Creating Santa

Santa has always been a favorite in my house. This year, I saw him everywhere – in cards, on pillows, in carvings – and decided to try and capture, in a tile, all that is beautiful in his face.

Here is the tile from start to mold. I began with some layered slabs, and started carving and adding. There were many iterations of the beard, followed by the glasses. Once the tile was deemed “done” (I’m never sure – sometimes I just have to stop!) I prepared the tile for a mold.

I put a wooden mold around the tile, and secured the edges with clay to ensure no plaster leaked out. Then I mixed the plaster, held my breath, and poured! The mold is white; the remains of the original tile are to its right. There were some undercuts – those glasses got stuck in the plaster! – so I have some cleaning up to do. Stay tuned to see the tiles turn out!