Here is an interesting statement by Calder about his process in making mobiles. I find it encouraging to know he didn't always design them in great detail beforehand!
On The Making of Mobiles
Alexander Calder
I used to begin with fairly
complete drawings, but now I start by cutting out a lot of shapes…some I keep
because they’re pleasing or dynamic. Some are bits I just happen to find. Then
I arrange them, like paper colle, on a table, and “paint” the – that is,
arrange them with wires between the pieces if it’s to be a mobile, for the
overall pattern. Finally I cut some more of them with my shears, calculating
for balance this time.
I begin at the small ends, then balance
in progression until I think I’ve found the point of support. This is crucial,
as there is only one such point and it must be right if the object is to hang
freely. I usually test out this point with strings to make sure before bending
the wires. The size and angle of the shapes and how to use them is a matter of
taste and what you have in mind.
To most people who look at a
mobile, it’s no more that a series of flat objects that move. To a few thought,
it may be poetry.