Sculpt IT!

Art Word of the week: Balance

Balance is a result of how space is used. It is a basic principle of art that refers to the ways in which the specific elements of lines, shapes, colors and textures are arranged and organized. These pieces can be arranged in a symmetrical (formal) form, where each art element are given equal “weight” from an imaginary line in the middle of a piece. All together, the piece work together to produce a sense of harmony and synchronization(Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009).

Balance can also take an Asymmetrical (informal) form, where balance occurs when elements are placed unevenly in a piece, but again ultimately work together to produce a sense of synchronization. Even though it may not have perfect symmetry, your design can still look awesome.

Picture Frame-Easel

However, for my sculpture, the form of balance that is present here is Symmetrical. As you take a look at the photographs, the sculpture is a perfectly centered composition, in other words, a ‘mirror image.’ I had this in mind when I was designing my sculpture because it had to be balanced in order for my sculpture to be stabilized. I made sure that each piece was evenly divided so that it aligned with the center so that it was efficiently able to balance on its own based on the shape and weight of the product.

materials used to construct the "Picture Frame-Easel":

- pieces of straw

- thick wire

- cardboard

- string

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J. E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children (6 ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.

As an early childhood educator...Children love creating things with things that out of the ordinary.  Won't matter if its scraps or junk, children will always make the best of what they have and at the same time will expand their creativity from creating something using scraps.  Create an art activity that involves having scraps of random paper lying around the classroom, a broken pencil or straw... anything in the classroom! See what the children can create by using materials that are already within your own classroom!