Fig. [335].—Head finished.
All you need for the work is a lump of soft clay, a hat-pin, your fingers, and determination to succeed. Take a piece of clay ([Fig. 330]) and roll it between your hands until it resembles [Fig. 331]. Push the two ends together, causing the roll to hump up slightly near the centre, lay it down on a board or any hard, flat surface, and with the fingers carefully pat, squeeze, and push it into the form of [Fig. 332]. Gently smooth out all roughness; then nip off little pieces of clay from the big lump for the nose and two eyes; stick them on as in [Fig. 333]. Again smooth the rough edges until the clay looks like [Fig. 334]. With a little careful modelling you can make the head exactly like [Fig. 335]. Mark the eyes, mouth, and nose with the flat point of the pin. If portions of the head become too thick, take off some of the clay, and if at any time the head is worked down too thin fill in the hollow spots with clay. In modelling one can always pinch off pieces here and there when necessary; or add little bits, smooth it all down, and the places altered will never show the marks of the change.
When the head is finished cover it with a wet cloth to keep the clay moist, and begin to make
The Body.
Fig. [336].—Clay for body of alligator.
Fig. [337].—Body of alligator.
Mould another piece of clay like [Fig. 336]. Run the ball of your thumb along the sides, making the body the form of [Fig. 337], broader and thicker through the centre than at the two ends. For the tail pull from the large lump a smaller amount of clay, roll it and model it like [Fig. 338], larger at one end than at the other. The last portion ([Fig. 339]), like the others, is flat on the bottom, and with the exception of a small triangle at the heavy end of the tail the two sides meet at the top, forming a sharp ridge which decreases in height as it tapers down to a point at the extreme end. As each part is finished keep it moist with a wet cloth, and when the four sections are made place them in a row ([Fig. 340]), then join them together, rounding all the edges slightly. [Fig. 341] shows how to mark the back of the alligator.