Building a snowman may seem simple enough. Roll up three balls and stack them one on top of the other, right? Well, if you want an amazing snowman that will have the neighbors gawking and will last more than a day, we have some info for you! These pro tips for building an amazing snowman will ensure your Frosty is the best he can be!
The Snow
When you make a snowman, the first thing you need to do is get the right kind of snow. If the weather is too warm, the snow will be to sloppy to build with. If it’s too cold, it’ll be too fine and it won’t stick together. Sloppy snow is useless, but if you find that your snow is too light and fluffy to pack together, just spray a fine mist of water over it. This will help to form the bond between the flakes that’s needed for good packing and building.
Building Method
Once you have a good snow to form your snowman out of, you have to find a good spot to build him. Look for a shady spot so that he won’t be out in the sun. Even though it’s cold outside, the sun beating down on him can still melt him a bit and make him fall apart.
Start with a good-sized snowball packed tightly together. The bigger you can make it the better, as it will require less rolling. Once you have your snowball made, you need to roll it through the snow to add more, pressing slightly down on it as you roll so that it’s packing the new snow on. Otherwise you may find that the stuff that the ball picks up falls right back off. Plan your route before you start rolling. Make a path that you won’t have to cross again and roll close to the path you made previously when it’s time to turn around. This way there are no wasted spots on the ground of snow you can no longer get to. As you may already know, you need three balls, starting with a large one on the bottom and reducing in size as you go up.
When you put the middle ball on top of the bottom ball, get yourself a stick that is about the size of the middle ball plus half of the other two in each direction. Plunge the stick down through the middle ball into the large one and leave enough sticking out the top to go through about half of the small ball. Then when you put the small one on, you just stick it onto the stick so that it goes into the head. This will help to keep your snowman more stable.
Now that you have the balls assembled into the basic shape, pack snow in between the balls so that it works like a mortar would with bricks. This gives you a more solid set up so that they’re less likely to fall apart. Use your hands to smooth the snow and get the desired shape you want.
The Finishing Details
Once you have the body assembled it’s time to add the finishing touches. The most common add-ons are charcoal eyes, a carrot nose, stick arms, a hat, and even a scarf. You can get even more detailed using simple kitchen tools. Carve out ears, a dimple in his chin, or even lips! You can use water with food coloring to give him rosy cheeks, colored eyes, or red lips. Get creative!
If you want to get more detailed than sticks for arms, the slushier snow is great for sculpting arms, legs, and other body parts. Rummage through your house for interesting things you can use. You can even get kits that come with pieces to use for his face.
When he’s fully assembled you want to make sure he stays that way. Get a spray bottle of plain water and mist him with it. This will create a hard layer of ice over him to protect him from falling apart. Make sure the water is cool, not warm. If it’s too warm it may start to melt areas as you spray.
Now that you have your list of tips, get out there and build your ideal snowman! Build a snowman family, nativity scene, or even snow pets! The possibilities are endless. Just keep others in mind as you build. To you it may be funny to create a shoot-em-up scene of snowmen using red dye in the snow, but it may be scary to neighborhood kids. Keep Frosty light and fun this holiday season!
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