The idea for this project was born from a practical need: I wanted to have my menstrual products visible in the bathroom, so they are easier to grab and so the guests can also use them when in need. However, the look of the tampons in their original package on the shelf was was a bit… boring. I needed something that would make me smile when I look at it, a piece of applied art worthy of a place in my bathroom.

I was inspired by the 70s Volkswagen hippie vans: their colorfulness and flowery design was something I wanted to include in my project. In order for my van to be able to carry the precious cargo, I “converted” it into a truck.

With a simple sketch of the design I could start building the structure. I chose to use air drying clay, mostly to see if I can have it behave in a way I need for this project. Since this kind of clay is known to dry fast and crack, I decided to make the truck out of multiple semi-dried parts.

First, I drew a template on paper. The idea was to divide the truck into a few simpler forms, which I could then create into slabs of clay. The paper pattern consisted of pieces for the cab (front, back, side, bottom and the car roof) and the semi-truck (bottom and side). With these ready, I rolled a large piece of clay out and cut out the slabs from the forms prepared before. Sadly, I lost the pictures from the rest of the process.

With the slabs already mostly dry I could start a painstaking process of gluing them together with slip (clay mixed with water). It took a while, since I had to constantly fill new cracks and make sure that everything is straight and holding the structure. Then I also added wheels (which were made of already dried clay) and sanded everything until it was smooth.

At this point I had the main form of the tampon truck, but it still needed some detail. All the lights, door handles and registration plates were made with small pieces of wood. The side mirrors and the car logo were molded with a two-part epoxy putty, because those small elements required of me more precision.

In the end I decided to keep the paint job quite simple. I went for pastel colors and a few flowers on the side of the truck. Everything was painted with guaches, and to make it even more special I added a few details. The headlights were treated with a little bit of shimmering powder, the logo was covered with gold leaves, and on registration plate I added some letters and symbols to make it more authentic.

Happy with the colors, I could move to the last step. In order to make the tampon truck more durable and humidity resistant, I covered it in resin, which created a nice and shiny coating.

Here is how it looks. It definitely made my bathroom look much nicer, and it’s not just a figurine but a functional piece of art.