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DIY Make A Wire Sculpture
Wire forms are becoming more and more popular. Why not have a go at making your own wire sculpture. Whether you want to make a free standing sculpture or something to hang from the ceiling or wall, working with wire is relatively easy, fun and can look great. Here we will look at making a simple hanging sculpture.
You will need:
Wire: For most projects you will want wire of two different thicknesses. You can buy beautiful colored wires from craft stores in a variety of thicknesses. There is nothing wrong though with using every day wire that you can buy cheaply from any hardware store. It still looks very effective.
Wire Cutters: just a small pair will do.
Long nosed pliers: Ideally the pliers you want are the ones that have completely round noses. It can be useful to have a pair that have a flat inner edge too (for squishing wire down flat) If you don't want to invest in these you can get away with just using every day household pliers.
A selection of beads: Glass beads look especially effective with wire, but collect ceramic beads and wooden beads to use too.
For making a simple hanging wire sculpture decide on the outside shape you would like first. Hearts are very popular, or you could use an oval shape. Circles look great but it can be tricky to get them perfectly round. Interesting abstract shapes are really effective too.
Form the outside shape you want using the slightly thicker wire and secure it by wrapping thin wire round any joins. Don't worry if it looks a little messy at this stage. This wrapping of wire is something you will get the hang of and adds to the look of your sculpture. Eventually your whole outside shape will have bits of wire wrapped around it.
If the outer shape is more than a few inches across start to build up a framework, crossing over it using the thinner wire. You don't need to worry about finding a centre or anything like that. All you are doing here is building a web to attach your other wires to. You can use as little or much wire as you like but don't go overboard. You can always add more on later if you want.
Now comes the fun part. You are going to build a lattice work across your shape using coils. After a while you will get to judge how much wire to cut off for each spiral. Wrap one end of the piece of wire around your outer frame, or one of the framework pieces. Add a bead or two if you want for added interest and coil the wire around your pliers. You can make the spirals as tight or loose as you like. As you get better at the craft you will find your spirals begin to look more even. It does take a little practice to get the hang of it. Adjust your beads around the spiral till they are where you want them. Keep working like this until you are happy with the way your sculpture looks. Hang it with pride and start another one.
Tips: You don't need to put a bead on every coil, make it interesting. Build your framework out rather than flat across the shape. This gives it a much more three dimensional look.
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