Relief Sculpture

The art of copper tooling

Repousse

Essential Questions:

• How is relief sculpture different from painting and drawing?

• How can the formal element of value be applied in relief sculpture?

Repousse: a type of relief sculpture in metal.

• Relief sculpture: parts of a panel are raised from a flat plane or surface.– Bas relief: low relief– Alto-relievo: High

relief

Bas relief or low relief:

Alto-relievo: high relief

Our focus

• Mycenaean or Ancient Greek low relief sculpture in metal. – Culture influenced by

Egyptians and Minoans who arrived on Greek mainland around 2000 BC.

Characteristics of Ancient Greek Repousse:

• Decorative boders with patterns

• Symbols

• Engraved

Steps in the project:

• Materials:– 12” X 12” copper foil– Newspaper– Wooden carving tools– Masking tape– Your design on 9 X 9” white paper– Compass/Ruler

Steps:

• Draw a prototype on white paper for your design to include: – Main idea– Symbols– Decorative border– Design type:

• Symmetry vs. asymmetry• Objective or nonobjective

Steps:

• Shade areas of the drawing that you want to have recessed.

• See me for copper

• Tape the drawing to the copper

• Place the copper/drawing onto newsprint pad and trace all lines of your drawing with a colored pencil.

Steps• Remove the drawing from the copper.

• Begin to press or engrave areas that are shaded on your drawing.

• Flip the copper over to further exaggerate the relief by engraving the opposite shapes that are already engraved.

• Apply patena.