Create a Wire Bird

from Create and Craft Club Magazine - Summer 2020 Issue (US)

Time Out

If you love Zack McLaughlin’s designs and want to try them yourself, this little bird will keep you busy!

Zack’s wire birds are popular at workshops, but if you want to give them a go in the comfort of your own home, we’ve got some easy-to-follow steps for you. The instructions are the same for whichever bird you decide to make, so visit the members area where you’ll find templates for this sweet little wren (pictured) a robin and a sparrow. Kit List

Pliers Coloured craft wire, 0.9mm; 0.5mm 1 Choose which bird you would like to make. Cut a piece of 0.9mm wire about the same length as a sheet of A4 paper. Start with the end of the wire at the tip of the bea k and use your fingers to bend the wire around the silhouette until you get to the tip of the beak again. (Ignore the legs for now.) 2 Cut 0.5mm wire to about the length of your index finger. T wist one end of the thinner wire onto the forehead of your wire silhouette. Pinch the beak together and continue twisting the wire around the beak. Continue twisting the thinner wire down the neck of the silhouette. Trim any excess wire from the beak and thinner wire. 3 Cut 0.9mm wire to a length and a half of an A4 sheet. Cut a length of 0.5mm wire to the same length as y our index finger. Find the centre point of the thicker length of wire and twist one end of the thinner wire onto it at this point so that it sticks straight up. 4 Insert one end of the long length of wire into your wire silhouette. Feed it through until the Create your own Wire Bird Your Chance to Win! Have you crafted Zack's wire bird? Send a pic to editor@createandcraft.com length of thinner wire hits the back of the beak. Twist the thinner wire around the beak a couple of times so the wire is attached to the silhouette (like a moustache) and continue to twist down the opposite side of the ‘moustache’ to your initial twist. 5 Bend the wire ‘moustache’ back down the body of the bird, using both sides to create the contours and depth of your bird's head and back. Make sur e to look at your bird from all angles to ensure you get the right shapes, (well fed is better than flat and malnourished!). 6 Once happy with the shape, take one of the ends of wire and wrap it around the base of your bird's tail (not the tip). Do the same with the second length, wrapping it at the same point. This ensures your bird's shape is secured at the beak and tail. 7 Using the ends of wire sticking out from the tail of your bird, bend them back on themselves to create tail fea thers. Twist the ends around the base of the tail again. Trim the excess wire off. 8 Repeat steps 3-6 using this length of wire to create the belly contours of your bird. Trim off excess afterwards. 9 Next is colouring in your bird.

For this you need a 1m length of 0.5mm wire. Starting at the beak of your bird, twist one end of the wire to it, then spiral your way around the head and body towards the tail. Each time you get to a thick bit of wire on the SKILL LEVEL

Child’s Play “If you want to get kids involved, use fuzzy wire instead of craft wire“ ZACK MCLAUGHLIN,

DESIGNER TEMPLATE DOWNLOAD Free! createandcraft.com/gb/ members-area body, thread the thinner wire around it once and pull tight. Continue doing this on every thick bit of wire until you reach the base of the tail. Wrap round a few times and cut off excess. 10 The legs are made of one length of 0.9mm wire, starting a t the end of one back toe and finishing at the other. There is a ‘U’ shape inside the bird, this is what gives the bird stability and what you tie to the bird. Cut 0.9mm wire to a length and a half of an A4 sheet. In the centre of the wire create a ‘U’ shape; this must be the same width as your bird. Bend the wire out from the ‘U’ at right angles away from the centre. Feed one end of the wire through the back of your bird until the ‘U’ fits inside the back of the bird’s body. Once you are happy that it fits, cut a length of 0.5mm wire to the width of an A4 sheet. Use this t o twist and tie the ‘U’ to the bird’s undercarriage, ensuring the whole ‘U’ is securely attached. 11 Use the two lengths of wire coming from either side of the bird to create legs and feet. Bend them downwards, and create the bird’s legs and feet before trimming the wire down. To stabilise, lay your finger across both feet on a flat surface, grab the bird's body and wiggle/bend the legs until you find the centre of gravity in the bird.