Reflection on shoe sculpture in process

When I first was given the assignment of creating a shoe out of cardboard and paper I thought it would be relatively easy to do. I was wrong, and while this is a project I have enjoyed creating it has also been one I have found very challenging. Building a shoe out of cardboard is challenging because cardboard is a tough material to bend and curve, this is a hindrance to the project because shoes are made to fit well on a foot which is an organic shape. To create curves to replicate the shoe I have cut the cardboard in ways to make bends like the shoe. Shoe laces have also been a large problem I have faced, but Mr. Brooks has been very helpful by showing me a special way to manipulate the cardboard to make movable laces. Finally one of the greatest challenges I faced specifically with my shoe has been accurate color. My shoe is special to me because it was my first pair of shoes I had and they were bronzed so i could keep them forever. Unfortunately I have not seen a bronze color paper or cardboard so I was given the privilege of using pastels on my shoe. This made the shoe come to life and added tremendous beauty to it. With the challenges in the shoe project there have also been successes. My greatest success was the toe of the shoe which I worked on for about a class period but made it very realistic by the time I was finished. The bottom of my shoe is also a part I am proud of, it is very accurate to the real thing and even has a small name plack which my shoe has indicating my name and date of birth. My last major success is the bell on my shoe which is important because it was put on so my family could hear where I was in the house. Each time they hear a Christmas bell it reminds them of me and the first weeks I could walk. I made the bell out of metal and even though it does not ring it reminds me of my first steps more than any other part of the shoe. I have really loved this project and look forward to finishing my shoe Friday.