Tiki Carving

This was a project idea born out of necessity.  I had ordered a bunch of blocks of floral foam over the summer, with no real idea of what to use them for.  Over the first few months of school - I began brainstorming ideas of different things students in my 11th grade beginning sculpture class could do/learn from the blocks.  The idea of using 'Tiki's' to introduce the concept of subtractive sculpture was intriguing to me...and who doesn't like Tikis?

After an introduction to Polynesian culture and mythology - students had to brainstorm to come up with their own Polynesian 'God' or 'Goddess'.  Their sketches had to reflect specific features and expressions that portrayed their chosen God/Goddess.

After a few demonstrations on subtractive sculpture and carving technique - students were given wood carving knives to make their Tiki's come to life! (This was super-messy, but the kids were troopers)

 

 One the Tiki's were carved, they received a base layer of white gesso, and a layer of brown acrylic paint (to mimic the original wood color that most Tiki's are made from)

Other details were added with acrylic paint to create the real 'personality' of each Tiki!

This project was an amazing experience, and my students astounded me with their creativity and attention to craftsmanship. This is definitely a project I would like to try again in the future.