How to Make a Styrofoam Statue
Styrofoam is a lightweight, inexpensive material that is often used by artists to quickly manufacture statues. The delicate nature of Styrofoam can make it a challenge to work with, however. Making a sculpture out of it will be a combination of carving and melting. Begin practicing with large, simple sculptures until you get the hang of the refining stages. After a few practice sculptures you will be ready to move on to more advanced forms.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Styrofoam
- Glue
- Marker
- Electric carving knife
- Protective clothing, goggles, mask
- Wire foam cutters
- Soldering iron
- Paint
Instructions
-
-
1
Select a block of Styrofoam to carve. If you cannot find one that is large enough, glue several blocks together with industrial rubber cement, painting a layer on both sides and pressing them together once the glue has dried.
-
2
Sketch the outline of the sculpture on all six sides of the foam block. Each drawing will represent the statue from a different perspective: front, back, left, right, top and bottom. Avoid overly delicate forms such as a cat's tail or a pointing finger, as these will break off easily.
-
-
3
Carve out the rough form for the statue using an electric carving knife. Work in a large space and wear goggles, a particle mask and long-sleeved clothing as you work. Styrofoam chunks and dust will get everywhere, and because cutting charges the Styrofoam with static electricity, the chunks and dust will also stick to everything.
-
4
Refine the details of the statue with a hand-held heated wire tool. This is basically a loop of wire that gets hot enough to melt the Styrofoam. Open windows for ventilation as Styrofoam releases fumes as it melts. Hot wire cutters are available in a variety of shapes and sizes.
-
5
Sand the Styrofoam with a coarse sandpaper,16-150 grit, then smooth the sanding marks by rubbing them with chunks of foam that you had cut off previously.
-
6
Add fine details such as wrinkles and fur with a soldering iron. If your sculpture does not have any delicate details, skip this step.
-
7
Paint the finished sculpture with latex paint, either with a brush or latex-based spray paint. You can also use water-based craft paint.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit pink styrofoam business image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
