Fort Meigs African Safari - Ceramic Installation

This was a huge and very satisfying undertaking… I love clay, I love installations, this was the perfect project at the right time.  I did not photograph the making process of these animals, I made this in 2004. Before I was a blogger, before Facebook, before Pinterest.  Had I known that image sharing would be what it is… I would have documented the whole thing! So… the basic details…

4th Grade – Wild cats – any kind they wanted to make, I had lots of pictures for them to see.

3rd Grade – Elephants, Zebras, Hippos, and Giraffes – each class made one animal

2nd Grade – Monkeys, Gorillas, Alligators and Rhinos

Every project is created on a pinch pot body.  Then build with not body parts, but muscles.  If you pay attention to how the muscles attach on an animal, you can build an animal in clay to stand on four feet.  If not… they fall over.

Finishing was acrylics.  I pre-dipped all the animals in semi-gloss latex by base color needed.  Then students add the accent colors.

Display – Twisty paper bag trees with shredded green construction paper dumped on top.  Burlap and blue transparent cellophane.

Fort Meigs Farm - Ceramic Installation

This project was my first ceramic installation… The FT. MEIGS FARM!!! Love it! Cracks me up! It was super fun to make, easy pinch pot projects.  This was made in 2006 & 2007, I did it two years in a row.  Pre Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and BLOGGING! I do not have any photos of the process.  So… just enjoy!

1st Grade – Chickens, Ducks, Pigs & Sheep

2nd  Grade – Cats, Dogs, Horses & Cows

2nd Grade - Laurel Burch Fantastic Felines!

A real favorite of mine... Top 10 when it comes to results. My students have always done an amazing job with this lesson. After a BIG look and discussion about the beautiful designs, patterns and colors of Laurel Burch's Fantastic Felines... we get to it!

I teach 4 sections of each grade level. To stay organized and add variety to our show, I have two classes use warm color papers, the other two classes, cool colored paper. Students get to choose, from 4-5 colors. First, students are taught how to draw the sitting cat and laying cat with just chalk on the board. They choose the one they want to paint...

and then we get started...

It seems scary to paint direct, with no pencil drawing first, but I prefer to. The only thing students draw with pencil is the head. I have them trace a 6" circle in the top corner of the paper first. It establishes scale. We start with outlining the head with black tempera, then draw the front legs. Tall cats - I stress all the way down to the bottom of the paper. Laying cat - under the head towards the bottom. 

Then paint the cat's back, stretching all the way over to the side of the paper and down. Then the back leg, big letter C with a foot that is a flat littler c. 

The face details - large human like eyes, long nose and simple smile. Then PATTERNS! We stop for a minute and look at her cats again and look at the patterns she used. I demonstrate painting the patterns on the whole cat and then let them go!

Coloring, we discuss her use of warm and cool colors but I give them freedom to be creative with their color choices. I only stress good craftsmanship, careful, purposeful coloring.