Copper artwork involves making 3-D shapes and forms out of 2-D copper sheets. The art looks like the shapes rise out of the flat surface. Craftsmen use various tools in making copper art to mold and carve the copper into a desired form. Depending on the size and detail of the image, it may take a craftsman days, weeks or months to complete the entire project. The hard work pays off when the final artwork is complete and up for display. Copper artwork has a modern and non-conventional image that is sure to be an eye-catcher in any room.
Basic Materials Needed
One of the main materials needed for copper art is copper. Thin sheets of copper are sold at various hardware stores, and they are the best materials to use because they can be cut, carved and molded easily. Thin sheets of copper usually are sold as rolls in a package. Copper also comes in various colors, from golden yellow to reddish black. The type of color you buy for your project depends on the color theme you want to present in your image.
It is also important to have a wooden board. It serves as the frame for your copper art piece. Roll out the copper sheet over the wooden board. Once the board is completely covered with the copper sheet, hammer one nail in each of the four corners of the wooden board, creating a type of copper picture--with no art yet, of course. This keeps the copper in place on your wooden board.
Another tool needed to start your project is a pencil to sketch out the overall rough draft of your desired image. Carving and molding tools also are needed to create the ridges and indentations required to achieve the overall look for your design.
Creating Copper Art
Once you have the copper on the wooden board, leave the middle section of the copper sheet slightly raised above the board. This makes carving and molding a bit easier. When drawing the rough sketch of your design, start with a simple and easy design because more complex ones are difficult to carve and mold.
Punch into the copper with your carving tools. Make indentations into the copper so that you can start carving and molding in your design. Because this material is fairly light, the initial punch bends the copper. Once you have done this successfully (without punching too hard and breaking the copper), use the carving tools and continue punching and indenting the copper along the lines of your initial sketch. You should get a rough image of your design with the main object, or the main sketch you had in mind, raised and the background receding into the flat surface.
Copper Artwork Tips
Creation of the rest of the image should follow roughly the same pattern. If, for example, you have grass as part of your image, simply use your carving tools and make vertical stripes by punching into the copper again. Many of the tools for this project should be dull, sharp, flat and pointy objects; each creates a different texture on the actual copper. For example, when you punch the copper with a dull object, you get an indentation similar to rocks, pebbles, soil or gravel.
If you have never worked with copper art, the best thing to do is to start off small and practice as much as you can. This will introduce you to the types of tools and their effect on the copper. Eventually, you will have a better idea of the overall process and increase the details and intricacies of your design.
