This is just a really fast note to let you know that I donated my dragon to the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and he was auctioned off November 14th 2014, at the American Legion on Western Avenue in Brookings, South Dakota.
For several weeks the dragon was on display on a high shelf in the ReStore, above the used chairs. (They named him “George.”) His eyes are rather piercing, so I hope George didn’t cause any heart palpitations as unsuspecting customers suddenly noticed him. He’s not an evil dragon, certainly, but he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy, and you wouldn’t want to cross him, I’m sure.
I wasn’t brave enough to ask how much the buyer paid for George. (George? Seriously??) I was afraid they would say someone bought him for twenty bucks – of course, the ReStore could put that twenty to good use, but it would hurt my ego. This fellow took a very long time to build.
By the way, it wasn’t at all hard to maneuver George out of my house through standard-sized doors. I worried about it, but mostly because my daughter held him by the head, and I held him by the tail, so we could go through the door single-file. That meant that the heavy body, where the wooden armature added a lot of weight, was supported only by the paper mache clay skin. But he made it through, and into the truck, and into the store, and out again, with no damage. Whew!
This guy was huge – way too big to fit into my house. But this article shows you how I made my very first dragon, and he fits on a coffee table. If I made that one again, I’d use a pattern inside, like I did when I made this Egyptian Hippo with paper mache clay. This is a reader-supported site. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks for your support! :) African Animals Pattern Set.
Save $10 when you buy this three-pattern set. Use the patterns to create memorable gifts, or to bring a little bit of Africa to your own home
See all of the posts for this dragon:
- Starting to Think About the Dragon’s Design
- Making the Dragon’s Head, Part 1
- Making the Dragon’s head, Part 2
- Dragon Armature Started – Problems Ensue…
- Dragon Armature Progress Report
- Big Dragon Gets His Paper Mache Skin
- Making the Dragon’s Wings
- The Dragon is Painted – Finally!
Hi Jonni
I’m going to try and use you paper clay to do some bowls. I was wondering if you have used it to make bowls? I just found your website and enjoyed watching your videos. And if there is a video of you making bowls maybe you could direct me to it!
Thank you
Joyce
Hi Joyce. I did make a few bowls, but they weren’t very exciting. You can see the video here. We also have a guest post by an artist who makes beautiful bowls. Her article is here.
Have fun – and be sure to let us see your bowls when they’re done!
Hi Jonni,
I’m totally in love with George! I hope he goes to a great home.
I clicked on the link you posted for the Habitat Restore and it said there was no such link.
I tracked down the page on their site that pertains to the auction. http://brookingshabitat.org/salvage-art
Thanks for all your awesome videos!
Amanda
Thanks, Amanda. There site must have been down temporarily – the link seems to be working now. But thanks for finding the direct link to the auction. I added it to the post. And I do hope someone has room for the dragon. It would be really sad if they call and tell me I can have him back.
George is awesome!
He’s great! I’m sure he’ll go to a good home!
I’ve been good at sculpting regularly, but lousy at documentation. Here’s one I finished this week.
I’m sorry to hear that George will be going away. I fell in love with him through watching your videos of his construction. Too bad I live all the way across the country, or I would bid on him myself!