easy
level of difficulty
medium
hard
more creative tips at www.staedtler.com/creative_tips_for_FIMO
Lovely birds in soft pastel shades Delicate, fine and elegant-looking. Are these pretty birds made out of ceramic or porcelain? They may look like they are, but these small feathered friends are actually made out of air-drying modelling clay. You too can make them – no oven required. Delightful decorations for your home.
Shopping / material list
Lovely birds in soft pastel shades Space for your notes
material
You can find our products in well-stocked sales outlets. Should you have any queries, please call our hotline: +49 (0)911 9365-888. Have fun crafting!
You will need these STAEDTLER articles: Product Colour FIMOair light White
Art. no. 8131
Modelling tools
8711
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Quantity 1
3
1
You will also require: 7 plastic bread bags, masking tape (removable adhesive tape), vessel with narrow opening, e.g. a glass, fine-grained sandpaper, acrylic paint in light pink or light blue, sponge for dabbing on paint, fine brush for the eyes, gloss varnish, brush for varnishing 1
easy
level of difficulty
medium
hard
more creative tips at www.staedtler.com/creative_tips_for_FIMO
Instructions for the deco birds 1
To make one bird, begin by rolling six plastic bread bags up to a ball. Place this ball inside another bag and seal the outer bag at the top with masking tape. For each bird, knead approx. 200g of air-drying modelling clay well, shape to a ball, flatten and press around the plastic ball. The opening of the bag sticks out underneath and can be stuck into the narrow opening of your vessel for the next steps. This keeps the bird more stable while you work on it and the indent made by the rim of the glass clearly marks the round opening required later.
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Smooth over the modelling clay. You may want to moisten your fingers with a little water first. Now create a small head with a pointed beak. Shape the rear end of the bird to point upwards and taper slightly.
Use a pointed modelling tool or kitchen knife to add a feather-like pattern to the wings.
Make five small balls for the ‚tail feathers‘, place them in position and smooth them out towards the end. Use the remaining modelling clay to form two flat basic wing shapes with four or five long points.
Leave the bird to dry for one day (24 hours).
Then curl the tips of the wings a little. Create the eyes using a round modelling tool (or skewer).
Moisten their backs slightly, add the wings to the left and right of the body and press on gently. Smooth over the edges well. Tip: Unfinished items and left-over bits of material can be stored in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container, e.g. a plastic box or jar. 2
easy
level of difficulty
medium
hard
more creative tips at www.staedtler.com/creative_tips_for_FIMO
Instructions for the deco birds 4
Next, remove the bird from the supporting vessel. Cut into the modelling clay along the round indented edge taking care not to cut the bag. Remove the clay inside the circle so that you are left with an opening at the base of the bird. You can now see the taped-up plastic ball. Remove the masking tape from the outer bag. Open the bag and pull out the plastic inside. Then free the outer bag and pull it out too. Allow the bird to dry again (inside). Sand over the surface of the bird using fine-grained sandpaper. Paint the bird either all over or just in places by dabbing acrylic paint on using an almost dry large-pored sponge.
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Add dark paint to the eye sockets using a fine brush. After the paint has completely dried, cover the bird with several coats of gloss varnish.
Tip: These adorable birds can also be used as letter carriers: Cut a small slit across the beak of the hardened bird using a kitchen knife. Place a mini envelope between the two halves of the beak. The envelope could contain a personal greeting or message. The birds also make attractive table decorations – simply use the envelopes as place cards. 3