The large Ganesha pictured
on the Home page, is made from self hardening, Mexican Pottery
clay available at Michaels. Two 5 lb boxes were used to make this
Ganesha 11" x 8".
Tools: paper clip, fork to
create hair, fingers & toes, bowl of water, rolling pin, 2 white
oval tablets for tusks, toothpicks or wires to attach parts.
Smooth marble surface to roll out the clay. 2 Pepper corns for
eyes. Statue of Ganesha for visual representation. Bharti
Lalla aslo advises you to play Ganesh chants or mantras in the
background to aid the creation process.
Divide first box into four parts. Shape head and trunk with 1
part. 2 1/2 parts were used for the body and chest.
The remaining made the 4 piece crown. For the body, roll the clay
into a log and make it stand upright like a pillar. Slowly punch
your fist into the center of the lower part to shape belly in
front. Fill hole at back with more clay.
Second box was used to make the arms and legs.
Ornaments were made by rolling out thin snake like pieces and making
markings with a pen. The snake around the belly was made in a
similar way. The straightened paper clip was used to make
clothing and decorations. 1/4 box was left over, and was used to
make diyas (lamps).
Kids craft Ganeshas
Small Ganeshas were made
from Sculpey's oven bake clay. A 56g packet will make 1 Ganesha.
This is easier for children to handle, as it does not harden on
its own. Imperfections can also be erased easily! You can also make
Ganeshas from play dough, as featured on this page!
Roll 1/3 into a ball for the
body and use half of the rest to form arms and legs, rolling them into
two long ropes and shaping the ends. Use half of remaining for
face and trunk. The rest forms ears and crown. Put 2 grains of rice
for tusks, using a broken piece for the right one. Use a red bead or
some red clay for the tilak. Bake at 250º for 15 minutes.
Add decorations such as a shiny string with a bead for
Janeu, the sacred thread.
