Building Character: Clay Creatures Take Shape in Art 9

Stepping into the Grade 9 art studio feels a bit like walking into the middle of a storybook. A poised giraffe in a bridal gown waits for the next brushstroke to complete her look, a distinguished rabbit in a bow tie considers the world with wide-eyed curiosity, a penguin tests the fit of a crown and a pink pig in a military coat hides more complexity than his innocent expression suggests. Their creators sit nearby, shaping details that will determine where each tale goes next.

This year’s Grade 9 3D Art class has been working on anthropomorphic animal sculptures, a project that blends technical skill with expressive creativity. Art teacher Tamara Rusnak first discovered the idea through an online community of art educators and has adapted it for SMUS over several years.

“It’s really successful because you can teach students to make coils fairly quickly and effectively,” she said. “Once they learn the basic techniques, they can build almost anything.”

Students begin by forming long clay coils, stacking them in rings and blending them together to create a hollow, sturdy structure. The process resembles a handmade version of 3D printing. Using reference images, they shape shoulders, necklines, snouts, ears and clothing details, adding personality through accessories and posture. For many, this is their first time building a form from the inside out.

At the outset of the unit, Rusnak introduced her own example piece — a hipster duck named Mallard, dressed in a plaid shirt, wool cardigan and toque — to demonstrate how character can emerge from clay. The sample served as both guidance and inspiration, prompting students to consider the same questions that guided the project: what can this material become, and how do we make it believable?

The imaginative possibilities immediately drew students in. One pair of sculptures, a giraffe bride and zebra groom, sparked an ongoing storyline in the classroom. Their creators, Laurel Gomori and Lily Franco, embraced the role of matchmakers as their clay couple’s romance took form. Audrey Cooper designed a stylish Parisian fox to match her upcoming travel plans. Valentia Szuroka created a character influenced by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, explaining that the literary reference made it easier to visualize the body shape and personality she wanted to portray. As students talked through their ideas, their works began to develop backstories and characteristics that grew naturally from the technical exercise.

Although creativity shapes the characters, the process brings its own challenges. Students quickly learn the importance of thickness, moisture and structural integrity. Clay that is too thin can crack or collapse, and features such as snouts or ears must be supported and blended carefully.

“This one is more intricate because it’s smaller, so you have to pay more attention to the details,” explained Charlotte Li as she worked on her second project, a papier mâché bird. The class completes both the clay sculpture and a companion bird piece during the six-week term, shifting to papier-mâché while clay works dry and are fired before painting.

Throughout the unit, students bring ideas to life with their hands. They build coil by coil and layer by layer, a process that requires patience, problem solving and imagination in equal measure.

The finished works are now on display in the Snowden Library, where they have begun to delight passersby. Several will be featured in SMart Magazine — SMUS's Visual Art publication, and the collection will be celebrated again at the annual art show in April. While admiring the finished pieces is rewarding, the heart of the project lies in the making. At a time when technology is often the medium for creative expression, this project brings students back to tactile, hands-on problem solving. They shape, adjust, rebuild and refine, learning not only how to construct a figure but how to transform an idea into something dimensional and expressive. 

These sculptures will never hold flowers or store pens, yet they hold something just as important: the spark of imagination made visible. They remind students that creativity needs only time, space and a simple piece of clay to come alive.