By Dan Beard
The statuary may be of various kinds. It is very seldom that pigs are sculptured in marble or cast in bronze and it would be well to make some of snow, so as to have statues not likely to be found elsewhere.
An oblong mass of snow forms the body (Fig. 171); the legs, nose, and ears are made of sticks surrounded by snow, and a bit of rope nicely curled will make a very good tail. The various parts can be shaped and carved according to the skill of the young artist. A number of pigs, of different sizes, will give a lively and social air to the yard of a snow-house. Fig. 172 shows a finished pig.
A statue of a Frenchman in an Ulster is also rather un- common) and is not hard to make. The foundation of the body, head, and legs consists of several large snowballs, as seen in Fig. 173, and the arms are made of smaller balls stuck on two sticks, which are inserted in the body at proper angles. When the whole figure has been "blocked out," as the artists say, it must be carved, with broad wooden knives or shingles, into the proper shape, as shown in Fig. 174. The moustache should be made of icicles, which may be stuck in the face.
Arctic owls, which are very large and white, can also be made of snow, in the manner shown in the adjoining picture. These figures can be placed on snow pedestals if they are small, but if they are monster owls, like those in the illustrations (Figs. 175 and 176),
they must be placed upon the ground. In either position, if they are fashioned properly, they will look very wise and respectable.
When the snow is too dry to make a snowball it cannot be used to make statuary, but after a slight thaw or a fresh fall of snow it readily adheres upon a slight pressure, and can be formed or fashioned in almost any shape. Many curious objects and figures may be carved out of solidly packed balls of snow. A lawn covered with a number of large snow figures presents a most grotesque appearance, and is sure to attract the attention of all passersby.
With practice not a little skill may be acquired by the young sculptor, and if the statuary be made of large proportions, they will sometimes last for weeks after the snow has disappeared from the ground and housetops.
