Clay Sculpting Ideas For Beginners – It’s one of those projects that’s been brewing in my head for months, and it finally saw the light of day in the first week of summer vacation. I think it was waiting for the days to get longer, for the bones to come, and for the last day of school to come and go. They just feel summery, don’t they? What do you see in these sculptures? I see plant pods, chewing gum, river rocks, ancient ruins, lips, jungle fruit, pearls, and a donut (ha!). The process is open and the supply list is short. I think you will like this one!
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Clay Sculpting Ideas For Beginners
I split the block of polymer clay in half, put out a random selection of tools and objects with good texture, and just let the girls go to town. While they were making clay, I drilled holes in the wooden blocks. Make sure your drill bit matches the diameter of the dowel.
Creating Your Clay Character: Fast Version
Then bake them in the oven. Follow the baking instructions on the clay package. Remember that smaller/thinner pieces cook faster than larger ones, so it’s best to remove the smaller ones before the larger ones.
When the painted pieces are dry, start assembling them kabob style. When you have a neat stack, insert the end of the dowel into the base of the wooden block. I hope this school year is a year where you can try brand new ideas or go back to old favorites. Nothing captures your imagination like learning during a global pandemic, right?
I always want my students to have the opportunity to sculpt. In 2020, the socially distanced art space is very different from the mud-cleaning hustle and bustle of the past.
If I had the answers to all these (and many more) questions, I would immediately write a book. One thing I know for sure is that success this year depends on flexibility, patience, and building relationships with students. I know many art teachers, like myself, are looking for 3D art. Teachers want their students to be engaged, even with the limitations we set for ourselves. I may not teach this lesson this year, or any other lesson I’m used to, but I’m trying to stay calm and creative.
Clay Pinch Pot Art For Beginners
This piece requires very little clay and can be done at home or in the classroom with Amaco Air Dry Clay. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore the rich historical connections of art and students can express their own thoughts and experiences through the human figure.
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If you want to skip ahead to how this sculpture was made, here is a link to the video I will be linking to in this post. It is 100% ready!
It’s a detailed step-by-step tutorial that can be broken down into chunks as your students (or yourself!) go through each chapter.
Make An Elephant Out Of Clay
My main goal for this lesson is to help students understand three-dimensional proportions and how to use the human body to show emotion or expression.
I like to use this focus question: What is it like to be a young person in the 21st century?
I start by letting my students write, reflect, and discuss how they feel in different situations. Sometimes students do written reflections, and sometimes I have them write down ideas and I verbally throw out scenarios. I try to steer them away from basic words like “crazy” or “sad.”
After they write down some experiences and descriptive words, we discuss how they can shape the human body to express that feeling. For a really fun classroom activity, ask students to express an emotion and then have the student pretend to be a sculpture and strike a pose. It can be done as a whole class or in a small group, and YES, it gets silly, and YES, it can be loud. This is a good opportunity to get students moving and thinking about posture. This can also be a good way to incorporate gesture drawing. It all depends on your age group, unit goals, and time constraints.
Clay Projects For Kids: How To Make Pinch Pots, Clay Beads And Other Fun Clay Stuff
Students often want to focus more on the movement of the figure rather than the facial expression behind it. I have to work the students through the thought process of using this action to express what the person is feeling. Students like to play sports and often use props, which I try to avoid. Simple is best when working with the human figure for the first time.
So, if a student is stuck on “I like soccer, so my sculpture kicks a soccer ball,” we’ll discuss how you would
The moment you hit the ball? Would you feel determined, anxious, confident, etc.? Some students immediately fall in love with the concept and have many expressive poses to choose from.
Because I want them to use their personal experiences in today’s world, I show them various sculptures by the talented artist Elizabeth Catlett.
Diy Dragon In Air Dry Clay / Self Hardening Clay
Elizabeth Catlett’s powerful sculptures are a great example of using the human figure for expression. Catlett used the female figure to convey her experience as an African American woman and mother. I love using her work to remind students about important historical periods in America. Catlett was the granddaughter of slaves and this greatly influenced her art, not to mention growing up as a black woman in the 1930s.
I don’t shy away from these conversations in art class because without context the artwork wouldn’t exist. Elizabeth Catlett’s personal experiences show how her sculptures come to life and it really helps students understand expression and how they can use their personal experiences in their art.
College girls will always pick up the feminine curves that Elizabeth Catlett emphasizes. Some of her sculpts can have very revealing breasts, so keep that in mind when choosing your images. I would like to point out from the beginning that although her sculptures are abstract and simplistic, she gives us enough information to know what they feel.
A fun activity is to ask students to compare and contrast Catlett’s shapely sculptures with Alberto Giacometti’s eerily slender sculptures. He is another artist who uses the figure to explore the human experience and fits well into the discussion of how art can reflect time, people and place.
Cute Art & Craft Ideas
I like to show students new works of art that they have never seen before, but I also think it is important to include some well-known works of art that they are likely to come across, such as Rodin’s The Thinker. This is another example of an artist who was inspired by the human condition. His sculpture embodies the chaos and horrors of the French Revolution.
Students will definitely notice that the Thinker is naked. Like Giacometti and Catlett, you don’t see exposed body parts outlined, but unlike those two artists, The Thinker is super realistic.
I like to turn this on its head by having students record three warm-up observations and then share them out loud. You can almost always count on a student saying “he’s naked!” during the discussion. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll say, “I’m sure you noticed he’s not wearing any.” It usually brings smiles and laughter. Sometimes I say “naked” because I’m a ham and I can’t help it.
It’s short, to the point, and has a lot of good points about Rodin’s choices (like no clothes). I warn my students that the narrator’s voice is a bit dry, but don’t let that fool you, as he makes some interesting points.
Creative Craft Ideas: Pottery, Clay Creations, Diy Projects & More!
I do daily warm-ups with my students in the sketchbooks during the project and add these activities during the sculpting process. It would be very boring to spend the whole class trying to cram in all these ideas. I learned how to gather information, examine new works of art, and practice Feldman’s method of art criticism in small doses. This helps to engage children and ensures that the standards of art history and criticism are presented almost daily.
If you like the concept but don’t have access to clay, try this papier mache figurine.
I did this lesson with kiln fired clay and air dried clay. I love Amaco Mexican Pottery Air Dry Clay because it feels exactly like kiln fired clay with great results. I also love the low drama of air dry clay. There are no furnace explosions or sleepless nights because your school is on fire.
It is also convenient for distance learning. Before moving, I taught high school ceramics for six years