Frosty fantasies
"If you keep your design simple," Tom Day says, "making a snow sculpture is easy." With that bit of advice, the nine-year veteran of the Breckenridge competitions ― with help from his wife, Heather, and 8-year-old son, Spencer ― raised his spatula and began to scrape.
The result, in about an hour ― with time out for hot chocolate and a snowball fight ― was an alabaster dolphin leaping from a foaming sea.
PREPARE THE MOLD
Using a utility knife, slit a starter hole along the edge of the flat bottom of the trash can. Insert the saw blade in the slit and cut out the bottom, then saw the can open from top to bottom on one side only. TIP: When cutting the bottom, leave the curved edge intact to add stability to the can after the bottom is removed.
PACK THE FORM
On a level spot, upend the trash can and press it down several inches into the snow, allowing the vertically cut edges to overlap by about 2 inches. Secure the straps around the can. Fill the form half full with fresh, undisturbed snow, firmly packing it down using the cutout can bottom as a tamp; tamp around the inside edges as you go. Continue filling and tamping until the can is full and solidly packed. Remove the straps and peel away the plastic. TIP: A typical 32-gallon trash can yields a 20-inch-wide, 25-inch-tall, slightly tapered column of snow.
CARVE AWAY
Mark where detailed elements of your sculpture will be with
small indentations, then start slowly shaping and removing layers
with kitchen utensils. Patch on more snow for add-ons or fixes as
needed.
TIP: Start with a subject clearly in mind; sketch it out for
reference.
TOOLS
• Utility knife
• One round, 32-gallon trash can made of soft, flexible
plastic
• Handsaw
• Two 6-ft.-long ratchet-style (adjustable) tie-down
straps
• Kitchen utensils (spatulas, scoops, spoons, etc.) for
carving
SNOW
Fresh snow is the right consistency for packing when you can hand-press a good snowball. An air temperature of 32°-35° is optimum for carving.
PLANNING AHEAD
If possible, pack snow into the form the day before you sculpt and let it freeze overnight to give the snow a firmer consistency. Also, pre-freeze decorative elements: Make bulging eyes and buttons by adding food coloring to water in ice-cube trays; create giant water drops and crystal spheres by freezing water-filled balloons; craft dinosaur fins using water-filled bowls and plates.
