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What turkey wants to be found at Thanksgiving?? Not these guys!
Who could that be hiding behind those shades?
Materials:
- Premo!Sculpey clays: 1-2oz each
- #5053 burnt
umber
- #5392
raw sienna
- #5093
ecru
- #5572
cadmium yellow
- #5303
gold
- A pinch of #5018 copper
- Black permanent marker or paint pen
- Straight edge tool
- Toothpick or turkey lacer
- Fingernail tool (something with a “u” shape)…mine
is actually a wood carving tool
Directions:
1) Condition the burnt umber clay. Use a bit to make a ¾” ball.
Flatten slightly on your work surface. 
2) Use a bit more of the burnt umber to make another ¾” ball.
Roll this ball into a snake about ¼” thick. Wrap
the snake around the flattened ball leaving the bottom of the
flattened
ball uncovered. 
3) Condition the raw sienna. Use a bit to make a ¾” ball.
Roll this ball into a snake ¼” thick.
Wrap it around the flattened ball next to the burnt
umber snake. Be
sure to leave
the bottom uncovered.
4) Condition the gold, then the ecru. Make ½” balls
of each color plus ½” balls of the two browns. Roll
each of these balls into snakes. Place the snakes together and
begin to marbleize the batch. **To marbleize: twist the snakes
together, then roll them into a “snail”.
Squeeze together, then roll out into a snake
again. Repeat the twist,
roll, squeeze
process until the colors have a nice marbled
blend**
5) Use a bit of the marbled blend to make a ¾” ball.
Roll this into a snake. Twist gently.
Wrap this around the flattened ball next to the raw sienna
snake.
6) Repeat the ¾” ball process with the gold
and ecru clays. Lay the gold snake
then the ecru snake next to
the marbled
snake. As before be sure to leave
the bottom uncovered.
7) Gently squeeze the snakes forming your turkey
tail together. Using the straight edge
tool make lines through the whole
tail giving it dimension. I
tend to alternate the lines…one
from the outside, one from
the inside, one from the outside, etc.
8) Make
another ¾” burnt umber ball. Place it on your
work surface. Place your forefinger along one edge of the ball
and gently roll back and forth until you have a peanut shape. Place
this over the flattened ball. The bottom of your “peanut” should
be along the uncovered portion
of the ball with the tail showing
above.
Stand your
turkey body
and tail
up. Press the bottom
onto your worksurface so it
will stand by itself.Insert
jpeg 5535 and 5537
9) Condition cadmium yellow.
Make 3 pea sized balls (about
5/16”).
Flatten each gently. Form
each into a triangle shape.
2 of these will
become your turkey
feet. Insert jpeg 5538
10) Pick up one of the triangles
and hold it between your
thumb and forefinger
with
one of the points between
the
fingers. Use
your straight edge tool
to poke 2 lines in the straight
side
of the triangle
(the side
facing out). You now
have toes for
your
feet. Repeat with one of
the other triangles. Press
both
feet onto the
bottom of your turkey
body.
11) The third triangle
is your turkey beak.
Press it
onto
the “peanut” where
the face would be. Be
sure to leave room above
the beak for your sunglasses.
Use
the straight
edge tool
to make lines in
the side
of the beak. Use the
toothpick to
make nostrils on the
top. Roll the pinch of
copper into a snake
(very
thin). Lay this
over the
top and down the side
of the beak,
curving the end up.
12) Make 2 3/8” balls of burnt umber. Flatten each
slightly. Pinch one side.
Your ball should now resemble a teardrop. Press
one on each side of
the turkey body. Now he has wings.Insert jpeg 5542
13) Use your fingernail tool to make feather
texture on the front of his body
and on the wings.
14) Make a 3/8" ball of gold. Roll this into a snake long
enough to curve around the turkey head (at eye level) and reach
from side to side. Flatten the snake on your work surface to about
1/8" thick. Cut excess clay away (if necessary) to make the
glasses fit the turkey head. Indent the middle of the glasses.
Lay the "sunglasses" at
eye level. The
indention should
cross over the
top
of the beak.
Press into place.Insert jpeg 5548
15) Bake at 275
Degrees F (130
Degrees C)
for an hour.
16) Let the turkey
cool. Use the
marker or paint
pen to
color the inside
of the
sunglasses.
Be sure to
leave
the gold
edge showing
around.
You now have
a
great sculpture
sure to bring
a smile
to anyone who
sees it at
the Thanksgiving
table.
Variations:
1) Attach a pin back using a bit of super glue (I use Zap-a-Gap).
2)
Use some of your leftover clay to make a strip of clay 1 ½” long
x ½” wide. Fold in half around a business card or
index card. Press the bottom ½ against
the back of the turkey
(at the base of the turkey).
Leave the card in place
for baking. Remove when
baking is complete and
piece is still
warm.
You now have the perfect
place card holder for Thanksgiving
dinner.
3)
My son (age 13) designed his own version of the turkey. He said “why
don’t you give him peacock colors for his
tail and then put a
paint brush under his wing”. We laughed
very hard…then
I hit the clay and
came up with the variation
pictured. It has been
one of my biggest sellers!
Thanks Patrick!
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