DIY Network

Aluminum Mesh Sculpture Sculpt in cheap, easy-to-shape mesh. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-401

Plant some style on your walls.

The next time you’re looking for a hip art medium, head to the local home improvement store and check out the aluminum window screens. Michele Beschen is a big fan of screen mesh: It’s easy to mold, manipulate, shape and paint. On top of that, you won't need any expensive, specialized tools.

In this project, the B. Original host shows how to create a wall sculpture out of mesh. Use these as dramatic outdoor accents, or make smaller versions for indoor use.

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Aluminum Mesh Sculpture

Materials:

	Make this funky leaf with Michele Beschen.
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

aluminum screen or mesh
felt-tipped marker
heavy gloves
straight tin snips or heavy-duty shears
aluminum wire
C-rings or hog rings and hog ring pliers
needle-nose pliers
paint and paintbrushes

• Determine the approximate size of your design and unroll enough aluminum mesh to make the design twice.

• Fold the mesh double to cut the front and back sides of the piece at the same time.

• Draw the design on the mesh with a marker (figure A). Common designs include leaves, hearts and flowers; Michele Beschen made a giant oak leaf for the project piece. If you are making multiple sculptures with the same design, consider making a cardboard template of the shape.

• Wearing heavy gloves, use straight tin snips or heavy-duty shears to cut out the design shape (figure B).

  Safety Alert: Always wear gloves when handling or shaping the mesh; the cut edges can be extremely sharp.

• Give the piece dimension and texture by creasing and pinching it (figure C). Michele Beschen pinched the mesh to create the leaf’s spine and veins. Be sure to create the same texture on both pieces of mesh.

• Fold both pieces of mesh over toward the "wrong" side by about 1/2" and crease along the folds.

• Place the wrong sides together and stitch the two pieces together with aluminum wire (figure D). Use pliers to weave the wire in and out of the mesh until you’ve sewn around the entire shape.

• You also can connect the two pieces using C-rings or hog rings. Look for them in hardware or farm supply stores.

• When the pieces are connected, pull them apart at the middle to plump it up and give the piece more depth.

• Dress up your sculpture with paint: Use a dry brush to dab acrylic, outdoor or metal paint on all sides of the piece. Paint choice will depend on whether the piece will be displayed indoors our outdoors.

• To hang the final piece, simply create a loop from wire and attach it to the mesh at the back of the sculpture.

Unroll some aluminum screen and let the creativity commence!