Dinosaur Sculpture

Here's a project that is great fun for kids, as they learn basic sculpture techniques. There's plenty of room for creative license with these colorful dinosaurs!

Plan on completing this project over a 3 day period because of drying time needed between steps.

Ages 6-12

Supplies:

Pipe Cleaners
Aluminum foil
Self-hardening modeling clay
Bowl of water
Gesso (or white latex house paint)
Acrylic paints in assorted colors
Polyurethane varnish (water based is best for kids)
Foam Brushes
Paint brushes
Glitter (optional)

1. Lay out 2-1/2 pipe cleaners. We will start by creating an "armature" for the sculpture. This "skeleton" adds stability and helps the dinosaur to stand on its own.
2. Bend one of the whole pipe cleaners as shown at right. You are creating a head, neck, body and tail.
3. Bend the other whole pipe cleaner into a "V".
4. Wrap it around the first pipe cleaner as shown. Twist it once or twice to make it stay. These are the back legs.
5. Bend the back legs forward in the middle, and back at the bottom, creating kees and feet.
6. Now bend the 1/2 pipe cleaner into a "V".
7. Wrap it around the first pipe cleaner, as shown to make the front arms. Bend each arm at the elbow.
8. Using strips of aluminum foil, cover all of the pipe cleaners. Make a ball for the head part. When done, make the dinosaur stand up on his hind legs, balanced by the tail.
9. Using small pieces of modeling clay, cover over all of the foil. As you add pieces of clay, you must moisten the previous clay before attaching. Keep a small bowl of water nearby for this. Start at the tail and work your way up, making the dinosaur stand up once the legs are done. Smooth the entire dinosaur with wet fingers. Add extra clay at the joints for stability. Be sure to keep the clay wrapped in plastic as you work so that it won't dry out.
10. Allow the sculpture to dry completely for 2 days. Paint the dry dinosaur with gesso or white latex paint. Apply this liberally and try to fill in any cracks.
11. Now paint the dinosaur with a bright acrylic color of your choice. Allow to dry and add some contrasting spots. Paint on eyes, a mouth and toes. Allow to dry.
12. Once dry, apply polyurethane varnish with a foam brush. While it is still wet, you can sprinkle it with glitter!

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