clay blow fish...

Third grade just finished painting these with watered down tempera paints. I think the colors turned out awesome! I have done so much with glazes in the past years and I haven't been able to get such brilliant colors with them, that's why I have used the watered down tempera and the acrylic paints. I suppose that the fun glaze colors are not lead free, and I know that the ones that are can be so draining on an art budget.
I have always called these blow fish, I guess because their mouths are so large. So simple to make! I give the kids a chunk of clay, cut right off the 25 pound block, and they make a simple pinch pot. Setting the pot on it's side is what creates that large mouth. I demonstrate a variety of tail shapes and of course we go through the big shpeal ( how do you spell that anyways?) of scoring, wetting and wiggling the clay together to make it stay. The eyes come next and the kids are free to add any other embellishments they want, as long as they score, wet and wiggle it together. And wa-la, the hour is over and it's onto the next class waiting at the door to come in...