Grade 9 Practical Project T2: Creating your own Ceramic Animal Head

Examples of figures created by Jane Alexander

http://camh.org/exhibitions/jane-alexander-surveys-cape-good-hope#.U1fHm1WSySo

Figure by Elizabeth Balcomb

http://blog.ams-designstudio.com/2013/08/product-design-resin-animal-heads-by-sarah-buxton/

Link to Pinterest Inspiration board

Practical Requirements:

You will be supplied with the clay, but you need to collect your own container and reference images.  

Your head must be small enough to fit into a cottage cheese size tub.

• You will begin by modelling the basic form and then leave your clay to dry slightly. 
• When it is leather-hard you will begin carving in details using a 4H pencil and toothpicks.
• You will then hollow out the base so that your head can stand on a pencil.

leath·er-hard

  [leth-er-hahrd]  Show IPA

adjective

(of ceramic clay) moist but not sufficiently so to be plastic.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leather-hard

"I carved out and texturized the moss cape.  I looked around my studio for something that I could use for just the right texture, and found a nice old sturdy, crappy brush.  Perfect."-Maryanna Hoggatt  

Please note Maryanna is using a slightly different technique to us, but you may want to see her process work at the link below: http://littlewolfblog.com/2014/01/08/animal-battle-sculpting-a-maquette/