Students in the introduction to metalsmithing class at this year’s art camp are learning to craft metals into pendants or ornaments.

Camp Director Dorothy Bennett said the main purpose of the camp is to introduce the students to some new outlets for art.

“We’re just trying to give them some experiences they may not have had,” Bennett said.

In the metalsmithing class, Bennett said the students are taught how to cut and rivet metals together.

She said students use rivets to connect the metals together instead of using torches because there is not enough time and the students are too young to use torches.

Karen Reed, a local artist teaching the metalsmithing class, said the process of using rivets is also refereed to as cold joining and that students are using semi-precious metals, namely copper and brass..

Reed said this is her third year instructing the metalsmithing class, and she is a potter by trade.

“They are creating a pendant or ornament using rivets to join two layers of metal together,” she said. “Their inspiration is animal masks, so they are trying to translate animal mask into metal.”

She said that most of the students have not worked with metals before and they learn a lot of technical processes.

Reed said once the students get going, they pick up the process easily.

“The planning is the hardest part, getting them to think in terms of metal,” Reed said.

She said that the process is challenging because the students have a limited amount of space to convey their idea.

Reed said to project starts with sketching out a design on paper and then transferring the design to graph paper.

Once the students have their design on paper, they fix the paper onto the metal and use a jewelers saw to cut the shape out.

Then, the students repeat the process with a second paper template to the other piece of metal.

After all the pieces are cut out, the pieces are riveted together.

Bennett said the students in her sculpture class are using wire, Styrofoam, newspaper and cardboard to make an armature.

An armature is a framework around which a sculpture is formed.

She said once the students have formed their armature, it is coated with plaster craft, a cloth with plaster embedded in it.

The plaster craft is dipped in warm water and then formed around the armature.

Bennett said plaster craft is better than paper mache because it is stronger and easier to work with.

“You can just do a lot more with this, and you can actually use it like you would clay,” Bennett said.

She said the students have the option of painting their armature after it is finished.

High school students from all over the state are on campus participating in the art camp, which will culminate with an art show at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Tarble Arts Center.

The art camp is a yearly event and is sponsored by the School of Continuing Education.

Bennet said the students are in class for six hours a day, two hours in each of three classes they choose.

The classes taught are sculpture, metalsmithing, surface design and painting

Marcus Smith can be reached at 581-2812

or masmith6@eiu.edu.