Last week I ran a camp called, "Magic and Myth" at Kudzu Studio.
On the first day, we all talked about gargoyles and the history surrounding them. I was unaware there was a show the kids all watched with gargoyles, which led to a lot of excitement that we would be creating our own gargoyles.
We also discussed how animals are used in many cultures to symbolize different traits...luck, strength, guardians, etc and then looking at several pictures of gargoyles and found all the different animals that were combined to create the figures.
Then I asked them to put together their own combination of animals to create a gargoyle. This gargoyle might be for protection from nightmares or to bring good luck, whatever they wanted.
7 year old
Then they began building their gargoyle with air dry clay. We discussed the importance of scoring and making sure nothing was so thin that it would break off when dry. I also made sure they understood that they did not have to do the entire animal.
How cute is the above walrus, squirrel and bat combination? I have always wanted a child to focus on a walrus and was thrilled after three years someone finally decided to use one in their art!
8 year old
After they had completed their sculptures, I then asked them to think about where their gargoyle would live and look like if it was a real animal.
7 year old
And once they had worked out a sketch of their animal in real life, they each created an acrylic painting. They did all their own color mixing and were able to do line work with oil pastels in blue and black.
7 year old
I think it is quite interesting how the kids interpreted their gargoyle in clay and paint. Some artworks were very similar and then others, like the above whale shark/ manatee combination, looked very different.
7 year old
I think this camper was quite brilliant with the way she simplified a sea turtle gargoyle. She just added the shell onto the back, creating a nice, compact circular design.
8 year old
I don't think I have ever had a group of kids more excited about their clay creations than with this project. They could not wait to paint them. Everyday started with the same question, "Will we paint our gargoyles today?"
8 year old
Waiting for the clay to dry was almost too painful for some of the students to handle!
9 year old
And who could blame them when you had gargoyles, such as the above gravity defying elephant living in candy land, sitting around drying?
10 year old
I am quite proud of the artist who created the above work. This piece started out using reference of a surprised monkey face. She was planning on doing a monkey to be truthful, but then this creature began to take shape and instead of fighting it, she embraced it completely. Isn't it marvelous? It will definitely keep the bad dreams at bay.
10 year old
Definitely the best way to see a pink elephant...no aspirin in the morning needed!
8 year old
I ran this camp in the morning and the afternoon and each class enjoyed seeing what the other class had done. In some ways, it was like they all got to know each other through their artwork during the week.
9 year old
Come Friday when it was finally time to paint the clay with acrylics, they were all so excited. I knew these works were quite special to them because they spent a very long time carefully painting them.
8 year old
They were so focused on the task of painting their creations that besides the occasional humming of a tune, the room was quiet.
6 year old
I am so happy that the kids enjoyed this project. For whatever reason, the idea of creating gargoyles truly captured their imagination and they were all so proud of the work they produced. For me, it was quite rewarding to see how much the pieces meant to them.
8 year old
They couldn't wait to share them with their parents and I have no doubt each one has a special spot on a shelf in their homes. I can't wait to try this project again one day.
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