Very often known as wire wrap, wire sculpture usually finds applications in the domain of jewelry design. Wire sculpture is very easy to perform or experiment with since the tools are very basic and the work as such is not demanding at all. There are many people who take up wire sculpture as a hobby and perform it in home studios after attending some training to learn the main techniques of this art.

 

Among the tools necessary for wire sculpture we should mention: wire cutters, mandrels, file, pliers and pin vises. Then, the type of wire is also responsible for the artistic effects you want to achieve.

Decorative metals are the best to be included in wire sculpture applications, particularly in cross section. Nevertheless, beads and gems also find a great place in the design of jewelry, for instance. Hence, copper is favored by many artists for their wire sculptures as it is available in any hardware store and it is very easy to work with. However, other metals bring other challenges and every time you want to try something new in terms of wire sculpture, you can start by changing the type of wire. Gold and silver wires are the most valuable and they are generally used only for the making of jewels.

There could be all sorts of challenges at the use of the tools specific to wire sculpture too. Thus, a hobbyist could very well discover that the round-nosed pliers designed for the work with small wires sometimes do not withstand a more aggressive type of action like tearing or wearing. Plus, skilled wire sculpture artists know that very often the fingers can give such a unique touch to a piece of art that no other tool would. Consequently, feel free to improvise, particularly since wire sculpture is so much within reach.

Wire sculpture may sometimes require the heating of the material so as to make the bending possible; yet, if you use some soft enough wire, you may not have to use tools after all. You need to work gently and relaxed so that the wire doesn’t get overworked. If such a thing should happen, your wire sculpture could be compromised because the material becomes brittle and easily breakable. Practice is another key to nice hobby wire sculpture, in time you will see that your skills improve and that you get to work better and better, with visible results.

Posted by Phillipe / Home Sculptures