Term 2 2005 Gallery

Selby Primary School

Clay Heads

How To:

  • Grade 6 students made a mould of their faces using the standard 'modroc' mask method
  • Once the mould was completely dry they filled the mould with clay, making sure that clay was pushed into all the detailed areas.
  • The clay was removed carefully then details such as pupils, eyebrows, line on lips, etc were added
  • The head was built up using scrunched up newspaper and more clay, working from base up
  • The head shape was moulded and ears were added
  • The hair was made using clay coils and etching tools
  • A large coil of clay was placed over and around the middle of the head, effectively dividing the model into two halves
  • Casting plaster was dribbled over the front and back, as plaster thickened more was dribbled onto the head until the plaster was about 25mm thick
  • The work was left to dry for about 24 hours.Once dry the middle coil of clay was removed and the two halves were pulled apart
  • The soft clay inside was cleaned and recycled.
  • The inside of the plaster mould was cleaned of any small pieces of clay, coated with polyurethane, allowed to dry then smeared with petroleum jelly
  • Another large coil of clay was rolled and pressed between the two halves of the mould, any holes at the joins were filled with clay
  • The two halves were tightly bound with fabric strips and held upside down. This was the most difficult part of the process as we had to pour casting plaster slowly into the mould, avoiding air bubbles and at times trying to seal leaks with soft pieces of clay
  • It was easier to sit the mould in a large ice cream container to stabilize it whilst it was setting
  • The plaster was left to set hard for at least 24 hours. Once dry the clay coil was removed and the plaster mould was chiseled away to reveal the head
  • The coating of polyurethane and petroleum jelly caused the mould to fall away with relative ease
  • Any extra sculpting or smothing could be done using simple etching tools or fine sand paper
  • The heads were cleaned gently with soap solution, fixed to wooden bases using Zart's Supertac and finally painted with acrylic sponged over with copper coloured paint to simulate and bronzed cast effect

This was a extremely demanding activity with a small group of students, it took about eight one hour lessons, created at times an enormous mess and a great deal of hilarity but was well worth the effort. Full instructions for this project can be found in 'Art. The Big Picture. A Comprehensive Primary Art Program' by Tessa Gray.

Copyright 2004 Zart Art & Zart Education Service