Cupcake Wars

I visited the art teacher at San Carlos Middle School and was inspired by this idea.  I wanted students to create an elaborate clay cupcake that demonstrated a theme for the icing.  The theme would be sculpted in clay and painted.  This project was a hit!  Students' themes ranged from islands, the ocean, the beach, London, desserts, vegetables, and the old West.  I created a template for the bottom of the cupcake which was traced over a flat slab on clay.  This was attached using the scratch and vinegar technique.  Students then created a removable lid and built it up to create their themes.  These were fired and painted and then painted again with a gloss.