Clay Cactus Sculptures

A while back my grade fours completed these cactus sculptures, inspired by this post from Hope at 'Mrs Knight's Smartest Artists'. 

I began by having my students make a simple pinch pot for their plant pot. It was interesting to review the pinch pot process, which students had learned in grade one and two. 

I fired the pots and after studying various actual potted succulents from my house as well as different images, I asked students to sculpt their plant using Model Magic. I felt that the texture of Model Magic was perfect for succulent plants and allowed students to directly add other elements such as cut up toothpicks and matchsticks. 

Students were encouraged to paint their pots using bright colours and to attempt tonal variation with different greens when painting the plant.