Caveat Academy course · Grades 6 to 12

Sculpture: form, space and material

Make real sculpture at home, one material at a time: plan with thumbnails and a foil maquette, work out why a model three times taller needs 27 times the clay, build a wire armature and model over it, carve a turtle from soap and a block from plaster, lock cardboard planes together with slots, balance a mobile with weight times distance, and critique and photograph what you made. Six modules at your own pace.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Arts & Creativity collection, $69 for 23 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Thinking in three dimensions

    Classify sculptures by method and type, and analyze them with the elements and principles of three-dimensional design, including physical balance.

    • What sculpture is
    • The elements of three-dimensional art
    • The principles of design in 3D
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Planning a sculpture

    Plan a sculpture with thumbnails, multi-view drawings and a maquette, compute how scale changes size and material, and follow studio safety.

    • Sketches and maquettes
    • Proportion, measurement and scale
    • Studio safety and materials
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Modeling: building up form

    Model forms in clay with sound joins, build armatures and create texture and relief.

    • Modeling materials and joins
    • Armatures: the hidden skeleton
    • Surface, texture and relief
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Carving: taking away

    Carve soap and plaster by working from large forms to details evenly on every side, and mix and handle plaster safely.

    • How carving works
    • A soap carving project
    • Carving plaster
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Construction and assemblage

    Construct with cardboard and wire, build assemblages from found objects and balance a mobile using weight times distance.

    • Building with cardboard
    • Wire: drawing in space
    • Assemblage, found objects and mobiles
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Sculpture in the world

    Explain casting and public, site-specific and installation art, and critique, photograph and write about sculpture.

    • Casting and molds
    • Public art, installation and site
    • Critique, presentation and next steps
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 4 · A soap carving project

Worked example: carving a turtle from soap

  1. Plan: draw the top and side views of a turtle at the size of the bar, with the shell filling most of the top view.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Enrichment · Arts & Creativity$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished first course in sculpture: you can classify sculptures by method and type, analyze them with the elements and principles of three-dimensional design, solve physical balance, plan with thumbnails, multi-view drawings and maquettes, compute how scale changes size and material, follow studio safety, model clay with sound joins over an armature, make texture and relief, carve soap and plaster from large forms to detail, construct with cardboard and wire, build an assemblage, balance a mobile, explain casting and public and site-specific art, and critique, photograph and write about your own work. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 6 to 12 who like making things with their hands, students taking or about to take a sculpture, ceramics or three-dimensional art class, and homeschool families who want an art course with real studio projects. Younger students can take it as the Sculpture and Three-Dimensional Art course. Materials are inexpensive: air-dry clay, bar soap, plaster, cardboard, wire, foil and found objects.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Arts & Creativity collection ($69) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Arts & Creativity space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

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Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, on bronze casting, Michelangelo and modern sculpture: metmuseum.org
  2. Calder Foundation, on Alexander Calder's wire sculpture, circus and mobiles: calder.org
  3. National Gallery of Art, collection and teaching resources on sculpture: nga.gov
  4. National Park Service, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: nps.gov
  5. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and art materials safety guidance, on safe art materials for children: cpsc.gov

Sculpture is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical middle or high school sculpture course but is not a substitute for a teacher or studio class, and awards no credit. Carving tools, craft knives, wire cutters, hot glue and plaster need an adult nearby; never put any part of your body in setting plaster, and never pour plaster or clay down a drain. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.