Modeling a horse from plasticine is not an easy job, but entertaining and creative. Before embarking on the implementation of one's own idea, it is necessary to choose a technique and material. And the first and second largely depends on the ultimate goal. It also determines the appearance of the crafts.
Material selection
With your own hands, a horse from plasticine can be made pursuing completely different goals. For example, an animal figurine is quite suitable as a souvenir or gift to a friend. In this case, it is better to use a hardening material, which over time becomes similar to ceramic. If the goal of creating a plasticine horse is to work together with a child, soft and supple are ideal. It does not require prolonged kneading and preparation for work.
In addition to the clay itself, you need to stock up on a wooden or metal spatula with a sharp edge. With its help, they cut a large piece into pieces, make small parts, smooth out irregularities. A cutting board, as well as auxiliary materials: wire, matches or toothpicks, threads and beads to decorate the mane will not hurt. It is better to cover the table on which you plan to work with paper or oilcloth, especially when it comes to children's creativity.
Panel or mosaic
This is one of the options on how to make a horse out of plasticine so that it can serve as a gift or interior decoration. Both techniques involve creating a two-dimensional composition. The main difference is that the mosaic, as a rule, implies finer detailing and painstaking work.
From the materials you will need hardening plasticine, a background of thick cardboard, plywood or a sheet of opaque PVC, a simple pencil and a horse's stencil (you can buy it, cut it out using your favorite picture, or you can do without a template at all). To make a composition, you will need a glass and a frame. Although this is not necessary at all, besides, there is always the opportunity to contact a baguette workshop.
The first thing to do is use a simple pencil and a stencil to draw the outline of the figure on the background or draw the horse manually, without detailing it. Then, tearing small pieces of plasticine of the desired color and attaching them to the surface, gradually create a panel or mosaic. Each fragment should be well kneaded, then it will stick to the background without any effort and additional devices.
Particular attention should be paid to details: mane, head, bridle, saddle. After all, they are the real springboard for creativity. When the work is completed, it is left to dry a little. After that, you can draw a picture frame and use as intended.
Plasticine horse in children's art
Developing the imagination of younger schoolchildren, it will be very useful to draw them to the visual arts, including modeling. Having created their own plasticine farm, children will be happy to play with it. Moreover, the process itself is both interesting and useful. The main thing is not to focus on details, because small pens can be difficult to do delicate work. Therefore, the task should be set easier.
Before you sculpt a horse from plasticine, you must select a color. It can be either traditional (black, brown, white), or unusual, bright (yellow, pink). In the latter case, you get a fabulous horse or even a unicorn. Figures created from several contrasting pieces of plasticine randomly mixed look rather funny. For example, yellow and red or blue and green.
In children's art, as a rule, they do without a frame, but in order for the plasticine horse to become more stable, its legs can be strengthened with matches. First they mold the body by rolling up a figure of the required size and color. Separately, they make legs and head, and then connect all the elements, trying to smooth out the joints. The muzzle is usually performed with a toothpick, painting the eyes, mouth and nostrils, or from plasticine of a different color. The mane can be from the same material, finely rolled and cut with a wooden or metal knife, or from threads, woods, fringes. It all depends on what is at hand.
And most importantly, what you need to remember, regardless of the result: the small sculptor should certainly be praised, and his flaws and inaccuracies should be pointed out as gently and tactfully as possible. Otherwise, the child next time will simply be uninteresting to work with plasticine.
Toys for adults
If with children's creativity everything is more or less clear, then with a more traditional sculpture a little more complicated. Plasticine is rarely used in art, as a rule for layout or rough work. But some sculptors see it as a fully-fledged material for modeling.
To make the horse look very similar to its living prototype, it is best to use a skeleton base. So before you make a horse out of plasticine, you need to form its skeleton of wood or wire.
How to craft a wireframe
It can be made whole by the principle of a skeleton of wire. Or partially strengthen the limbs of the sculpture with matches or toothpicks. In the first case, the sequence of actions is as follows. The future body and head are bent from the wire, paws and tail are attached to them. Before making a horse out of plasticine, the frame is fixed so that it is more convenient to work with it.
In the second embodiment, matches are inserted into the paws in the process of their creation. To do this, they are enveloped from all sides with plasticine, leaving one end free. It is he who will be attached to the body.
Head and mane
These are the most complex elements of the figure. When creating the head, you have to do rather fine work, drawing eyes, nose and other small details. For this purpose, toothpicks, a plastic knife or other sharp object are suitable. The mane is sometimes made from other materials, such as threads. Although if you roll plasticine thinly enough and make several cuts, it will also come out very naturally.
After the wire is completely clipped, and the horse becomes recognizable, a scraper will help bring it to the ideal, which smooths out all the bumps and inaccuracies.
There are many ways to make a horse out of plasticine. Each of the sculptors decides which of them to use, which technique to choose, and which material to work with. But both a specialist and a beginner should understand that this work is not easy and requires patience.