How do I make the moai from the magazine?

Dr. dig responds:

What you'll need:

• A work surface covered with newspaper - this can get pretty messy
• Plaster of Paris (at least 3 cups worth of dry mixture) - available at art supply or hardware stores
• Vermiculite (a non toxic potting soil found at hardware stores or garden centers)
• An empty quart-size cardboard milk carton
• An old plastic bucket and rubber spatula
• a butter knife
• White glue and paintbrush

Okay, now you're ready to get startd!

Cover a worksurface with lots of newspaper. Rinse out milk carton and cut off the top with a pair of scissors. This will be your mold to cast your block of stone.

In a plastic bucket, pour 3 cups vermiculite into 3 cups plaster of paris and 2 and 1/2 cups of water. Stir with rubber spatula until combination is well-mixed. Pour mixture into milk carton.

After about an hour, the stone will be hard and ready to carve. Tear the milk carton away.

Now in the issue of dig that you have lost, we published a pattern for the sketch that you should draw onto your block of stone to follow as a rough guide when you start carving. But this isn't a problem, because you can get a picture of a Moai sculpture from your library and sketch your own design of a Moai face onto the front and sides of your stone. This will serve as a guideline for your carving. Sketch identical profiles on the sides of your stone and frontal view on the front. You won't need to sketch a backview on the backside of the stone.

Using a butter knife, carefully carve away the excess stone (remember to use your guidelines). Try carving from the sides first and then move round to the front of the stone only after you think it looks right. You may need to redraw your guidelines a few times.

Once your carving looks like a marvellous Moai, let it dry for about 3 or 4 days. Then it is time to seal and protect your creation. Mix together equal parts white glue and water and then brush the mixture onto the carving. One moai makes a great bedroom decoration, but two make a set of exotic bookends!

Happy carving!