Obsese Chipmunk

 

This projects assignment was to create a sculpture of a fat animal out of white clay. Loving the naturally chubby cheeks of the chipmunk, I was humored by the idea of exaggerating the fatness of the chipmunk. It took many tries to form the hollow body of the chipmunk. At first, I tried in vain to create two pinch pots and stack them one on top of the other; this failed due to the inconsistency in thickness of the clay walls. Next, I tried to use a small bowl as a mold, however the bowl turned out to be too big. Finally, based upon Mrs. Rossi's suggestion, I took a big ball of clay and simply began to carve in the shape; using carving tools, I hollowed out the chipmunk after I was finished. In the chipmunk's mouth is a nut. The largeness in the belly and arms are greatly exaggerated, which foil the tiny feet and tail. I used an exacto knife to create the texture of the fur. After drying and firing the chipmunk, I painted it using acrylic paint and a clear glaze over top in order to create the shine. I decided to use acrylic paint to be able to have more specific colors; glaze is harder control exact colors. The acrylic was irritating to use at first because colors I didn't intend on blending would blend. This project was a success mainly because it did not explode in the kiln, which was my biggest fear. Also the I was able to portray the chipmunk with more fat than the average chipmunk. If I were to do this project again, I would make the nose smaller and would center the stripes on the chipmunk's back more accurately.