Magnificent Metal

As we know, artists use lots of different mediums.  Do you remember what an artistic medium is?

Some artists use metal to build and sculpt and others  use metal to show off their drawing skills!  Let's find out how that is even possible.

Metal embossing and Repousse push and move the metal using tools to imprint marks and designs  onto the surface. (what's the surface?)  Embossing presses lines and patterns into the front side of the metal. While Repousse pushes the metal from the back raising up the design.  The metal can also be worked between the created lines to raise areas of the metal.  

Artists around the world work with metal and metal tooling is created most often in tin, copper and aluminum.  In Mexico there is a folk art tradition of making tin ornaments.

Repujado which is the metal tooling art. Hojalata means tin artwork in Spanish.  The metal is malleable which makes it easy to create details in the surface.  What does malleable mean?

Mexican Folk Artisans shape, stamp, punch cut and paint metal into decorative and sometimes functional art.  It's popular and inexpensive and the shiny surface is part of the quality.

You may choose to make a metal embossed ornament and if you don't we will still add the process to our creativity bank account.

Place a piece of cardboard on your table. The metal needs a soft surface to press into.

You can sketch a design in pencil onto the metal or start drawing with a stylus.  

Patterns with short lines will be easier to draw into the metal. If you are making longer or curved lines slow down the metal is slick and the stylus can slip and wobble. (turn mistakes into a beautiful oops)

Draw with a wooden stylus.  Go over the pencil lines while firmly pressing into the metal surface. 

Draw on the front.  More lines  will create more visual interest.  Press lines into the front, press lines into the back and repeat back and forth from front to back.

Embellish with colorful sharpies, beads and ribbon