Wire Art for Beginners - How to Shape Your Wire or Chicken Wire | Spiral Crafts

This tutorial will show you how to shape your wire and chicken wire using tools and budget-friendly household items.
When you’re making a wire sculpture, you want your shapes to be smooth and flowing. It can be difficult to achieve but I’ll share some easy tips to help you get the professional finish you want.
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Sandy@Spiral
#wireart #wireartbeginners #wirearttutorials

[@mistformsquirrel]

Currently doing my final project for my Sculpture class, and was trying to fi gure out how to make a chickenwire base for a cat - this has been *super* handy, thank you!

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@mistformsquirel So happy I could help! All the best with the classes and I'd love to see the final sculpture if you get time to post a photo! Cheers, Sandy@Spiral

[@sueholdsworth5239]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@Sue Glad you liked it. If there's a tutorial topic you'd like to see covered them let me know below and I'll see what I can do. Thanks for watching. @Sandy

[@noelleboehm1142]

Great Ideas! I Love These Ideas!

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@noelleboehm1142, glad they were useful for you! Have fun, Sandy@Spiral

[@veronkasago]

Thank you!😊

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

You're welcome 😊 Sandy@Spiral

[@anniegette]

Hi! This is wonderful! I would love to see a tutorial on an elephant head. :)

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@anniegette That's a very interesting suggestion! Glad the tutorial was useful to you! Sandy@Spiral :)

[@zaidagrace2263]

Thank you.

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@zaidagrace2263 You're welcome! Sandy@Spiral

[@noelleboehm1142]

Chicken Wire is a Great Craft Idea.

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@noelleboehm1142 I couldn't agree more! Have you tried it yet? Cheers, Sandy@Spiral

[@Glassbeadlady]

Hi. Thanks for your informative tutorials. Is there any chance of doing a hare? Thanks so much.

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

Hi @GlassBeadLady, glad the tutorials are useful for you! A hare is a tricky one. They're quite a complicated shape which makes it a tough project for a beginner to take on. Also, the tutorial would need to be broken down into several parts and that approach doesn't seem to be very popular when I've done it in the past. But I will bear it in mind and if I figure out a way of doing it, I'll pop the tutorial on the channel. Have fun, Sandy@Spiral

[@patriciaarmstrong9214]

I want to make an allium flower head. Any tips please?

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

Hello @patriciaarmstrong9214, what a lovely flower to make! Sooo, a few tips... Firstly if you're making for the garden I'd use galvanised steel because it's stronger (to cope with inclement weather) and the galvanised coating will protect it for a while against rusting. Secondly, your stem is going to be the most vulnerable part of sculpture as it will have all the weight and need to be ok in strong winds. I often twist two wires together to make them stronger so you might want to do this too. And finally, check around on KZbin for the same or similar tutorials (making alliums) to see if they've had to do something that you will need to do too. Search YT with "DIY Allium Garden Art" and there's at least one tutorial making alliums that might be useful for you. Hope that helps, Sandy@Spiral And PS do post a photo of your completed Allium if you get a chance!

[@smallnuts2]

For the shapes, how is that made? Say a deer, dog or bird etc? The chicken wire is shaped in shape of mold ? Would be interesting to see how its done.

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@smallnuts2 when shaping animals etc, the sculpture is usually built up with lots of small sheets on top of each other. Each sheet would be shaped for that part of the body then attached. I use a plastic egg/ruler to help shape the small pieces before attaching. Alternatively you can make shapes out of air drying clay and use those. I would also be possible to make a whole clay animal, mold the wire around it, then dissolve the clay afterwards, although I haven't tried this personally. Also, check out the swan tutorial on my channel for a simple animal shape. Sandy@Spiral

[@barrysilvester6849]

Where is the best place to get the wire you use

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

Hi @Barry, if you are in the UK there is meshdirect.co.uk for bulk orders and hillsofdevon.co.uk for double dipped (lasts longer outside) chicken wire. But most garden centres or hardware shops will have smaller amounts in the same size (13mm hole) and often other sizes too. If you only want tiny amounts then I know that Hobbycraft in the UK sells it - but obviously the smaller the amount, the more expensive it is per metre. If you are also looking for galvanised wire, again try the garden centres and hardware shops, it's usually labelled as fencing wire. And of course, there's wires.co.uk for a huge range of online wire (not sure they do chicken wire though). Hope that helps, Sandy@Spiral

[@patriciawhite7489]

I’d love an emu! I can send photo references ☺️

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@patriciawhite7489 I did a tutorial for a swan last year that is "roughly" the same shape as an emu, although my swan didn't have an emu's long legs! The long legs are quite tough as they make the sculpture harder to stabilise and stand up - I did an egret during the first lockdown in the pandemic that also had this problem. But they're lovely animals!

[@patriciawhite7489]

@@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops it could sitting or partially sitting, with the legs out in the front

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@patriciawhite7489 I've just googled a sitting emu - although in all of googledom I couldn't find a cross legged emu picture at all, which was my first image when you said sitting! I think I'd have to take a bit of artistic license for a sitting emu, lovely birds but they look a little awkward when sitting to me. The other way to stabilise a standing emu would be a sculpture when the bird has both legs on the floor and it's head in the sand (ostrich-like) which would give you 3 points of contact with the floor for more stability. Where does your love of emus come from, if I may ask?

[@wiresculptures4590]

Hello what is the thickness size of chicken wire?

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

Hi @WireSculptures the chicken wire I use is just under 1mm thick for the single wire and around 1mm where the two wires are twisted together. The hexagon size I use most is the 13mm - although you can use smaller or larger hexagon sizes to change the effect on your sculpture as needed. Hope that helps. Let me know if there's anything else I can help with, Sandy

[@wiresculptures4590]

@@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops thank you soo much 😊

[@wiresculptures4590]

@@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops can i ask for link please where you buy the 1mm or 13mm thickness chicken wire? 😊🙏

[@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops]

@WireSculptures, if you are in the UK there is meshdirect.co.uk for bulk orders and hillsofdevon.co.uk for double dipped (lasts longer outside) chicken wire. But most garden centres or hardware shops will have smaller amounts in the same size (13mm hole with 1mm wire thickness (note NOT 13mm thickness of wire) and often other sizes too. If you only want tiny amounts then I know that Hobbycraft in the UK sells it - but obviously the smaller the amount, the more expensive it is per metre. If you are also looking for galvanised wire, again try the garden centres and hardware shops, it's usually labelled as fencing wire. And of course, there's wires.co.uk for a huge range of online wire (not sure they do chicken wire though). Hope that helps, Sandy@Spiral

[@wiresculptures4590]

@@SpiralCraftsandWorkshops thank you soo much 😊🙏