Yesterday I had an inspiration to make a rooster bank. The rooster is about 12 inches tall and the body is about 6 by 8 inches wide. Lots of coins could be saved in a bank this size. There's a slot in the top to insert coins and a hole in the bottom to retrieve the savings. I'll plug the bottom hole with a cork or a wooden or rubber stopper.
I started with a sketch of my idea. Later I made a paper template for the body shape.
Then I wondered how in the world I could construct the piece. I decided to form a makeshift form to hold up the body of the rooster. A plaster mold would be much better. I'll have to think about that for the future. Sometimes it isn't easy being self taught. I wish I could afford to take sculpture class. Maybe one of these days.
As I made the rooster I was thinking rooster banks would be a wonderful addition to my pottery repertoire. But after all the makeshift contraptions and clay gyrations I went through yesterday I wasn't sure I ever wanted to make another. It took me almost four hours to make, The head and tail feathers are precarious. I made them flat but now I wish I'd made them three dimensional. I hope this piece makes it through the firings.
Remember the chickens I saw camping, they're popping up all over the place in my clay work. Oh look at the feet in my sketch, they seem like a cross between human and chicken feet. I wish I'd made the feet that way; I think they'd be a fine addition, very folk artish. This morning I'm thinking one of these roosters, slightly modified, would make a nice cookie jar. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
