OK, so it's not a Panda...

On the day I decided to make a panda, I didn't actually have enough paper clay for the project (which is the clay I decided to use, because I can build quicker without it slumping). So I decided to gather all my dried up pieces together to recycle them, when I came across this:


Remember this? This is the squirrel I started in December as a demonstration piece at a craft fair (umm... just ignore the face, I was having a bad day!). Over the months it had completely dried out and it's head had been squashed as well. It didn't matter, because as all clay people know, nothing is set in stone until it has been fired - and set to stone! So instead of recycling it I decided to rehydrate it and finish it off while I was waiting for more clay for my panda.

I should have taken more photos of the process! The bottom fell off, so I had to stick that back on, and I didn't just cut his head off, but I cut him down half way down his back to make it more curved. This how far I have got with him:


I should have him finished by now, but I can't believe how much I am struggling with confidence! I even find myself cleaning dishes in an attempt to avoid unwrapping my clay! (Yeah, how weird is that?) The stupid thing is that I know that if it goes wrong it doesn't matter! Now I'm annoyed with myself because I've wasted a whole day of potential clay time. If someone could explain this crazy head of mine to me, I'd really appreciate it.

Anita seemed to understand it. She said it's like that fear of facing a blank canvas and not knowing where to start. Do other clay people get like this?