How to Make a Whale Out of Beaded Styrofoam

Your whale can be cut to look realistic or artistic.

Creating a model of a whale can be a challenge, but one way to make it a little less complicated is to sculpt it from bead Styrofoam. To make a whale out of beaded Styrofoam, you only need a few supplies and a clear picture of how you want your whale to look. Because Styrofoam is soft, it should be relatively painless to carve and paint your whale in less than a day.

Things You'll Need

• Foam block
• Permanent marker
• Serrated knife
• Paintbrush
• Utility knife
• Latex or acrylic paint
• Sponge or foam paintbrush

Instructions

1. Select a Styrofoam block that is larger than the size you want for your finished whale. Draw the outlines of your whale, such as the dorsal fin, pectoral fins, and the narrowing of the body as it nears the tail, onto the Styrofoam with a permanent marker.

2. Use your knife to saw away the excess Styrofoam from your block to reveal the whale shape. Trim along the top and bottom as well as the sides, as needed, following your lines until the surface is made as smooth as possible and you have the whale shape you envisioned.

3. Brush away excess fragments of foam and small beads from the whale. Look over the whale to see where else you want to make changes such as carving in deeper areas, making more definition around the fins or tail, or trimming off angular edges.

4. Use a utility knife to make more detailed cuttings around the mouth, eyes and blowhole of the whale. Brush over the whale one last time to remove small fragments once you feel the body of the whale is complete.

5. Paint a dark coat of latex or acrylic paint over the surface of the whale to create a base coat by dabbing the paint on with a sponge or foam paintbrush. Let the base coat dry for one to two hours or longer, depending on the manufacturer's instructions.

6. Add any detail painting over the base coat for your particular whale, such as the eyes or lighter coloring along the underbelly, or create exaggerated and decorative paintings for a more artistic whale.

Tips & Warnings

• If you need to make more than one whale, look over a few images of whales in different poses, noting how the tail and fins are held or how it looks when the mouth is open or closed.

References

• "Gifts With Heart"; Mary Beth Sammons and Susannah Seton; 2002
• "Painting With Children"; Brunhild Muller; 2003