Throughout time and across cultures, societies interact with items everyday, however, what goes into a successful design of their product. Students will explore choices in additive sculpting to design a toy product.

In this multi-day collaborative project, students assume the role of product designers to create an original “Frankentoy” - a prototype that combines two existing toy concepts into one innovative sculptural design. Building on prior learning from the Tiny Toys lesson, students apply their understanding of scale and proportion to draft, construct, refine, and present a three-dimensional toy prototype using paper, plaster wrap, paper clay, and paint.

Students work in teams to develop a company identity, sketch and refine their concept, construct an additive sculpture, and design a visual or verbal pitch to present their toy to peers. Throughout the process, students engage in critique, reflection, and collaborative problem-solving while exploring craftsmanship, structural integrity, and visual hierarchy in product design.

Artists will apply scale and proportion intentionally to emphasize detail, create structural balance, and communicate the personality and function of their toy prototype.

Artists will use additive sculpting techniques (paper construction, plaster wrap, and surface treatments) to build, refine, and strengthen three-dimensional form.

Artists will collaborate and present professionally by delegating roles, refining their prototype through feedback, and pitching their final design to an audience.