Crescent Moon in Cement
This blog is an overview of how I created my moon with moon flower vine and hummingbird moth.
You don’t need a garden to enjoy garden art. A balcony, or front step, can be just as appealing as a larger green space. I chose to make this crescent moon to highlight the hummingbird moth I had seen featured on a gardening show.
The basic crescent moon shape is easy to sketch. I chose to sculpt a female profile on my moon, but that’s not necessary if you don’t enjoy sketching faces.
If you do choose a face, the suggestion I will give is to proportion the face on the moon as it is in your reference material, not to try and follow the shape of the moon. Start with sketching the nose. (Copying, or tracing, from a photo.) Then measure the eyes and mouth against the nose with the end of your pencil, ruler or fingers. Keep in mind, it’s a moon, not a portrait, so it doesn’t need to be perfect.
After sketching my moon, I added a night blooming vine to continue my theme of tempting the moth. (I used tracing paper, but you can use whatever paper you have.) I was also building dimension as I added flowers, instead of having the moth sitting on a flat surface.
Next, I formed the shape of the crescent moon with crumpled tin foil. This is an easy way to shape your armature (the structure that you build your clay upon) while reducing the amount of clay you need to use. Once you have your tin foil shaped the way you want it, simply smooth your clay around it, making sure to press the clay onto the tin foil. I like the clay to be a ¼” in depth all the way around. To remove finger prints, smooth rubbing alcohol over the clay using a synthetic paint brush.
I then baked in a pre-heated toaster oven for 30 minutes at 275 degrees. The vinegar may color the white clay in the baking process, but that doesn’t harm the sculpture moving forward. I’ll be baking the clay form two times.
NOTE: I work on a tile that fits in my toaster oven, to make sure that the size of the sculpture doesn’t get out of hand.
Once the basic moon has cooled, smooth a thin layer of clay onto the surface of the moon. This works as a glue for the next layer.
Next, I sculpted the moon flowers and leaves, using a reference photo, and positioning them on my sketch for placement and proportion. I gently attached them, and my hummingbird moth, to the unbaked clay on the moon. Since the moon was previously baked, this prevents it from shifting out of shape as you place the flowers. After baking everything for another 30 minutes at 275 degrees, I allowed it to cool.
I then create the cement form by pouring gypsum cement into a silicone mold that I made using a kit I bought from Amazon. There are several brands available. The one I used this time was BBDINO Silicone Mold Making Kit.
After 30 minutes I removed the hardened, cement moon from the mold. I used my Dremel tool for sculpting any additional details. Next, I primed with Gesso, then painted with outdoor, Arteza acrylics on the front and back. I added copper wire antennae to the moth, two stained glass stars, and chain for hanging. To make sure that the chain would hold the weight of the moon, I dipped the eye screws in Gorilla brand epoxy. I also used Gorilla brand Waterproof Patch & Seal, since this piece can be hung indoor or outdoor.
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