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Three-Dimensional and Sculptural Form
Quick questions on Methods of making 3D work explained: O-Level Art
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is carving (subtractive)?Show answer
Carving is the main subtractive method: cutting and chipping away from a solid block of stone, wood or another hard material to reveal the form within. Because material can only be removed, carving requires careful planning and cannot easily be undone. It tends to produce closed, sealed, compact forms with smooth or chiselled surfaces, and the result often reads as solid, permanent and weighty. The grain and character of the material (the figure of wood, the hardness of stone) strongly affect the work.
What is casting?Show answer
Casting is a process for translating a form into another material. The artist makes an original (often modelled in clay or wax), makes a mould around it, then pours in a liquid material, plaster, resin or molten bronze, which sets into a copy. Casting captures a modelled surface in a durable, strong or reflective material that could not be carved directly, lets a work exist permanently while keeping the immediacy of modelling, and allows more than one copy from the same mould. It links the additive freedom of modelling to a lasting final material.
What is q1?Show answer
Explain the difference between additive and subtractive methods, with an example of each. [3 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Describe the steps of casting a sculpture. [3 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Why is the choice of making method a creative decision, not just a technicality? [2 marks]
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