How to Make an Owl Sculpture

Determine the specific type of owl you want to create beforehand.

Owls are associated with intelligence and the supernatural, as the Encyclopaedia Britannica suggests. Therefore, an owl sculpture allows you to express your love for enrichment and education or your fascination by the occult. You don't have to use difficult-to-carve materials for this task, such as stone or wood, as polymer clay is both easy to mold using your hands or carving knives and becomes sturdy when baked. In addition, you can paint over the baked polymer clay model, giving it a more realistic look.

Things You'll Need

• Polymer clay
• Carving knife
• Acrylic paint

Instructions

1. Visit the Oceanus World Link Services, Inc. and Tooter4Kids websites for images on different types of owls. Print an image of your owl to use as reference throughout the craft or form the sculpture near the computer screen.

2. Mold the clay with your hands to form the basic features of the owl, including its body and head. Depict the owl in a standing position, with its wings attached on the body, to simplify the craft. The maximum height of the owl must be 10 inches.

3. Make a polymer clay cuboid, measuring 4 inches in length and width and 1 inch in height. Gently press the owl's legs on the base, allowing the bird to stand upright. If the owl features a long tail, place the legs on the edge of the cuboid, so that the tail extends beyond the base.

4. Carve the polymer clay's surface with a carving knife. Draw the facial characteristics of the owl and depict the wings and feathers of the bird with knife strokes throughout the body. Make gentle moves when carving, as the polymer clay is still soft and you can ruin its shape when pressing the knife too hard.

5. Put the owl in the oven and check the polymer clay's package for the optimal baking temperature. The baking time is 30 minutes per quarter-inch of thickness, based on the thickest part of the sculpture, which in this case is the owl's torso.

6. Allow the clay to cool down and color the owl using acrylic paints.

References

• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Owl
• Polymer Tutorials: Baking
• Polymerclayweb: Acrylic Paints

Resources

• Oceanus World Link Services, Inc.: Types of Owls
• Tooter4Kids: Types of Owls