Third Grade Gargoyle Relief Sculptures

In Studio 220, we are constantly struggling with the fragile nature of air dry clay. It is great to model with and create our projects, but once it dries, it seems to crumble, crack and break so easily! No matter how much we "scratch to attach" (scratching and scoring) or smooth out any cracks, we always find ourselves in line at the hot glue station for repairs.*** I find that the projects that work best are basic ceramics (pinch pots, coil pots, etc) and relief sculptures. I also find that the quicker these projects are taken home, the better chance for survival. Because of this, you won't see these 3rd grade clay projects on display, but you can see them here.

Third graders worked on relief sculptures of gargoyles. We learned about how the word gargoyle comes from "gargle" because they were often included on buildings to serve as rain water spouts to protect the buildings. We also learned that they were included as an architectural decoration to scare away negativity. Students invented a protective character that would serve the same purpose. We used clay to create a relief sculpture of our creature and then painted it using different gray scale values to highlight depth.








***If any artists or art educators out there have any tips, please share!