School of Fish Sculpture

School of Fish Sculpture showing 10 painted and designed cardboard fish shapes, each on painted wooden dowels which are held in place by painted cardboard rectangle shaped base. The main color of the artwork is pale blue. Shown on white background.
 

There's times you'll be

a sinking boat

left adrift at sea

and times you'll be

the ocean tide

breaking wild and free

there's times you'll be

a jellyfish

and other times a seal

and times you'll be

the great white shark

and times you'll be the meal

there's times you'll feel like giving up

and sinking to the floor

and times you'll float

upon your back

and wash up on the shore

but know these times

will come and go

and just like tides

will ebb and flow

and though you won't

know which you'll be

you're still a part

of that mighty sea.

 

- Dallas Clayton

 
Two squares of cardboard, 17 skinny wooden dowels, a sheet of white paper with two penciled sketches of fish shapes and scissors with pink handled scissors. Photo captured on light blue background.
 

Materials:

  • fish template (see form below)

  • skinny wooden dowels

  • scissors

  • cardboard - two 12" x 12" sheets

  • glue gun

  • acrylic paint

  • paint brush

  • nail or skinny push drill bit 

  • sequins

 

1. Cut out your fish (1 big and 1 medium).  Subscribe below to receive our free template.  

 
A brown cardboard square with two cut out, white fish shapes placed closely together. Photo captured on sky blue background.
 

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2. Begin to trace your fish shapes onto your cardboard.

 
The fingers of an artist holding a black marker and tracing the outline of a white fish shape onto cardboard. Three other shapes above it have already been traced in black.
 

We were able to fit 5 large and 6 medium fish on our 12"x12" cardboard square.

 
The blacked outline of 10 fish shapes on a square of brown cardboard. The photo was captured on sky blue background.
 

3. Cut out your fish shapes with a sharp pair of heavy duty scissors, a utility knife, or a ceramic box blade.

 
A pile of 9 fish shapes cut from cardboard next to a pair of chrome scissors and a small square of cardboard with black outlines of two more fish. The photo was captured on sky blue background.
 

4. Time to paint!  We chose a light periwinkle color as our main color and used marigold, coral, and pale pink as our accent colors. 

 
A school of 10 cardboard fish next to a paint tray full of assorted acrylic paint colors and a black foam brush. Photo captured on sky blue background.
 

Every school of fish needs that one fish that stands out and doesn't look like the others, like our "Coral".

 
11 cardboard fish shapes, 10 of which are painted a pale blue and one painted in coral, resting on a brown cardboard square. The photo was captured on a sky blue background.
 

5. Use a ruler to start to crease your folds for your platform base.  We lined our ruler up with the edge of the cardboard, held it down firmly, and bent the sheet.  Then we created a second fold line four inches from the first and a third along the opposite side of the ruler.  Finally, we formed our cardboard into a rectangular box shape, used a pencil to mark the overlap, and cut off the excess cardboard with a utility knife.

 
A square shaped sheet of brown cardboard with a metal ruler laying across the top. The ruler will help make the correct folds when assembling the sculpture's base. Photo captured on sky blue background.
 

6. Glue a strip of cardboard the width of your ruler to the surface where you created your first fold.  This will serve to reinforce the box and give you additional surface area on which to glue. 

 
The right hand of an artist holding a white and blue colored low temperature hot glue gun, hovering above a brown cardboard square with several folds. Photo captured on a sky blue background.
 

7. Finish your rectangular box by gluing it down to the cleat that you created in the previous step.  

 
The fingers of an artist holding a freshly glued, brown cardboard box, which will be the base for the School Of Fish Sculpture. This side view close up photo was captured on a sky blue background.
 

8. Paint your box and the skinny wooden dowels.  We used the same periwinkle we used as the base color on our fish to keep it cohesive.

 
11 painted cardboard fish shapes, cut out and painted, placed on top of a brown cardboard square. To the left, a stack of skinny wooden dowels and a cardboard base. Both dowels and base painted in pale blue. Photo captured on a white background.
 

9. Punch holes in the box where you would like your fish to be placed.  We laid ours out before making holes and used a push drill bit to puncture the cardboard, but you could also use a nail.  Whether you use a drill bit or a nail, make sure that the diameter is smaller than that of your dowels so that they fit snuggly into the holes in the cardboard.  

 
An overhead view of the top of the sculpture's base. There is a drill bit has been used to puncture the cardboard base with 8 small holes. The holes are just big enough to fit the skinny wooden dowels. Photo captured on white background.
 

10. Cut your dowels to varying heights to achieve the look that you want.  We played around with our layout until we knew how long to cut the dowels.  Note: it's better to gradually shorten a dowel until you have the height that you want than to cut off too much.  

 
A close up photo of 14 skinny wooden dowels, each painted in pale blue. Photo captured on a white background.
 

11. Glue your fish to the dowels.  

 
A School of 9 equally sized fish shown attached to their wooden dowels. 8 of the fish have been painted a pale blue. One fish painted in a bright coral color. All fish are uniquely detailed. Photo captured on white background.
 

12. Arrange the fish according to your desired layout and push the dowels through your pre-drilled holes.  

 
A School of Fish Sculpture with 10 equally sized fish shown attached to their wooden dowels. 9 of the fish are pale blue. One fish painted in a bright coral color. All fish are uniquely detailed. Photo captured on white background.

Like Dory said, "just keep swimming!"

 
A School of Fish Sculpture with 10 equally sized fish shown attached to their wooden dowels. 9 are pale blue. One is a bright coral color. All fish are uniquely detailed. Caption reads "School of Fish Sculpture". Photo on white back ground.

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    A School of Fish Sculpture with 10 equally sized fish shown attached to their wooden dowels. 9 are pale blue. One is a bright coral color. All fish are uniquely detailed and facing the same direction. Photo on white back ground.
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