My Clay Dog Bobble Head

Hi, my name is Matthew and I have made a clay sculpture in remembrance of my dog. For the clay dog, you will need at least 2 pounds of clay(preferably white clay so you can paint on it)and gloss. You can pick your colors separately. My dog was a lab and he had a light brown and a blue-collar.

For the head first, take a large clump of clay and roll it into a circle. Then make a pinch pot out of the circle. When you are done you should have a small opening, this is where the neck goes. Then make small circles for the eyes, for the nose make a little bit late circle and then indent 2 holes for nostrils. You can make the tongue stick out if you want. To do that take a little piece of clay and stick it to the dog's head under the nose. Make sure it is stuck firmly or it will fall off. Next for the ears, take some clay and make 2 ears it into the size of a potato chip. Attach the ear to each side and curve it down. Lastly, make sure all parts are connected securely and smoothen connections out.

The body will take a while, there are a lot of parts to this. First, make the base by sculpting a large pillar. You can make the body hollow this will make it lighter and you will save clay. Then for the neck take a little bit of clay and make it into a little peg. Make sure that the peg is small enough to fit in the hole in the dog's head and also make it big enough so it won't break under the pressure. Now for the collar, make a loop and attack a rectangle. The rectangle will be where you put your dog's name. Attach the collar firmly to the base. For the paws, you can make them into any position you want.

You bake the head separate from the body. Take a tray, cover it with tin foil and put the pieces on the tray. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and for 20-25 minutes. If yours is solid and not hollow bake for 25-30 minutes.

For the painting make sure to use brighter colors than it comes in the bottle. The color will get duller in the oven. You do not have to paint the insides of parts. After you paint all the parts stick the separate parts in the oven for a little more time.