Introduction: Making a Mario Sculpture

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This is my handmade Mario sculpture created using clay and simple sculpting tools. I wanted to bring Mario to life in my own style, using basic materials and a lot of creativity. This project is fun, beginner-friendly, and a great way to practice detailed clay sculpting.

Supplies

  1. Epoxy clay
  2. Super Clay (Air-Dry Clay)
  3. Aluminium foil
  4. Toothpicks
  5. Talcum powder
  6. Acrylic colors
  7. Paintbrushes
  8. Gesso
  9. Cutter
  10. Scissors
  11. Super glue

Step 1: Making the Base Legs of Mario

I began by rolling out two equal clay cylinders to form Mario’s legs. After shaping them, I slightly flattened the bottoms to create the shoe base and made sure both legs were the same height and thickness so the figure would balance properly. Once the proportions looked right, I positioned the legs upright and adjusted their angles until they stood steadily. When I was satisfied with the overall shape, I left the clay to firm up before moving on to the next step.

Step 2:

For the main upper-body portion, I switched to using super clay, an air-dry clay that is extremely lightweight compared to epoxy clay. If I had used only epoxy clay, the entire sculpture would have become too heavy, so choosing this lighter clay helped keep the structure manageable without compromising the shape. Since this clay was slightly sticky, I dusted my hands and the surface with talcum powder to make sculpting smoother and more controlled. I shaped it into the rounded upper-body form and refined the curves until they looked proportionate. Once ready, I carefully attached this part to the legs and blended the edges so the body connected seamlessly.

Step 3: Sculpting the Hands

Using small pieces of clay, I shaped the basic hand form and then used a cutter to create the lines between the fingers, just like shown in the images. I refined the details with a small sculpting tool to make the fingers look more defined and neat. After smoothing everything out and making sure both hands looked similar, I attached them to the arms to complete the shape.

Step 4: Sculpting the Face

To create the face, I first made a small foil ball and attached it to a toothpick to give the head a firm base. I then covered the foil with epoxy clay and shaped it into a smooth round form before starting the details. Using a cutter, I slowly carved out the basic facial structure while referring to Mario’s features for accuracy. I kept adjusting the shape until the nose, cheeks, and overall form looked right. Once the face was sculpted, I attached the head securely onto the body.

Step 5: Making the Mario Hat

For the hat, I shaped a small clay cap and placed it on the head to check the fit. Then I added the front brim and smoothed the edges with my tool. I adjusted the shape using Mario’s reference until it looked right and sat naturally on the head.

Step 6: Attaching the Hands

In this step, I trimmed a small portion from the sides of the body near the arms to make space for the hands. Once the area was even, I took the hands I had sculpted earlier and carefully attached them using super glue. I adjusted the position until both hands sat naturally on the body.

Step 7: Painting

After assembling all the parts, I let the whole sculpture dry overnight so the clay could harden completely. The next day, I applied a coat of gesso to prepare the surface and then started painting.

Step 8:

Once the painting was complete and everything had dried, my Mario sculpture was finally ready. This was a fun and creative project, and seeing the finished piece come together made all the work worth it. Hope you enjoyed following along!