Lesson #28

Creating a Japanese
Garden Lantern in Crea-Stone
by George Debikey
Pagodas originated in ancient China many centuries ago and were inspired by the Indian Stupa. A Stupa is a bell-
shaped monument that is used to house relics or sacred Buddhist scriptures. Japanese stone garden lanterns reflect this
ancient Pagoda design, which consists of a base pedestal, a platform for the firebox, the firebox, and the roof. Japanese
lanterns were originally placed around Buddhist temples and shrines. Later they were introduced by tea masters to guide
guests through gardens to the tea ceremonies that were held in the evenings.
Today, garden lanterns are not only used in the Orient but have become part of our western culture. We use these
beautiful natural looking structures as decorative accents for patio entrances, garden pond areas, to add harmony and
balance or as a focal point in a specific spot in a flower garden. A candle or oil lamp can be placed in the firebox as a
decorative element or to give light in a walkway. Simple and yet seemingly divine, they add a mystic quality, spirituality
and harmony to the home and garden
AMACO® Crea-stone™ is a lightweight casting/sculpting material that has a granite look and texture when it is hard.
Crea-stone™ mixes with water to achieve a thick paste like cement mix. Pour this paste into available objects to create
the Japanese Garden Lantern. Once the paste starts to set up you can take it out of the cardboard box/mold and start
doing any needed carving to enhance the cast shape. Usually this can be done after letting it harden for about 18 hours
of pouring. At that point, although hard, the piece can easily be carved with a knife. As you are carving, Crea-stone™
is going through a chemical reaction and becoming harder all the time. Therefore, try to keep it wet with water, but
also work fast. As you progress you will have to change your carving tools accordingly from a knife to a hammer and
chisel. Try to cast and finish each section of the lantern at a time before it gets to be too hard and chose a casting box/
mold as close to the finished shape as possible. This will reduce the need to do too much carving.
Mix enough material only for the part of the lantern that you are working on at the time. Try not to mix more than you
need. If you are a little bit short on the amount, you can readily do another small mix to finish the section.
Before you start, wear a NIOSH approved mask for dust and mist and make sure to wear vinyl gloves. Crea-stone™ is
an alkaline material and will otherwise irritate your hands.
Supplies and Tools: 3. Let Crea-stone™ start setting up
for about 18 hours. Once it is
3 boxes of Crea-stone™ stiff, pull the plastic bucket out (see
Vinyl gloves photo #3) and turn the box upside
Plastic container for mixing down and pull away the box from
Crea-stone™ the cast shape (see photo #4).
Mold Maker’s Knife Save the bucket to use again in
Hammer step 6. Now that the shape is out
Chisel you can carve to round up the cor-
Rasp ners on the legs and on the upper
Utility Knife rim of the pedestal. Leave a center
Ruler 6" x 6" flat area on the top of the
Drill with ½" bit Photo #1 pedestal. When you are done use
Metal rod about 8" long the rasp all over the Base Pedestal
Drill bit the same thickness as metal 2. Pour Crea-stone™ into the mixing to smooth the shape and give it a
rod container. Add water slowly and sculptured markings with the rasp
Any other sculpting tool that you mix thoroughly. Be careful not to (see photo #5).
have available or like to work add too much water as the paste
with will tend to want to flow and level
1 cardboard box 16" x 16" x 11½" in areas where you do not have
deep for the base pedestal a molding material to restrain it.
4 cardboard pieces 16" x 16" x 12" The mix should be just wet but not
for fabricating the angular or pyr- soupy. As you proceed with this
amid shape of the Base Pedestal project do not mix too much Crea-
1 cardboard box 16" x 16" x 8" deep stone™ at a time. If you do not have
for the roof enough paste for the section of the
1 cardboard box 14" x 14" x 6" deep piece you can always mix some
for the firebox platform more and add to it. Crea-stone™
Plastic bucket or box about 9½" does not set up instantaneously.
wide or diameter x 8" deep for Spread some Crea-stone™ paste
the firebox Photo #4
in the bottom of the box, and then
Cottage Cheese container 4½" or place the plastic bucket on top of the
5" diameter or similar for inside paste in the center of the box. Make
firebox sure that the rim of the bucket is at
You will use square cardboard boxes the same height as the rim of the
to do this project, however any kind box, then add more Crea-stone™
of readily available container can paste to build the four legs of the
also be used for a mold. You can use base pedestal (see photo #2).
circular shaped boxes or buckets and
create an infinite variety of shapes.

Creating the Base

Pedestal
1. Start by building a mold for the Photo #5
base pedestal using the 16" x
16" x 11½" box. Place two of the Creating the Platform
16" x 16" x 12" cardboard pieces
on opposite sides inside the box Photo #2
for the Firebox
to form the first two sides of the
upside-down pyramid. Measure 4. Prepare the 14" x 14" x 6" card-
the area at the bottom between board box by marking the inside
them and cut the slanted shapes wall with a pencil line at 2"
of the other two sides of the pyra- from the bottom. This will be
mid. Place them inside the box your thickness guide. Mix enough
thus forming the 4 sides of the Crea-stone™ with water to the
upside-down pyramid. Tape all right consistency and spread the
corners (see photo #1). paste inside the box up to the
pencil level. You do not have to
fill up the corners (see photo #6).
Let the cast stiffen for 10 minutes
then add paste to create ridges
on the corners and on the sides,
Photo #3 to create a wavy edge.

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 Creating the Roof
8. You will use the 16" x 16" x 8" box
for the roof. First, cut 3 layers of
cardboard to fit the bottom of the
box. Cut a hole in the middle the
same size as the rim of the small
container used in the Firebox,
and place them in the bottom
of the box. You can also cut a
½" strip from the small container
Photo #8 that you used for the firebox and
Photo #6 insert it in the hole that you cut.
The hole in the center will be the
5. Leave the cast piece for about 18 7. When Crea-stone™ has set up, plug that will fit as a cover for
hours like you did with the base remove it from the bucket and the firebox. Build corners out of
pedestal, then remove it from the remove the small container from cardboard to cut on carving time
box and carve the corners and inside the casting. If the bucket is and effort (see photo #11). Mark
the ridges strait. You will need to square like the one used in this the inside wall of the box with a
carve on the bottom too, to form project, round up the corners with line about 2" from the bottom.
the flowing up and down wavy the knife. If you are using a round This will be your thickness limit.
shape of the platform. When you bucket, carve the outside, making it
are satisfied with the shape use into a more or less 4-sided shape,
the rasp to even out and smooth but do not leave sharp corners.
the surface. Also the rasp will Draw the openings that you want in
leave a nice texture simulating a the firebox with a pencil (see photo
chiseled form (see photo #7). #9). Using the drill with the ½"
drill bit, drill holes in the openings,
and then using the knife you can
carve them further and shape them
according to your drawn design.
When done use the rasp again to
smooth out any irregularities and
texture it with a chiseled like surface
(see photo #10). Make sure the Photo #11
bottom of the firebox is also 6" x 6"
wide to match the platform and the 9. Mix enough Cre-stone™ with water
pedestal. to the right consistency as you did
in step #2. Fill the plug in the
Photo #7 center then spread the paste to the
thickness line, let the paste stiffen
for 10 minutes then build a two
Creating the Firebox levels hill in the center of the box
and pointed ridges on the corners.
6. You will need the plastic bucket When the Crea-stone™ has set
from step #2 plus a smaller plas- up, remove it from the box and
tic bucket to mold the firebox. For carve the surface of the ridges
easier release of the form you can and top into a nice shape, then
brush dish soap on the inside of go over all irregularities with the
the bucket and on the outside of rasp and smooth it out to repeat
the small container. Mix enough the chiseled like surface you did
Crea-stone™ with water to the Photo #9
on the other pieces. Now you
right consistency and spread the have all 4 parts of the lantern
paste in the bottom of the bucket. ready (see photo #12).
Place the small container over the
paste in the center of the bucket,
making sure the rim of both
containers is at the same level.
Use a piece of wood or ruler on
top to make sure. Fill the space
around the small container to the
top of the bucket. Leave the ruler
or place a sheet of plywood over
the bucket and put some weight
in order to keep everything level
until it sets up (see photo #8). Photo #10

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13. Mark the center on the base ped-
estal top and drill a hole the same
thickness as the rod that you have
prepared. The hole depth does
not need to be deeper that 4",
just make sure not to drill the hole
all the way threw the bottom of
the base pedestal. You also need
to drill the same size hole through
the center of the firebox platform
and one in the center of the bot-
tom of the firebox.

Photo #12

Photo #13 Lantern Assembly

14. Place the metal rod in the base 17. Place the roof on top of the
pedestal. It will be sticking out for firebox by inserting the bottom
the most part. plug into the top of the firebox.
Now your lantern is complete (see
15. Place the firebox platform on top photo on front).
of the base pedestal by sliding it
through the hole in the center (see Let the natural elements and the
photo #13). concept of balance contribute to
the harmonious balance of your
16. Place the firebox on top of the home and surrounding area by
firebox platform by sliding it planning your garden and plac-
through the hole in the bottom. If ing this lantern where it is mean-
the metal rod is sticking inside the ingful to you.
firebox, cut it so it would be flat
with the inside floor of the firebox,
so you can place a candle of oil
lamp if you want to.

This is Lesson #28 in a series of art plans for elementary and secondary pro­grams using American Art Clay Co., Inc. prod­ucts.

American Art Clay Co., Inc. • 6060 Guion Road • In­di­an

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