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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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An orange skeleton hand connected to a cobweb reaching down, next to the title Family Day, Make in L.A.

Make in L.A. 2020: Monsters Masquerade Ball

– By Umar Rashid

Come one, come all to the Monsters Masquerade Ball! Every year, on October 30, the monsters of our world come together for a masquerade ball. They wear masks and costumes that show off the funky shapes of their bodies and dance the night away before celebrating with humans the next night on Halloween. This year the party has unwelcome guests: a flock of scary shapeshifters is trying to sneak in and make the monsters too sick to keep partying. Our monster friends need some help to fight off this sickness and keep the day fun. Can you create creatures to help the monsters in this battle against scary foes? Use your wildest imagination to sculpt two creepy creatures out of clay to help fight back against some spooky forces in our world.

One pack of Model Magic, one clear plastic bag with markers, and a mask with red eyes, gold face, and black hair all around pictured in the center

Supplies:

  • Sculpt-It modeling clay
  • Markers of different colors
  • Optional: plastic wrap
  • Optional: sharpened pencil

1. Grab your Sculpt-It modeling clay. Find a clean space to work. You may wish to lay down and tape a piece of plastic wrap to cover your work station.

Gray face mask pictured to the right of Model Magic laid out flat in a rectangle-type shape

2. All of the monsters at the Masquerade Ball have a special power. Some can fly, others are very strong, and some can breathe underwater. What powers do your monsters have? When you decide, use your Sculpt-It to create bodies for your monsters. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Strength: You have muscles in your hands, arms, feet, legs—all over! Choose one part of a monster’s body that is especially strong and make it bigger than the rest.
  • Vision: Can your monsters see through walls? Do they have laser vision? They’re going to need heads big enough to have specially shaped eyes!
  • Animal Instinct: If one of your monsters can breathe underwater, run really fast, or fly, you might want to think about some animals that can also do those things. Model part of your monster’s body after that animal.
Clay mask with mouth and eye area hollowed out laid on top of piece of foil on flat surface
Clay mask with mouth and eye area hollowed out laid on top of piece of foil on flat surface. Kitchen knife laid across mask with small balls of clay around the object

3. Optional: If you want, use a sharpened pencil to add details to your monsters. Try using a pencil in various ways to create different effects on the clay: press lightly for shallow lines, drag deeply for thick lines, poke with the pencil point, or use the other end of the pencil to press circles into the clay.

4. Let your monsters dry and become hard. You may need to let them sit overnight. When dry, use your markers to add color to your creations.

Mask with white teeth, red eye area, gold face, and black spiky hair bordering face

Show us what you've made! Tag us @hammer_museum and let us see your monster.

Be sure to check out Ann Greene Kelly's You: Inside Out Family Day project!

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