers metal as well as stoney, wood and clay. Cement goes back to the ancient Romans, although the technique was lost after the fall of Rome and not rediscovered until the 18th century in the west. An excellent book on concrete sculpture (history, examples and techniques) is Creating with Concrete: Yard Art, Sculpture & Garden Projects by Sherri Warner Hunter Carving could be chip carving or relief carving on wood (such as to make a sign), not just carving in the round. You could practice working with chisels or dremel tools.