Good work. It can be hard looking at yourself. It is often our first impulse to be critical of ourselves. With that in mind, let yourself relax & appreciate the things that you do well. These attributes are important, admirable & part of your strength.

Sketch It: Using this information, the important attributes of who you are, draw a picture of yourself emphasizing these characteristics (ex. strong, knowing, funny, sensitive, logical, easygoing). These attributes are often identified with a specific organ or part of the body such as strength = arms, knowing = head, speed = legs, and loyalty = heart.

Transform It: Draw a picture of yourself that resembles how a traditional African artist might portray the most essential things about you. Emphasize or make the things that represent your 3 core attributes proportionately larger than the rest of the body (ex. core attribute: strength – emphasize the arms).

Build It: Out of clay, form a full body sculpture or mask that reflects what you think are your most important characteristics. Like your drawing, emphasize these essential abilities, making them proportionately larger than the rest of your head or body. Shrink organs or body parts that don’t seem as important to who you really are.

Read: p. 354 (15. “Working With Clay” and 16. “Joining Clay”) before beginning this project.

Some tips:If you haven’t already looked through the “Steps of Process: Pictures," scroll up and look through them now.

Structural support - If you are making a standing sculpture with a large head compared to a thin or small body (top heavy), you will need to build your figure on a sizable clay base to keep it from tipping. If it is not standing up on its own, you may need to consider using wire or a wooden skewer as a ‘skeleton,’ attaching the clay to it. If support is needed, put a straight wire or wood skewer through the area needing support and let part of it extend out so it can be pulled out once the clay is firm enough. The hole can be patched later with a little clay.

Finishing- When you are done building the sculpture, dip your fingertips in water and rub the surface to get rid of rough edges and smooth the entire surface. Make sure you take the time to smooth it thoroughly. Once you are done, you may want to scratch or press different textures onto your sculpture before it dries.

* Allow it to air dry for a few days out of direct sunlight. If you would like to add color, you can paint it with acrylic paints or use clear shellac to increase its strength and protect it from moisture (optional).

Submitting Your Work

To submit your (Sketch it) rough drawing, (Transform it) drawing, and (Build it) clay sculpture, save an image of your drawings by scanning or taking a digital pictures. (Photograph your sculpture from three angles: front, back, side profile). (Remember to compress your files to less than 100 KB.) Then in the Draft submission section below click . A browse window will open. Find the file you saved and click, . Repeat until all files are uploaded.

Enter your response to the (Plan it) questions in the Notes section. Click at the bottom of the page to open the edit box . Type your response in the edit box and click when you’re done. (Remember to put the title of the assignment at the top of the page.)

Only when all files (5) are uploaded and responses to the questions entered click the button.

Evaluation Criteria: