Before the turtle had shape, it was just a pile of what we throw away. Every material collected on campus. Nothing was purchased. Everything was repurposed.
BUILDING THE BONES
The turtle needed a skeleton before it could have a body. We started with cardboard, cutting, measuring, and hot-gluing a center spine and ribs. By the end of the first session, we had a frame that looked like an upside-down boat. It didn't look like a turtle yet. But you could see where it was going.
FILLING THE FRAME
With the skeleton ready, we needed to give the turtle its body. We crumpled newspaper, hundreds of pages, and packed it tightly between the ribs. The frame went from hollow to solid. Then we covered the underside with cardboard so the turtle could stand on its own.
COVERING THE SHELL
Now the turtle needed an outer surface. We covered the entire body with cardboard strips paper mache, and paint to create a smooth, continuous shell.
THE ESSENTIALS
Then we built the head and flippers, layering cardboard for strength, shaping each piece by hand.
THE HEAD
Head Attached
THE FLIPPERS
TEXTURIZING AND FINALIZING
This was the longest session and the most satisfying. We used different painting techniques and measures to ensure the sculpture's best qualities.
THE FINAL SCULPTURE (DISPLAY)