Mongol Horseman

Mongol Horseman

This is the first project we have done using salt dough.

Salt dough is a modeling medium composed of flour, water and salt. It is fairly inexpensive and models like cookie dough.

Zaccai is studying the history of Asia and is very interested in the Mongol warriors of Genghis Kahn and his ilk--so this is our attempt to make a model Mongol Horseman.

Under the dough skin is a wire and aluminum foil form. The whole is painted with watercolor.

We have not baked the figure for a longer lasting artwork--but only allowed it to sun-dry. We will have to see how well it holds up. Baking (250 degrees for several hours) is just too expensive.

Zaccai did most of the modeling and painting work.

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Mongol Horseman

Zaccai and Model Mongol Horseman

Zaccai's home-school history lesson now is about the days of Genghis Khan and his Asiatic horsemen which conquered so much of Asia in the ninth century AD.

We thought it would be interesting to make a miniature rider and horse in the costume of the Mongol horsemen.

We are trying flour and salt clay instead of our usual papier mache for the model--it seems better for small work and fine details--well, we'll see.

We made an iron-wire (construction wire) armature and covered it with the "clay". To save baking electricity we are experimenting with sun-dried "salt-flour clay". Usually these little creations take at least several hours of oven baking at 250 degrees--but that's pretty pricy for school work--which doesn't have to last forever!

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