Ganesh is the Hindu god of knowledge, and followers worship his images in praise of the path to knowledge and enlightenment. For this reason, a Ganesh idol in your home may serve as a deep personal reminder. To make this image yourself will supply added significance to the sculpture.
The Ganesh Image
In most cases, Ganesh is represented with an elephant head, a large pot-belly and four arms. In Hindu culture, gods are associated with many symbols, forms and objects. For instance, Ganesh is often pictured holding a rope that he uses to carry his worshipers to truth and enlightenment, an axe with which he cuts their attachments and a laddoo (an Indian sweet) to give his followers as reward for their devotion. Another characteristic of most Ganesh portrayals is that he always has one hand extended to bless his worshipers.
Preparing to Sculpt
Ganesh is usually depicted sitting in the lotus position, and this is the pose we'll use here. When sculpting with clay, keep in mind that you will be firing the finished sculpture, so be sure no air bubbles remain compacted into sections of the clay. Also make the larger parts of the sculpture hollow so that they can dry and fire properly.
The sculpting techniques used to build the basis of your Ganesh sculpture are the pinch pot and coil techniques. The pinch pot involves pinching a ball of clay into a pot shape. The coil method involves stacking thin rings of clay to create cylindrical pots.
Sculpting Ganesh
First, sculpt Ganesh's belly using a thick pinch pot. This should be the largest pot you make for the sculpture. Use two more pinch pots about half the size of the belly pot to create Ganesh's chest and a final pinch pot slightly larger than the chest pots for the head. Stack the two chest pots on the belly pot and the head pot on those.
Remember that whenever you attach pieces of clay, you need to score them by making a grid of lines across the surfaces that will be touching and use slip (watered-down clay) as adhesive between the surfaces. Now sculpt these into shape. Use the coil method to create the trunk and arms. Score your coils and stick them with slip. Once you finish the arms, legs and trunk, shape and texture the sculpture into its final shape. Use your remaining clay to add details like the rope and the axe. You can work these smaller pieces into shape without making them hollow as long as they remain small.
