Clay Cat

 Kindergarten

2 Class Periods 

50 minutes per class

Clay Cat, Kindergarten Art Lesson

Day 1:

For a number of years I have been doing the clay owl lesson with my kindergarten students.  I love this lesson, but am at the same time getting a bit tired of it.  One day during one of my many searches for lesson ideas, I stumbled across a very cute cat drawing and wondered to myself if it would be possible to turn that drawing into a clay sculpture.  

I was so nervous testing this idea out with my first group of kindergarten students.  By the end of class, my heart was soaring.  These projects turned out adorable and the students were more than capable of following directions.  BIG WIN for this HAPPY ART TEACHER!

1. Start with a clay ball slightly smaller than your fist.

2. Next, have students flatten the clay so it is "pancake thick."  I have them just squish the clay with the palm of their hand.

3. Have students roll the bottom part of the slab.  This will be the tail for the cat.

4. Pinch the top of the clay to create two bumps.  One part will be the head, the second bump will be the body

5. On the bump that you consider to be the head, pinch out two ears.

6. Using a stick or a needle took, incise the line where the tail and the body meet.

7. Draw a line to show the back leg of the cat.

8. Draw a line to show where the head and the body connect.

9. Take your thumb and smoosh a spot in the front of the tail.

10. Add lines to create the front paw.

11. Draw a face for your cat.  I have students use an old marker cap to create the eyes.

12. Once, cats are complete, I have students stand the cat upright and bend the body to give it a slight curve.  The cat should be able to stand all by itself.  Have students write their name on the back.  Allow several days to air dry before placing in kiln.

Day 2:

Students are very excited to get their cat sculptures back by the time they come to art class.  After giving a basic description of the firing process, I remind students how fragile their pieces are right now.

Using tempera cakes, I demonstrate to students how to paint their cats.  As a finishing step, we use liquid black and white tempera paint to go over the eyes and incised lines.

After the sculptures dry, I spray them with an acrylic sealer to keep the paint from rubbing off and give the pieces a nice gloss shine.

Student Examples: