The dragon is one of the most popular characters among snow figures, and it is sculpted not only in the year of the same name according to the Chinese calendar. The figure of a fabulous monster is the best fit for decorating a slide, and for decorating a courtyard.
What will the dragon be like?
Before you start creating a snow sculpture of a dragon, you can make a sketch on paper to understand exactly what elements this mythical character will have. Also, when drawing a sketch, it is easier to determine the pose - it can be lying, sitting or even flying with fluttering wings. Many options are known - from the multi-headed Serpent Gorynych with a mass of complex details, requiring the efforts of several people for at least a week, to the small size of symbolic figures that are quite possible to blind one person in a few hours.
It is also necessary to determine in advance whether this figure will be functional, for example, combine a slide or a passage (it is quite possible to make a curved neck or open mouth where children can). However, these options will be more labor-intensive, and in the process of creating them, it is important to monitor the safety of the future sculpture, especially if it will be located in the playground. The slide can be a neck and mouth with a tongue, or a back with a dragon's tail. If the number of people and time permits, you can arrange the entrance to the slide in the mouth of a dragon - children, thus, going up the slide and hiding in the mouth of a fabulous monster, will slide down its back. If you make the tail in the form of a rounded track (not forgetting about the sides for the safety of children), the entertainment can be unforgettable!
The beginning of the creation of the snow dragon
To create the base (body and head or tail - depending on where the center of the dragon's figure will be located and depending on the comparative size of different parts of its body), you need to roll several large balls of snow, and then strengthen them in a pre-selected place. Then, sticking to them and tamping balls of a smaller diameter, gradually mold the rest of the details. To do this, you can arm yourself with a shovel, and a spatula is quite suitable for creating a relief muzzle and decorating elements (spikes, teeth, ornament, scales, etc.).
Don't be discouraged if the dragon actually turns out a little different from the paper sketch. An important advantage of snow sculptures is that the figure can almost always be modified by correcting certain details and elements.
A little more - and the dragon from the snow is ready
After the mythical creature has acquired its shape, it is necessary to fill it with water in order to preserve it for a longer period of time. This is especially true for dragon slides, so that riding from them is safe, and the structure does not collapse ahead of time. At this stage, you can decorate the body, tail, paws and head of the dragon with the help of improvised means. Unnecessary computer disks will do - fixed on the body, in whole or in fragments, they will beautifully and shimmer in the sun. An interesting ornament can be created from a large number of banal soda caps or old toy parts.
To fill the finished figure, it is necessary to pour cold water from a watering can and a bucket on the carefully tamped dragon. If during this process the sculpture settles a little, it is necessary to reinforce the snow, having achieved a flat surface. If you use tinted water, you can also achieve a very interesting effect.
