Dog Pound

I find that my own dogs offer lots of inspiration for this project!  These cute puppies are simple to make and I encourage my students to build at least 3 completely different dogs to create their dog pound.  I use rolling pins to help support the legs of the dogs until they dry, but you could also use cardboard paper towel rolls or newspaper too, just make sure you have one for each student.

Start by rolling out a coil of clay that is about as thick as a Sharpie marker.  Cut two pieces from this coil that are equal size and about 4 " long.  Drape these pieces over the rolling pin to create two arches for the legs of your dog.  If you want your dogs to have shorter or longer legs, just adjust the length of the coils.  Next, roll out a slightly thicker coil of clay for the body.  Roll one end of that coil thinner for the tail and cut the coil for the length of body that you want.  Scratch-to-attach the body onto the top of the legs and blend them together with your finger.  To make the head of your dog, roll out a small sphere and pinch one end pointier for the snout so the overall shape is more like an egg on its side.  Scratch-to-attach the head onto the body and blend it in.  Remember that you don't have to have the head facing straight on, maybe he's watching a ball fly by him!  Next cut the mouth open with a knife, you can add teeth or a tongue or a bone in its mouth if you want.  Scratch-to-attach on the ears, eyes and nose.  Then you're ready for details, like toes, furry texture or adding accessories (collar, toys or a food bowl).  Let your dogs dry on their support structure and carefully slide them off when they are dry enough to support their own weight.  Dry them completely, bisque fire, glaze and glaze fire.

!!B CR8IV!!