5.27.2007

Miniatures in Clay

When I first began homeschooling my oldest son (fall 2005, he was just 12), we did a KONOS unit on Pottery and Sculpture which is a part of the HONOR character trait. One of the activities was for him to create his own sculpture. I purchased some Sculpey III for him and he was off and running. Little did I know that this would likely turn into a lifelong hobby and possibly more.

Yes, that's a ruler behind the dragon, he's just under 1" tall.

This is one of his recent creations. The variety of what he designs is pretty incredible. He's made adorable little bunnies, gnomes, elves, and bears. He's made wizards and dragons. After watching Flushed Away, he created slugs and Le Frog. After watching Wallace & Gromit in Curse of the Wererabbit, he made numerous bunnies. There is also furniture, baskets of eggs, a bowl of pasta, a carrot (minus a bite - you can see the teeth marks), a snowman, mice, even a tic-tac-toe game.













This is a statue he created of George Washington for a Drive Thru History America project. The color may seem odd, but it's actually just his scrap clay. He didn't even bake this one, so after it was shown at class, he just destroyed it and played with the clay.

Last spring, we created a stop-motion film short using a mammoth, a seal, and a penguin that he had created. They weren't yet baked so there was some flexibility for the video. We had such a blast doing that. He wants to do more and it should be a little easier now that I have a digital camera.








One of his earliest creations was a sweet little girl bear in a lavender outfit with a little sign hanging around her neck which reads, "To the greatest mom and teacher." He set it on top of my computer monitor for me to find. Definitely one of those precious moments forever imprinted upon my heart.











One of the things that amazes me about his sculptures is how little they are. This sheep is about 1/2". This son has always had a penchant for teeny, tiny things. He's getting quite tall at 13, but he's lean and flexible and can fold himself into the space of a toddler. So I suppose it's only natural that he creates in miniature.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I followed you here from Barb's (Chelsea Morning) blog. I happen to be starting the burp cloths she mentions you did.

I have to comment on your son's amazing talent. What an artist! I am so impressed at the detail and the perfection of his creations. They are absolutely incredible. And what a great hobby to have too. Please tell him how much I enjoyed seeing all his creations. Keep up the great work!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Thanks, Becky. I showed him the post and your comment. I think he was pretty jazzed! :D

Briana said...

He definitely has a gift! Those are incredible from any age person.

Susanne said...

My best friend homeschools her boys and just ordered a clay kit for her oldest. I will be sure to tell her to check out this post for inspiration! You're boy is very talented!!

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I also got here from Barb's site, and loved looking at the burp cloths you did too. I'm thinking of making them for a shower I'm soon to attend (don't have time to knit something!).
Your son has an amazing talent, loved all the pictures you shared of his sculptures.
I've book marked your site so I can visit again.
Hugs Denise

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Thanks for stopping by, Denise. Be sure to print out Barb's instructions - they're super easy to follow and the cloths go together well. I love that they're unique, useful, and fun for a baby gift. I'd like to make some more just to have on hand. :D

Journo June aka MamaBear said...

Wow, he is AMAZING! I thought those bunnies looked like the Nick Park ones! :-) Claymation is so very cool. We fell in love with Nick Park creations when we lived in Scotland in the early 90's.

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