Polymer Clay Moai and a thunderstorm

Things are happening in my world today.  For starters,I got the lollipop update for my phone, and I discovered the wonderful emoticons. One of them is a moai. Why do we need a moai icon? Not real sure. But it inspired me to make a couple moai of my own. I figure if the Rapa Nui folks could manage to carve out some super huge ones and I can make some the size of my thumb.

The second happening of the day was the storm that blew through. I was out walking my dog when the front came through, and they weather changed on a dime. Later this evening the storm really let loose and I made a pretty cool stop motion video which captures over 20 minutes of intense lighting in 54 seconds. Cool, right? 

(Just a warning, if you have epilepsy you may wanna think twice before watching this)

To make your very own moai you will need:

Polymer clay (I used 2 shades of brown, back, and a little translucent)

Clay tools, legitimate or improvised

Clay softener (optional)

Glaze (optional)

Our first task is to mix the clay and warm it up sufficiently so it is pliable. I was planning to make a time lapse video of the whole process of moai making, but I had some technical difficulties, so this video just covers mixing clay while playing Skip-Bo.

Next we need to make the general shape. I found it best to make a rectangle shape with gently rounded edges. Then, using this photo for reference, I roughly demarcated my general facial feature to carve away. I chose to make my figure using negative techniques, but you could easily work in positive terms, whatever strikes your fancy.

Now, using the above linked image as my guide, I simply carved away. I kept subtracting and pinching and manipulating and adding a little clay here and these until I got the shape and structure I wanted. Generally, know that the Moai have deep set eyes which aren't actually carved, their noses and forehead should sit on about equal planes, their noses come down at an almost 90 degree angle, and they have a blunt, squarish jawline. Remember that you are working with clay, and noting is permanent, so just keep working with it until you are happy with the results. 

Now baking them according to the directions on the package of clay. If you wanted you could put couple toothpicks in the bottom so that your moai could adorn a potted plant. 

Ta-Da! Easy peasy, right?

I am moderately obsessed with moai in general right now, so I may be making a colony of these little guys soon. Think of the possibilities! Necklaces, plant decor, pushpins, ornaments, dresser pulls...

Yeah, maybe I'm a little obsessed. But really, how fascinating is it that people who lived so long ago were able to create such stunning and large artwork and then move the huge things?

This wonderful Nova documentary sparked my interest and is definitely worth your time. Go check it out, and then make a tiny moai friend for yourself!