ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How can one create realistic form?
What is the purpose of creating something realistic?
STUDENT EXAMPLES
VIDEOS
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Create a paper mache head of your favorite animal. The head must be realistically modeled and painted. Tip: Choose an animal with a recognizable form and/or color pattern.  

REQUIREMENTS
Prep (15 points):
  1. Resources: Pictures of side and front views of animal's head. Have these resources near you at all times during this project- 5 points. 
  2. Drawings: Do two drawings of your animal's head: one side and one front view.. - 5 points
  3. Models: Small clay sculpture of your animal's head. - 5 points.

Form (35 points):​
  1. Size: Head is appropriately sized to fit and be mounted to a 12 x 12 inch board - 5 points
  2. Placement of facial features (eyes, ears, nose, etc) are correct - 10 points
  3. Form/shape/proportions are correct - 10 points
  4. Details are correct (eyelids, nostrils, etc) - 10 points

Surface (25 points):
  1. Texture (scales, fur, feathers, etc.) is appropriate and correct - 5 points
  2. Color is matched well, appropriate and correct - 10 points
  3. Mounting board is painted appropriate color - 5 points
  4. Mounting board is painting with additional features, designs, patterns, or is collaged, or otherwise decorated appropriately - (5 extra points)
  5. Animal is secured to mounted board and hung in designated area - 5 points

Effort (20 points):
The student took time to develop their ideas fully.  Many new techniques were tried. The student made excellent use of class time - 20 points (10 or 5 points for lesser effort)

​Reflection (5 points):
Self Reflection- 5 points

Total Points: 100
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep Steps:
  1. ​​Resources: Look up and print out multiple pictures of your animal. Get pictures of the animal’s head from all sides (front facing and side view are the most important). I printed out about 5 pictures total, including photographs, paintings, drawings, and sculptures of my animal. Printer 115 is in here and in black and white. 117-651 is color and is next door (key is on the phone by the door). Have your resources near you at all times during this project. ​​​Tip: You might also want to find a drawing tutorial for your animal (search, for example: ”how to draw a horse.”) These kind of tutorials do a great job of breaking the face/head down into simple shapes (circles, ovals) which can be very helpful.
  2. Drawing: Observe your print-outs and do two drawings of your animal’s head: one from the front and one from the side.
  3. Model: Time to play with clay! We’re going to use clay to make little sculpture of our animal heads so we can get used to working with a 3D media.

Form Steps:
Materials needed: newspaper, tape, your drawings, clay head, and resource photos. 
  1. Newspaper and tape form (6-ish classes): Crumple up newspaper into the shapes you need it to be (generally start with basic shapes like ovals, circles). Tape it in place. Continue to add newspaper to places that need to be bigger. Try to "mold" the newspaper into the appropriate shape(s) and then tape it in place. Later on, add details like ears, eyes (ping pong balls, usually), etc.
  2. Paper mache (7-ish classes): Dip magazine or newspaper strips into paper mache and paste 3-4 layers of paper mache on animal. You know you'll be done when you "knock" on it and it sounds and feels like you're knocking on a hard surface.  

​Surfacing Steps:
​After you have completely finished paper maching your sculpture, it’s time to COLOR MATCH (and then paint). Color matching means using an image resource as a guide to create the exact same colors with paint. This can take a while and requires some trial and error. Be patient and mix with small amounts until you get it right. You should also record the ratios of colors you use when you finally make a color that you like (for example: 90% white, 5% blue, 5% brown). Before you begin, please review the color blending info sheet. 

You will need:
  1. Images: Get color print-outs (print to 117-651 for color) of your animal’s head. Both side and front views.
  2. Palette: get tupperware(s) from drip-painted cabinets. Take a piece of blue tape and put your name on it as you’ll use this tupperware for a while.
  3. Paints: Take small amounts of the paint colors you’ll need to mix. Use ACRYLIC paint. Found in green cabinets. Check to make sure paint is acrylic before you use it.
  4. Mixing Tool: Palette knife (looks like a white plastic knife -- in black clay tool tray on clay table).

Then you will:
  1.  Mix: Try to mix a color you need. To test to see how accurate it is, take a small amount of it and paint it on the edge of a piece of paper. Hold that piece of paper up to the color you’re trying to match and see how close they are. Edit color as needed.
  2. Make More: When you’ve figured out how to make ALL of the colors you need, start making larger quantities of them. It’s VERY DIFFICULT to make more of the exact same color later, so make more than you think you’ll need for your project.  
  3. Practice Blending: Read the “Tips for Blending” below and practice blending the colors you need to blend well on another piece of paper. Make sure it looks good before you start painting on your sculpture.
  4. Paint: Start painting your sculpture!
ADVICE FROM STUDENTS
  1. "Looking at resources was essential for this project. The only way to make something look realistic is if you base it off a real picture. It's also important to gather many different pictures at different angles."
  2. "I used and drew pictures of my animal. I would do this again because they made for great 3D references."
  3. "Always look at the color that you mixed and make sure it's the right color before you put it on your animal."
  4. "Have fun with it!"
  5. "Throughout working on this piece I kept on returning back to the picture of my animal. I had multiple pictures and they were all at different viewpoints which really helped. Also, my friend helped me when I got stuck."
  6. "Be patient."
  7. "Let your friends help you."
  8. "The most helpful thing was feedback from my peers."
  9. "Put on a lot of paper mache because it holds the paper down and prevents creases. Use multiple layers of everything especially paper mache and paint."