Im building a giant pencil out of plaster wrap. Ok. Now, this i was trying to get, like, a scifi sort of look. These are just made of regular clay. I think theyll probably hold up because theyre going to be glazed and fired and. Im not sure how it will hold up outside, although i am a little fearful because ive grown rather fond of it. Were going to have to paint it over with gesso to make it hard. The paint would fade from light but the material itself was pretty durable. Man the materials used by an artist will definitely affect the life span of a work of art. It doesnt matter whether you are a famous artist