For this assignment, Madeline had described to me a stuffed animal golden retriever that she has had since she was two years old. The dog’s name was Rosey, and she had a small tear in the inseam on her stomach. Madeline had described to me stories of how she would pretend that Rosey was pregnant and play pretend with the small rip on the dog. Pieces of fluff and small plastic beads would occasionally fall out of the small hole.

I decided to create my 3D model using materials I had on hand, which limited a bit of creativity. I found some polymer (oven-bake) clay and earring hardware and decided to Madeline a pair of personal earrings of Rosey. I began by sculpting the head and adding a small flower crown of roses, to represent her name. I then created a small white bead to dangle above the charm as a representation of the small plastic beads that were such a crucial part of the Rosey experience. I wanted to incorporate some aspect of the stomach tear into this piece and I figured this small symbolism was a subtle way to do so. After sculpting the dog, I baked the clay and added the earring backings to finish the project.