Hand-Building and Hand Gestures

Arely, Grade 8

Erica, Grade 8

Isabella, Grade 7

Geno, Grade 7

Kalyssa, Grade 7

After our 7th and 8th grade art show, I felt the students needed a break from painting.  We got out the clay, and we learned how to roll even slabs using slab guides.  The students cut 2 circles, a long rectangle, and the outline of a hand.  They then learned to score and slip the pieces together.  The 2 circles became the base and lid of a small cup, and the hand was attached to the lid and sculpted into a variety of hand signals.  They looked at mudras from Indian art, sign language and discussed common hand gestures.  Most students chose "I love you" or "peace".  A few students got creative and made their hand pinching an object.  I let them decide how to paint the piece, but suggested they avoid numbers or letters, and suggested choosing a color scheme of less than 4 colors.  The air-dry clay is frustrating because it is so fragile when it dries, but those students who kept theirs at least 1/4 an inch thick and smoothed it well had no problems.