Using models is a great way to get children involved in storytelling. The amount of interaction gets the audience fully involved with the telling of the story as they are bringing the characters to life, as well as carrying the story through their movements. The models are easily handled and work well in both a child’s hand, as well as an adult’s hand.
Material
By using oven bake clay, I was able to create sturdy characters which can be easily played with. The surface was easy to paint on, and by using acrylic I was able to recreate the colours I used in my original illustrations.
Composition/Viewpoint
The stand alone figurines can be viewed from every angle, and can be easily slotted into any composition - like being used alongside a book or in a stage.
I was able to recreate a close replica in the model/stage compositions of my original book illustrations – something that was important to me as I didn’t want to lose any of the charm of my drawings.
Conclusion
In my opinion, by creating model characters to place in a staged retelling of the story, I have been able to answer the questions posed in my proposal in a positive way - I have created a better understanding of how a more tactile approach to storytelling (through the use of modelling clay) can aid the interest and entertainment value for its audience, as well as weighing out the pros and cons to working in this particular medium to see how it functions when considering the objective of interaction.
