Artist Sculptures – Bringing Artists to Life.

My Year 7 students recently brought portraiture to life in the art room by creating expressive artist bust sculptures using nothing more than newspaper, plaster and paint. What began as a pile of recycled paper quickly transformed into bold, character-filled sculptures — each one reflecting a unique personality and creative spark. This hands-on project not only introduced students to three-dimensional form, but also encouraged them to think deeply about expression, structure and storytelling through sculpture.

To help students get started, I gave each of them a printed reference image of a well-known artist. This not only saved valuable class time but also allowed me to carefully select artists with striking or recognisable features — from bold hairstyles to distinctive glasses — which made the sculpting process more accessible and engaging for my kids. It gave everyone a clear visual anchor while still encouraging creative interpretation. The whole project took about 6 weeks – about 2 hours a week.. yup. Was worth every minute. SO FUN. Check out my instagram reel for a video.