Painted Clay Form

My painted clay sculpture is this little frog named George. I chose to create George because of the compact form of frogs which creates a solid base and they're just adorable. His colors were based off of fresh, spring colors because this is the season frogs come around and I wanted him to be good-natured. The light-green splotch marks on his legs and head allude to the fact that the water is his home, and the other patterns and shapes were created to emphasize the form of the body part they're on.

To create George I used clay, water, a carving tool, a file, pencil, acrylic paint, and Sharpie paint markers. The clay form was molded and fired at school, then at home, I used a file to smooth out any rough patches and sharp edges on the body. To begin the decoration, I used a pencil to sketch out the design onto the clay, then used the paint to go in and add green, yellow, and pink. I used black, white, and gold Sharpies to outline certain shapes from the design and to add eyes and a mouth.

Shape and balance are major components in this piece with both the clay form and the painting. When shaping the frog, I had to be careful to use as close to the same amount of clay as I could for each leg to emulate the animal's symmetry. To emphasize this, I used symmetrical patterns with the painting. The shape of the clay form is important because it should be identifiable as a frog. The shapes on its body all have soft lines which makes the frog appear pleasant. As this project evolved I decided to outline certain shapes to make them stand out from the green base. If I were to continue with this project I would choose a different pattern for the sides of the frog, or clean up the job that is currently done.