Make a 3D wire portrait
Alexander Calder, Varèse, c. 1930

Alexander calder once told his sister “I think best in wire.” calder made portraits of people he knew, using wire to create a drawing in space. Ask students to work in pairs and make a one-line pencil sketch of each other without taking their pencil off the paper, then use craft wire or Twistees to create a 3D portrait of their partner.

Portrait of a face by Calder.

Alexander Calder (1898-1976), Varèse, c. 1930. Wire, 15 × 11 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (38.1 × 29.8 × 31.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Mrs. Louise Varèse in honor of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 80.25 © Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Portrait of a face by Calder.