How to Sculpt Scales on a Clay Fish Sculpture

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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A trout can have between 8,000 and 20,000 scales depending on it's size. Find a patterned-stamp that produces scales or try different objects around the house. You need a tool that produces an imprint or sculpt them by hand.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Water
Cloth or sponge
Stamping material

Step 1

Make sure the surface of the trout is smoothed out using a damp sponge or your fingers before starting.
Step 2

Use a piece of cloth, netting, leather or any textured piece of fabric to imprint scales on the fish.
Step 3

Test a small area on the fish by laying your material down and gently rubbing it into the clay. Pick the cloth up and make sure your scales look genuine.
Step 4

Lay the material on the fish sculpture starting at one end and working your way to the opposite end of the fish. Scale texture the entire fish, including the fins.
Step 5

Look over the fish to make sure you have scales evenly pressed across the entire fish.
Step 6

Smooth the mouth area after putting scales on your fish. The mouth doesn't have scales, so remove any that were inadvertently added when scaling the facial area.

Tips & Warnings

Don't press your stamp too firmly into the clay. Remember a fish's scales are only slightly visible on the skin's surface, not large indentations in the skin.