created by Dylan32096 in Grade 4 at
Cliff Valley School
from school project "4th grade Terracotta Warriors"
art id #113898179
About this School Project (4th grade Terracotta Warriors)
Students in 4th grade learned about China’s Terracotta Army. The Terracotta Army is a collection of thousands of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting the emperor in his afterlife. The figures include warriors, chariots, and horses, as well as non-military figures including officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
Students watched a video presentation and discussed details they noticed when looking at pictures of the figures in the army. They noticed that each figure is completely unique, with specific clothing, hair, facial features, and stance.
Students then designed their own figure by creating a stencil template with unique features to cut their figure’s body out of clay. Next, they created and added feet to their figure’s body and worked on making their figure free-standing. Handbuilding techniques were used to shape the body, pinching and smoothing where needed. Last, students used a toothpick to draw details onto their figure’s body using their template plan. Some students chose to add a shield, spear (skewer), or sword (toothpick) to their warriors. These figures are ready for battle!
