Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Mia, and I'm so excited to continue learning with you.

I can't wait to see what you create in this lesson.

So let's get started.

In this lesson, you'll be able to construct a three-dimensional maquette of a chosen animal, bird, or insect.

I'm super excited about this lesson.

It's going to be a practical one.

Let's get started.

Your keywords are on the screen now, and I'd like you to repeat them after me.

Maquette, three-dimensional, armature.

Fabulous.

Let's find out what these words mean.

A maquette is a small, rough model of a sculpture used for planning.

Three-dimensional.

Something that has height, width, and depth unlike a flat drawing or picture.

Armature is a skeleton for your model and a strong frame that gives shape and holds your maquette together.

So this lesson is all about making our maquette.

Our first lesson cycle is an introduction to maquettes, and then we're gonna move on to creating our maquette.

This is a practical lesson.

You'll be using scissors and possibly wire, and if that's the case, make sure you have an adult next to you or are under supervision for this.

Let's get started.

What do you think a maquette is used for? Have a look at the image.

A maquette is a small three-dimensional rough model of a sculpture used for planning.

Sculptors use them to plan large sculptures.

Architects use them for buildings.

Theatre designers use them to create stage sets.

A maquette is not just a small version of your sculpture.

It's a helpful tool throughout the creative process.

Planning.

It helps you visualise your final sculpture and test ideas before building the larger piece.

Problem solving.

You can use it to experiment with proportions, balance and structure to spot and fix any issues early.

Guidance.

The maquette acts as a reference while building the final sculpture, helping you stay on track.

And lastly, experimentation.

It allows you to try out different materials, shapes, or techniques without committing to the full sculpture.

Now a maquette is a small model to test ideas.

This is meant to be quick and simple.

So artists can try out shapes, forms, and proportions before creating a larger final piece.

So in this stage, artists can basically experiment with their maquette and see if the sculpture that they're trying to build at the end will work and they can test their ideas.

Over to you.

True or false? A maquette is a small three-dimensional model used to test ideas and does not need to be as large or detailed as the final sculpture.

Is it true or is it false? Could pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you got true, you are correct.

And that's because a maquette is a small model to test ideas.

It is meant to be quick and simple so artists can try out shapes, forms, and proportions before creating a larger final piece.

Now, it's super important to remember that a finished sculpture is not a maquette because a maquette is like a rough model.

The finished sculpture is the final detailed version that's ready to be shown to everyone.

On a maquette, it's just a smaller or simpler version to test ideas.

To create a maquette, you could think about creating a simple sketch, creating an armature for the structure, size and proportion, labelling important parts.

So begin by creating a simple sketch of your maquette.

Sofia says, "I'll keep my lines light and use my sketchbook for ideas." Lucas says, "I'll show the skeleton of the maquette.

This is known as the armature." Now remember, there's a difference between an armature and a maquette.

An armature is like the skeleton of a sculpture.

It's a strong frame made of things like wire or sticks that you build on to help the sculpture hold its shape.

The maquette, on the other hand, is a small model of the whole sculpture.

It's like a practise version of the sculpture to plan what it will look like before making the big one.

So an armature is something inside a sculpture to support it.

And a maquette is a little version to test your ideas.

Use a photograph of your chosen creature for reference.

Here is a plan of a maquette.

What could be improved? The base or feet need to be bigger to keep the maquette stable.

Back to you.

What helps keep a maquette stable and balanced? Is it a, adding lots of details to the design, b, making the base larger or adding support, c, using bright colours on the maquette, or D, drawing the maquette in 2D? What do you think? Pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you got b, making the base larger or adding support, you are correct.

When it comes to sculptures where the base might be a little bit small, so for example, a sculpture of a bird, you might find that it's quite difficult to make that sculpture balance and stand on its own.

That's why making the base larger, so by providing the bird with maybe bigger feet or attaching it to a secure base might be a good idea.

There are two ways that I would try and make my maquette more balanced.

One, by adding a sturdy base.

So basically using a wider or heavier material such as a card foam board or a small block of clay will help to create a stable foundation.

This prevents your maquette from tipping over and ensures it can support additional details.

And another way you can make your maquette more balanced is by distributing the weight evenly.

So what you have to do is pay attention to where you are adding your materials.

For example, if one side of the maquette is heavier, balance it out by adding extra support or weight to the other side.

Reinforcing with wire or layering materials evenly can also help it keep upright and stable.

Onto the main task for this lesson cycle.

I'd like you to use your sketch or reference photograph for your chosen creature to start planning your maquette.

You could create a rough sketch of the 3D shape and think about what materials you'll use for each part and how you'll make the legs strong enough to hold the body.

Remember, the maquette is of your chosen creature, so think about what type of materials you'd like to use for this.

So how did you do? You may have drawn something like this.

And here we can see a sketch of a bird.

And there are labels highlighting the materials that are going to be used for the maquette.

Now as you know, when creating a maquette, different materials can be used for different purposes.

Card.

This is great for building the basic structure or frame for the bird that you see here.

And that's because you can cut or fold it into different shapes.

Now, tin foil can be used.

It's perfect for adding bulk or texture to your sculpture.

And as you know, it's lightweight and easy to mould.

And in this case, it might also be used for decorative details.

Now, wire for this particular sculpture can be used for arms, legs, or other thin details.

And it's important to use a material like this because it can help hold everything together and add stability.

Now, if I was to improve this sketch, we could include the wire, which will show the internal structure to support the sculpture from the inside.

This would help better visualise how everything fits together.

The armature will be made from wire because it is strong.

The card tail could also be used to help balance the maquette.

Let's move on to our second lesson cycle.

Now you're going to be creating the maquette.

How to build a maquette? To make a strong and stable maquette, you need an armature.

This is like the skeleton of your model.

Remember to review your sketches or photos carefully to check that the proportions are accurate.

And this is super important because sometimes we get carried away when we are creating, and then we find that the proportions might be a little bit off.

So by having the photo or our sketchbook to review what we have drawn will help us keep the proportions accurate of your picture.

Here are some techniques for building an armature.

Using card or foil, you can shape pieces of card or crumpled foil into a base structure.

Now using both are great for forming the base for maquette.

Card in particular is lightweight, yet durable, making it easy to handle.

Foil is flexible and it allows you to mould and shape it easily into a solid base.

It's excellent for adding bulk quickly without making the base too heavy.

So both materials are versatile and it makes it easier to build a strong supportive base for the rest of the sculpture.

Using wire.

You can bend and twist into the shape that you want.

Now using wire for the base of a maquette is highly effective due to its strength and flexibility.

Provides a sturdy foundation capable of supporting the weight of additional materials while being easy to bend and shape into any form.

Wire works well as an internal framework, reinforcing the sculpture and ensuring it stays balanced.

Despite its durability, wire is lightweight, making it easy to manage and adapt during the construction process.

And layering.

So using layering, what you can do is add layers of paper, card or other materials to make the maquette strong and balanced.

Over to you.

Which materials would be best for building an armature? So a, cardboard, b, tinfoil, or c, paint.

What do you think? You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you got a and b, you are correct.

The armature, remember is like a skeleton or the maquette.

So the materials will need to be able to make a base structure.

Now that we've got our armature, we need to move on to the maquette.

So in order to do this, you need to check the stability, add bulk, layer the materials, shape details, apply finishing touches.

And here's a top tip.

Take your time and keep checking the balance and structure as you go.

Sometimes, especially when I was creating my maquette I got a little bit carried away and I found that my maquette wasn't balanced.

So if I took my time, I could have made sure that the maquette remained balanced as I was adding the bulk, so for instance, card or paper, and by checking this slowly, you will hopefully end up with a balanced maquette.

So Jun notices his maquette is unstable and keeps falling.

What advice would you give to Jun to make his maquette stable? Hmm.

So to make Jun's bird maquette more stable, here are some helpful tips.

Start with a strong base.

Ensure the base is wide and sturdy enough to support the bird.

You can use heavier materials such as a thick cardboard platform or attach weights underneath.

You could secure the legs.

If the bird has thin legs, reinforce them with wire or skewers inside for added strength.

Attach them firmly to the body and the base.

Try balancing the weight.

Distribute weight evenly, especially if the bird has an extended tail or wings.

In this case, we can see that Jun's bird doesn't have wings.

So actually making sure that we start with a stronger base would be best.

Jun can also check for stability.

So he can do this by testing the maquette, by gently tapping or moving it to ensure it stays right.

These small adjustments will help Jun's bird maquette stand securely and remain balanced.

Over to you.

True or false? You should add all the details to the maquette before checking if the armature is stable.

What do you think? You could pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get? If you got false, well done.

Stability should be checked first.

Keep testing the balance of your maquette as you work and make sure it's stable before adding details.

Some of the ways that you can keep a maquette sturdy is by working on a flat surface.

Adding weights.

You could add small pebbles or even Blu tack to the base for extra stability.

Securing the structure with table glue before adding finer details.

And reinforcing weak areas.

And remember, this is also a good practise for when it comes to creating your sculpture.

Onto the main task for this lesson cycle.

You are now going to create your maquette.

Begin with the armature, making sure to check for stability.

Then you're going to add layers to build volume You might use paper, card, tin foil.

It's up to you.

Focus on adding details like wings, tails, or other textures.

My top tip for this.

Take your time and keep checking the balance and structure as you go.

Now, if you're still wondering about how you can check the stability when creating your maquette, here are some other ways.

So you could carry out a weight test and you can do this by lightly pressing or tapping different parts to see if it stays right or wobbles.

And then you can adjust areas that feel unstable.

Now there's something else that you can do.

I call this the shake test.

Gently shake the base to check if your maquette shifts or tips over.

And if it does, what you can do is reinforce loose areas if necessary.

And the last thing you should do is observe leaning.

Check for parts that cause the maquette to lean.

Once you've found them, you can adjust or reinforce these areas.

We can pause the video here.

Off you go.

Have fun.

So how did you do? Created something like this.

Now let's have a look at this maquette in a little bit more detail.

We can see that the artist has chosen not to include the bird's legs.

Now, this might be for several reasons.

Artist may have done this because they wanted to focus on features and emphasise maybe the bird's body, wings, or head, rather than the legs.

They might have also chosen not to have the legs because they wanna avoid stability issues.

Now we know that thin legs might make the maquette unstable so the artist could get rid of the legs to ensure that it stands securely.

Now this choice allows the artist to focus on the main parts of the design without over complicating the maquette.

The armature was created using wire, and then newspaper was scrunched up and added to create bulk and volume.

Gum strip was used on top to hold it all together securely.

You may have also created something that looks like this.

The armature was created using cardboard, and the layers of the card were added on top to create volume.

Threads were used to create texture on the wings.

Fantastic.

We've made it to the end of this lesson.

Let's summarise our learning.

So in this lesson, you learn how to make a maquette.

You now understand that a maquette is a small three-dimensional model used by artists to plan and develop their sculptures.

Techniques for building a stable armature include creating a framework with materials like card or foil.

General photographs can be used to replicate accurate proportions and shapes in a sculpture.

I hope you really enjoyed this lesson and that you picked up some good tips and tricks to create your maquette.

I look forward to seeing you in the next lesson.

Bye.