How to Make a Sculpture With Chicken Wire

The hexagonal lattice of chicken wire keeps chickens safe from predators.

Although chicken wire is used to pen small livestock, its flexibility and strength make it also ideal for crafting multidimensional sculptures. Chicken wire is composed of thin wires twisted together to form a lattice of hexagons. Loose wires at the edges of a sheet of chicken wire allow you to attach one piece of chicken wire to another without additional materials.

Things You'll Need

• Chicken wire
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Draw up a design for your sculpture, or work from a source photograph. If your sculpture will be three-dimensional, part of your design should include a way for it to stand on its own.

2. Cut pieces of chicken wire from your bale with wire cutters. The size and shape of each piece will vary based on which part of the sculpture you are working on.

3. Lay one piece of chicken wire to overlap another piece of chicken wire. You can begin to work from any point on your design: from the bottom up, the top down, or laterally.

4. Shape the chicken wire by bending it into curves or rounded folds. Chicken wire sculptures are sturdier if their planes are curves.

5. Twist the loose ends of one piece of chicken wire around the wires on the other piece of chicken wire. Secure the pieces of chicken wire at multiple places to strengthen the connection.

Tips & Warnings

• You can buy chicken wire bales inexpensively at a hardware store or used from a scrapyard.

• Gloves are recommended for working with chicken wire, because its edges are sharp and can cut you.

• Protective eyewear is recommended when working with sharp materials such as chicken wire.

References

• Cockeyed: Easy, Illustrated Instructions on How to Paper Mache: Chicken Wire
• Ann Hanson Sculpture: How My Art Is Made -- Chicken Wire
• Scholastic Art: Wire Sculpture

Resources

• Wire Lady: The Creative Process