S. Fierston

Challenge: how to teach students about line without using traditional drawing materials.

Outcome: I tested three types and gauges of wire as I sculpted a printer's brayer. My criteria for choosing a wire was based on how malleable the wire was and on how cheap it was per foot.

I made the silvery sculpture out of soldering wire. What a luscious, thick line! But, it was the most expensive per foot and it sagged because it was made mostly of lead.

The little dark sculpture was made of Bonsai wire--aluminum, and less than .50 per foot. It was easy to work. The dark copper color of the wire made for a dramatic line.

Florist's steel wire (lowest sculpture) held its shape perfectly. It was the cheapest, too, and it made the finest line, one that was as expressive as a mechanical pencil. But it was difficult, very difficult to work--steel doesn't like to bend.

I went with the Bonsai wire.