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Scissor Tailed Fly Catcatcher, State bird of Oklahoma |
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Materials Needed:
•Flexible Art Mold PJ055 Scissor Tail Flycatcher
•Polymer clay:White & tiny bit of black. (Optional: if a subtle sparkle is desired, mix a marble size piece of Glitter White clay into the 1 inch ball of white clay before molding)
•Water mister for polymer clay release.
•Mica Powder: Magenta, Red, gold & Silver or Argent
•Heavy Body Acrylic Paint: Black
•Brushes for mica powder application •Small Brushes for painting black feathers and details. Tiny brushes for eye, beak and the head stripe.
•Findings for jewelry: Wire cutter, pin back, jump ring
•Bake N Bond or Poly Paste: for pin back. •(Optional Glue ifor pin back)
•Wire: 24 gauge Icy Silver Fun Wire-8 inches
•Favorite clay tools. You never know......
•Varnish recommended by the manufacturer of the clay: Varnish Beak and eye if desired.
•Optional Color application if painting after baking: Metallic Red, gold & black Acrylic paint
•Optional: •Pasta machine for conditioning clay.
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Brushes used for this project. |
PJ055
Scissor Tail Flycatcher mold
Condition
white clay and the tiny bit of black clay until smooth and flexible.
Mix the white and tiny bit of black thoroughly to create a soft gray
color. (Optional Color: Use four parts white and one part sparkle
white clay for a bright, light bird.)
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Proportions of Black to white clay for a light gray bird. For a white bird, do not use the black. |
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Left White, Right Glitter white clay |
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The
bird is narrow in the center and if you would like to create inner
support to strengthen the finished bird you will need 24 gauge Fun
Wire or other wire to support the center and long tail feathers.
Cut the wire 3.5” and 4.25” long.
Make
a very small loop in the shorter wire, it will go in the left wing
in the mold. The tiny loop will help to hold the wire in place after
de-molding. Make a larger loop in the longer wire as shown. Using
your pliers, halfway through the loop, bend it upwards in a 90°
angle. This will allow the loop to protrude after molding to use as
a hanging loop for a pendant.
Trial
Fit the wire into the mold to check the length of wire needed. Do
the same for the shorter wire with the tiny loop. Notice where the
wires cross.
Twist
the wires a time or two at the center as shown. If the lower wires
are too long, cut them off to fit inside the mold. Set the finished
wirework aside for now.
Using
the one inch ball of either light gray or sparkly white clay, roll a
plump, short rope. Pinch it into a cross like shape and cut the
lower part of the clay to separate the lower part into two thin
parts.
Mold
the Part: Mist the mold lightly with water, tip out excess. Starting
in the middle of the bird, hold the clay down and begin to push the
clay into the lower feathers. Push firmly to get all of the detail.
When
the lower feathers are full, start again at the center and begin
pushing the clay up and out into the head and wings. To prevent
accidentally picking up the part be sure to keep one finger on the
clay at all times.
After
completely filling the wings and head use a scraper or blade to
remove any excess clay. Always work from the center out when
removing excess clay to avoid distortion.
Go
over the entire part being sure all areas are filled and that any
excess clay is removed.
Pick
up the wirework frame you created earlier and press it into the clay
taking care not to lift the clay from the mold. Press the wires into
the clay first with your fingers.
Next,
slightly press the wires down further into the clay using a tool
like a blunt Popsicle stick or other similar tool.
As
you press the wire into the clay you will notice the clay will begin
to bulge up around it. Use a round tool like a Peej Shaper, or
paintbrush handle to close the clay over the wirework. Be sure that
the upper right loop is not buried completely. Clean up the edges,
pulling any clay on the mold back into the mold until a line of
separation shows all around the bird.
Optional:
Texturing the back. If desired, press a texture into the back of
your bird before de-molding. If desired, use mica powders to bring
out the design.
When
you are finished with the molding and texturing if desired, flex to
de-mold. If you wish to use mica powder to color the bird now, go to
step 16. (Optional: If you wish to paint the details, bake the
bird now on a Fiber-fil® surface to prevent distortion during
baking.)
Coloring
the bird with mica powder: Begin with the deepest reds on the inner
wings and sides of the body. See color image on packaging. Apply in
a soft triangle as shown. Add lighter red or a mix of red and gold
to extend the reds as shown.
Create
the lightest red by adding gold to the outermost colors. Review
your colors and add more color as needed. The colors on the bird are
brilliant.
Shading:
for this design the silver powder is used to give some shading and
depth. Lightly brush silver to the wing feather edges.
When
the mica powder colors are completed bake on a soft surface like
Fiber-Fil®. Allow to cool.
Paint
the black details: Using a paint brush paint all of the inner tail
feathers as shown and the tips of the long tail feathers. Let dry
for a while. Next, using a damp cloth, wipe off some of the black to
bring out the feather texture.
Using
a small flat brush, very, very lightly drybrush the edges of the
wing tips. The color should only be on the very edges of the wings.
Using
a very small brush, paint the toes, beak and eye. For the black
streak on the face, dry brush a thin line as shown. When dry,
varnish eye and beak. Allow to dry.
Optional:
Add a Pin Back if desired. Position the pin back and lightly sand
the area where it will go.
Put
either Bake n Bond or Poly Paste onto the pin and put it in place on
the back of the bird.
Cover
it with a small piece of clay spreading the clay outwards from the
pin back. Smooth the edges. If desired, press the texture mat into
the newly fresh clay. Color if desired.
Bake
face down in Fiber-fil® so that the uneven back can lay flat. Allow
to cool.
The Best Flexible mold PJ055 ScissorTail Flycatcher Bird comes with a step by step instruction sheet. This blog is the exact same sheet with color photos instead of black and white pictures.