You can use any color of clay that you want to. If you use plain white clay, you could always paint it later on to give your bird some extra decoration. Use acrylic paint, which is best for clay. The size of the clay you start out with isn’t super important. If you want to make a bigger or smaller bird, then just use a different amount of clay. Any type of modeling clay that you’d find in a craft store will work for this. You might want to get a few different colors for the different parts of the bird.
The ball doesn’t have to be perfectly round.
If you mess up at any point, just roll the clay back into a ball and start over. Any mistakes are really easy to fix.
You can bend the tail as much or as little as you want. Bending it up a lot gives your bird a very pronounced tail, like it’s in flight.
You can always add more clay or take some away if the size of the head isn’t right. It’s easy to fix if you don’t like the size at first.
Don’t press too hard when you stick the head on or you could crush the bird’s body. You can leave the head rounded, or mold it a bit so the borders blend with the body. This makes your bird look more lifelike. It depends on the look you’re going for.
Do your best to make the eyes even on each side. Otherwise, the bird’s eyes will look crooked.
You can use all different colors for all of these detailed pieces. For the eyes, you might want to use black or a similar dark color. If you prefer, you could skip this step and just leave the eye sockets empty. The little holes also look like eyes by themselves.
If you want to use a different color for the bird’s beak, yellow or orange are good choices. Don’t worry if the shape isn’t perfect. As long as it’s a little thinner at one end, it will make a great beak. You can make a little slit with a knife if you want the beak to look like it’s open.
You can also use different colors for the wings, or just the same color as the bird’s body. If you want your sculpture to harden, then leave it out to dry. Different clay types have different drying times, but most clay should harden within 24 hours.
You might want to work over a placemat or on a cutting board so you don’t make a mess. If you have trouble getting the clay flat enough, you can use a rolling pin to help. Any type of modeling clay that you’d find in a craft store will work for this.
Brid-shaped cookie cutters are easy to find online or in craft stores. If you don’t have a cookie cutter, you could use a knife and cut a bird shape into the clay.
Save the extra pieces of clay. You can do other crafts with them.
You could also draw decorative shapes like stars or hearts on the bird. Just have fun! Instead of poking holes into the clay, you could also use paint or a marker to decorate it. If you paint, use an acrylic type for the best results.
This is optional, and you don’t have to decorate the other side if you don’t want to.
Dry clay is usually brittle and breaks easily, so be careful not to drop your bird. Different clay types might need specific times to dry. Check the instructions to see how long you have to leave it out.
