To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Wire art of a rabbit, bear, dog and birds
The Yomiuri Shimbun
18:01 JST, January 2, 2025
As the viewing angle changes on these wire art animals, including the gentle-looking bear and rabbit, new details and aspects start to stand out. Although they are three-dimensional sculptures, they look like line drawings while viewed head-on. Looking at them as you change angles evokes a feeling of curiosity.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Taichi Ikeda, left, and his wife Yuki
Made by wire artists Taichi Ikeda, 44, and his wife Yuki, 42, of Osaka Prefecture, the couple’s adorable creations are popular as interior decoration items.
Having Already shared drawing as a hobby, they began creating wire art in around 2017, wanting to also try their hand at three-dimensional objects.
The materials used to make the pieces are black wires 1.2 millimeters and 0.9 millimeters in diameter. The only tools are wire cutters and pliers. The designs are created through simple techniques such as cutting, bending, twisting and fastening.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Changing the angle shows off the work’s three-dimensional nature.
Once deciding the subject of their work, they collect pictures at different angles to understand the features and develop the idea.
The outline is set up with 1.2-millimeter wire, and then the eyes, ears and tail fin (in the case of fish) are attached. The fur and scales are made to look realistic by bending 0.9-millimeter wire into multiple layers.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Free-standing works of a shoebill, owl and deer, from left
When starting out making wire art, they were exclusively designing animal faces. Now, they work on modeling complete animals such as owls and deer.
We’ve also worked out a way of applying the lines so that the figures look three-dimensional regardless of whether they’re hung up or placed on a flat surface, Yuki said.
They have received orders through social media and at exhibitions they hold several times a year, mainly in the Kansai region, producing more than 1,000 pieces to date. They often receive commissions based on the customers’ beloved dog or cat.
The book “Hajimete no Wire Dobutsu” (First steps in wire animal sculpting), published last year by Sangyo Henshu Center Co., shows how to make 10 different animals from wire, including swallows and cats. The wire is flexible and easy to work with, so even beginners can get good results, they said.
Don’t worry about making it perfect. First and foremost, have fun with it. As you go through the process over and over, you will create your own unique work, Yuki said.
Various ways to enjoy
The Yomiuri Shimbun The shadow of a swallow spreading its wings cast by the wire art
There are many ways to enjoy wire art. In addition to mounting a piece of wire art on the wall, you can hang it from the ceiling with an S-hook or clear string. It leaves a different impression as it gently sways.
The shadows created when light shines on the wire art are another unique feature of the design.
In the wire swallow, the way the wings are spread out looks like a painting.
The Yomiuri Shimbun A coelacanth that appears to be swimming in midair
If you get creative with how you display it, you can enjoy looking at it even more, Yuki said.
Taichi and Yuki Ikeda
Taichi Ikeda, left, was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1980 and his wife Yuki was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1982. Their works posted on Instagram (@gogo3jino) have attracted attention, bringing in more than 100,000 followers. They also hold occasional workshops to teach people how to make their own work.
