The song says, “In the meadow, we can build a snowman.” While I’m all for the real thing, here’s a unique way to build a snowman with joint compound indoors. I came up with this idea when we were doing some drywall patching in our house.
We made these snowmen for our Winter Solstice Art Day at Belmar Library. Below are photos of our students and their art along with a list of supplies needed, directions, and a video tutorial.
Supplies
- Poster board or heavy card stock
- Piece of chalk for sketching snowman outline
- Joint compound
- Heavy cardboard squares about 4 x 4″ and tape or spackling/putty knife
- Liquid glue and/or hot glue gun for decorating
- Miscellaneous items for decorating your snowman
If you use a heavy cardboard square to spread the joint compound, you’ll want to cover one side of it with tape. This will give you a smooth edge to spread the joint compound.
Directions
- Sketch the outline of your snowman on the posterboard or card stock with chalk.
- Start spreading the joint compound. Cover chalk lines and spread thinly for fastest drying.
- Embellish with construction paper cutouts, sticks, material for a scarf, etc. Stick on with regular liquid glue or hot glue.
Note: The hot glue works best if the joint compound is fully dry. Otherwise, just use liquid glue and allow to dry completely before hanging.
I hope you and your children build a snowman with joint compound. It’s a fun way to explore different textures and materials. As always, borrow elements from this project and use them for other artistic pursuits. I’d love to hear about what you create.
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