Moai Statues
Create these mini clay statues while learning about the mysterious moai of Easter Island.
Featured Crafts
Supplies Needed
- Self-hardening clay, salt dough, or sand dough,
- Black acrylic paint or poster paint
- Clear acrylic sealer or decoupage
medium (optional)
STEPS
1Learn about the Moai.
Before starting this craft, you can learn about the Moai statues of Easter Island. We've listed some helpful resources below.
- Moai - New World Encyclopedia
- Moai - Wikipedia
- Secrets of Easter Island - Nova Online
2Prepare the clay.
Start out with white or gray self-hardening clay or air-dry clay.
You can also go with a homemade version by making some salt dough or sand dough.
3Add some paint to the clay.
The Moai statues are made from gray stones so to emulate this, you will need to color your clay gray. If you started out with gray self-hardening clay or air-dry clay, then you can skip this step.
Add a dollop of black acrylic paint or poster paint to a chunk of clay.
4Mix well.
Knead until the clay is evenly colored. If you want a darker shade, add a bit more paint then knead until the color is mixed well.
5Mold the clay into a statue.
Take a chunk of clay and mold it into the statue's main shape. Maoi statues have really large heads that are about three-fifths the size of their bodies.
6Create the nose.
Make the jaw more squarish. Pinch the front of the face to make a nose.
7Create the eyes and mouth.
Use your little finger to carve out the eyes and the tip of a spoon or craft stick to make the mouth.
8Add more details.
Make the finishing touches. I've squared my statue's jaws further and made two dimples on both sides of the body to create a pair of arms.
When you're happy with your sculpture, allow it to dry at room temperature. Turn it from time to time to allow all areas to dry. Drying will depend on several factors such as temperature, the size and thickness of your sculpture, and the type of clay you used. My mini sand dough sculptures took about a day to dry completely.
