Some things I would recommend to anyone wanting to try making their own snow dragon... or any other snow sculpture:
1: if you're not wearing water resistant snow pants, have something water resistant to kneel on and is easy to move around with you so your knees don't get soaked. You'll stay warmer.
2: have a spray bottle of water handy to help attach new snow components ( head, wings, horns, etc) to the sculpture. It acts like a glue and when you're done helps to form a thin, protective shell over the snow.
3; use a rod of some sort that is long enough to go through the body forward of the front legs and hit the ground. You want it to stick up at least an additional 18-24 inches to help support the neck and head.
4: use smaller sticks carefully embedded into the head to support the horns, otherwise they tend to fall off. Use your bare hands to shape them. It'll be cold, but you'll get much better results.
5: use a butter knife or something similar to help shave and shape the snow. Your hands are great for larger areas like the legs and tail, but fine details for the face various aspects are symmetrical having something to use as a sculpting tool is very handy
6: if possible take your pictures at night with a flash. You'll get better, more detailed images than trying to get your camera to differentiate the fine details of your dragon in the midst of a snow white yard.
7: and finally, have a nice hot cup of coco, coffee, or tea when you are finished, followed by a nice hot shower or bath. You may not realize just how cold you got while you were working.
My latest snow dragon took me a little over 5 hours to make. That's 5+ hours outside kneeling in the snow in 30 degree weather. While I didn't feel cold while I was working, when I finally went inside to get my camera to take some pictures, I found my fingers were almost too stiff to work the camera. Also, you'll discover that you put more strain on your thigh and butt muscles than you may have expected. A hot shower or soak in the tub will help prevent sore muscles and/or a stiff back the next day.
I hope this encourages people to go out and, if not sculpt a snow dragon of their own, at least try their hand at something other than the standard 3-tiered snowman. And if so... remember to post pictures!
Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:17 am
