THREE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA

=length, width, and height

=can be seen and can be touched
LESSON 6: SCULPTURE
=The action or art of processing (as by carving, modeling, or welding) plastic or hard materials into works of art.
TECHNIQUES USED IN SCULPTURE
a. Subtraction: the method in which sculptors cut away or remove pieces or parts of the material (glyptic material)
such as stone or wood.
b. Manipulation: also known as modeling. It usually involves the use of a pliable medium such as clay, wax, or
plaster.
c. Addition: involves putting together materials through the use of welding torches, soldering guns, staplers, bolts,
screws, nails, rivets, glue and rope or string.
Welding: the process of joining together pieces of metal by heating the surfaces to the point of melting using a
blowtorch, and uniting them by pressing and/ or hammering.
d. Substitution: also known as casting. Involves the reproduction of an original image in a new material by using a
mold. The goal of substitution is to duplicate the form or image in a more permanent material.
-sand-casting: it is characterized by using sand as the mold material.
-plastic-casting: is similar to sand casting except that the material used is plaster.
-lost-wax casting: it involves pouring molten metal into the mold that is made of wax. Also known as investment
casting.
KIND OF SCULPTURE
a. Constructed Sculpture: a product of assemblage.
b. Kinetic Assemblage: concern about how motion or movement may be portrayed in sculpture.
LOCAL MATERIALS FOR CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE
Wood: it usually depends on the aavailability of the material, the process the artist will employ to finish the work and
the meaning attach to it by artist.
TYPES OF WOOD
a. Molave: hardwood. One of the hardest of Philippine woods, it is resistant to fungal, termite, and beetle attacks.
b. Acacia: A dense, durable hardwood that has a high oil content and is resistant to the elements, rotting and
insects. The rule to follow to sustain the supply of this species is “that for every tree that is cut, another one is
planted.”
c. Langka Wood: from a jackfruit tree. Also known as jack tree. Is best known for its fruit which is marketed in
many forms around the world.
d. Ipil tree: a fast-growing hardwood that is usually a bush or small tree that grows up to 6 meters high. Its major
characteristics are: it is not affected by high temperaures, it provides good shade, survives with minimal water,
is not affected by salinity, pests, and disease.
e. Kamagong: also known as iron wood. Locally known as mabolo tree. Its dark wood, known as Philippine Ebony
is highly suitable for carvings. Is in demand for furniture, cabinets, tool handles, violins, and drawing
instruments.
f. Palm Wood: from palm trees. Soft-stemmed and more flexible than sturdy. It is known for its resilience.
g. Bamboo wood: are giant, fast-growing grasses that have woody stems.
TOOLS FOR WOOD CARVING
a. Gouge: a curve cutting edge used in variety forms and sizes for carving hollows, rounds and sweeping curves.
b. Coping Saw: a small saw that is used to cut-off chunks of wood at once.
c. Chisel: straight, cutting edge. Used for lines and cleaning-up flat surfaces.
d. Short bent: a small spoon-like dip used for quick deep cuts.
e. Long bent: for making long deep cuts.
f. Straight skew: has a diagonal cutting edge.
g. Parting tool or veiner: a furrowing tool with a v cutting edge.
h. Fish tail: a tool that flares out on the left and right tips like a tail of a fish.
THREE BASIC PARTS OF A WOOD
a. Blade: the primary cutting section
 b. Tang: inserted into the handle of the tool hold the blade
c. Handle: are octagonal in shape so the tool will not turn or twist while carving.
Metal: is typically hard, shiny, malleable, fusible, and ductile. It is done through a substitution or casting process.
a. Steel: an alloy of iron and 1%carbon. Also known as “Inox Steel.” It does not corrode easily and does not rust
or stain in water.
b. Bronze: a tin-copper alloy with any other metal except zinc.
c. Brass: a yellow alloy of copper and zinc. It is more malleable and has lower melting point.
Stone: a naturally hard, non-metallic mineral from which beautiful sculptures can be made.
a. Marble: a hard, crystalline, metamorphic form of limestone with color that s capable of being polished.
b. Alabaster: a fine-grained, tansluscent form of gypsum, typically white.
STONE CARVING TOOLS
a. Point Chisel: removes the primary bulk material.
b. Tooth Chisel or Rake: for second stage removal and for geometric reduction of a large piece of stone.
c. Flat-straight chisel: a finishing tool used before the final abrasive finishing, rasping, and sanding.
d. Diamond-shaped point: for parting ferrules.
e. Rondel: a rounded curve tool used for concave carving.
f. Stone Carving Hammer: comes in 3 weights and made of soft iron.
g. Pneumatic tools: are electrical tools with an air compressor with a choice of points, rakes, and straight
chisel.

Clay: Adobe as used in sculpture is a natural mixture of clay-rich earth, sand, and straw.

Plaster of Paris: a white substance that is made by adding water to powdered and partly dehydrated gypsum.
Cement: a powdery substance made with calcite lime and clay.
Plastic: a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, and nylon.
Glass: a hard brittle substance that is transparent or transluscent.

TECHNIQUES FOR MAKING SCULPTURES OF GLASS

a. Glass blowing: The air blown into the pipe shapes the molten glass before it cools.
b. Hot Sculpting: in which a solid metal rod gathers the molten glass from the furnace and shapes it with the use of
a special tool.
c. Cold working: working with glass when is in its cold or annealed state. Sandblasting, cutting, grinding, polishing,
and engraving.
PHILIPPINE CRAFTS
The human expression that is called art may be further classified into:
Fine arts: for aesthetic expression.
Applied arts: functional.

Crafts: are objects that are created first to be functional and second to be aesthetic. The materials and techniques used
in making them are particularly based on the culture of the group of people where they are found. In the Philippines, the
exports of handicrafts have proven that there is demand for local products because of their quality, artistic
craftsmanship and functionality.

Ceramics (Pottery Making): generally refer to objects that are made of clay. Clay are earthly materials that are
composed of minerals rich in alumna, silica, and water.
Locally, in Barangay Putsan in Tiwi Albay-Philippine Ceramics is the leading terra cotta Ceramic Industry in Bicol Region.
The art of pottery is not only a means of livelihood of the locals but a communal activity.
Textile Art: in which fibers are used to make functional and/ or decorative works of art. Fibers are thin, threadlike
structures that can come from animals, plants, and synthetic materials. Weaving is the technique of making beautiful
fabrics which is accomplished by interlacing horizontal and vertical threads.
VERTICAL THREADS: are called warp; HORIZONTAL THREADS: are called woof or weft.
TYPES OF WEAVES:
a. Plain Weave: strongest and simplest. The woof threads alternately pass above and below the warp fiber.
 b. Satin Weave: delicate. The woof threads pass above and below several warp threads.
c. Twill Weave: the woof and warp forming broken diagonal patterns.
d. Pile Weave: found in making carpets. Knots are tied and the fabric is trimmed to achieve uniform length of the
threads.
e. Ikat: a local style of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process on either warp or the woof before the threads are
woven to create a pattern or design.

FIBERS FOR MAKING TEXTILE

a. Piña Fiber: from the leaves of the pineapple plant. The fibers are extracted, washed, dried, split into strands and
knotted. Due to its delicate and regal characteristic, piña fabrics was named as the “QUEEN OF PHILIPPINE
FABRICS).
b. Jusi: made from combination of abaca and banana. Stronger and more durable than pina fiber.
c. Piña: a combination of sheerness of pina fibers and the strength of jusi fiber. The resulting fabric is cooler makes
more comfortable wear.
d. Cotton: from cotton plant. The quality of cotton is determined based on its grade (external appearance); color
(whiteness); length of the fibers and its character (strength of fibers). The common ways to weave cotton are
through twill and plain weave.
e. Abaca: a.k.a musa textilis but more popularly known Manila Hemp. It comes from the leaves which is extracted
from the leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca plant.
f. Buri: from Buri Palm. From this palm three types of fibers can be gathered from the petiole (buri fibers), the leaf
(raffia) and the ribs (buntal).

Basket Weaving: a.k.a basketry. It makes use of animal and plant fibers. Pangasinan in Central Luzon is known as the
“Province of Basket Weavers.”
MATERIALS USED TO MAKE BASKET
a. Pandan: known as the screw pine. The value of this plant is in its leaves. The leaves are fibrous, resistant to
decay and grows very long.
b. Nito: a trimming fern found in moist, shady places on the hillsides and open woodlands in the Philippines.

MAT WEAVING: In the Philippines are called “Banig.” It is usually used for sleeping. Common materials used are the
tikog which is a kind of grass that grows abundantly in the fields; pandan and abaca.

METALWORK AND JEWELRY: It involves the process of refining and working with metals to produce objects that are
both aesthetic and functional. Rare metals like silver and gold are used for their appealing colors and textures.
SHELL CRAFT: the use of seashells to decorate objects or surfaces and make fancy accessories. The shell craft is based in
Mactan, Cebu.

a. Capiz: shell is a whitish, tranluscent shell found in the coastal waters of the Philippines. Also known as
“windowpane oyster shells or locally as capiz shells.”
:wind chimes, tiles, lamp shades, picture frames, jewelry boxes, accessories, and decorations like Christmas
lantern.
b. Puka: shells came from cone shells that have been tossed, tumbled in the surf and sand over time until all that
remains is the cupped top.
THREE TYPES OF PUKA
1. Real Puka: with a natural hole that comes from cone shells.
2. Puka chips: comes from hammered lager shells.
3. Heishe shells: smooth, round cut puka shell that are artificially made and comes with a wide range of
rainbow colors.
c. Paua: shell comes from a large edible abalone and used to make jewelry.
d. Blacklip: from various marine creature whose she’ll have a black lip edge.
e. Sigay: are cowrie shells and is popular to make necklaces, bracelets, curtains.
f. Troca: shells are spiral to conical shells used for fancy accessories. The exterior may be smooth, glossy, or
sculptured and have pearly interiors.
COCONUT CRAFT: the coconut shell, which is the part that protects the fruit and is about 3-6 mm thick and is
composed of cellulose, lignin, and hemi-cellulose. It is considered a hardwood. It produces craft works that are
excellently quality.
JEEPNEY ART: also known for iconic part of transport which is the jeepney. It is a tourist delight to see these
colorfully decorated vehicles with special horns and boom boxes. The jeepneys are also the source of pride of the
drivers. A jeepney workshop is found in San Mateo, in the province of Rizal, Philippines.