I can breathe!

Roll out a small snake that will become his nostrils. Make sure it is tapered at both ends. Attach the snake on the back of the upper beak. Use the little needle tool and create notrils. I insert and pull down to create a teardrop shape.

Say Aaaa!

Use the back end of a brush or tool of you choice and roll under the lower beak. This will create a lower jaw line. Use your x-acto and slice his little beak open. Squawk! Feed me! OK, back to business. Smooth the edges of the upper and lower beak. Pinch the end of the upper beak in both directions again giving it a refined look like a Close his mouth and use the larger needle tool to make a dot finishing the ends of the beak.

Tweak!

Tweak, tweak! Time for a beak! I rounded his head a bit more with the crook between my thumb and index finger. He is starting to have a bird head. Grab a hold of some clay on the front of the head and give a pinch. You will want to pinch in both directions: up and down (shown) and across.

Wag That Tail

All that clay hanging off his now refined back side needs a bit of a nip and tuck. Roll it out and create the tickness and length you think is appropriate for his tail. Now a nip and roll will do it. Roll the end to make it smooth and we have a tail!

Basic shapes...or back to the chunky log

Just like in the making of Flynn, Mr. Dragon, we are going to start with a chunky log. Pinch one end and begin forming a ball shape. This will become his head. Roll the clay below the ball to form a neck. Lift this section up so he can look around, we know he can't see yet but we can pretend. For the other end; pull and roll to start forming a tail. For now it will be rough and to big but that is OK. See his big ole butt sticking up? In order for him to get that way take a finger or tool of your choice and rock it back and forth between the shoulder and hip area. Soften the curves out and shape his front and back to make them round and smooth.

How to Hatch a Griffling

Back again with a new critter for everyone to make and play with. Up front I'm going to tell you the finished fellow in this tutorial is going to be different than the two supervisors up above. We are going for a mixed media sculpt, if you so choose. The clay pictured is the same old stuff I always use, Good Old Sculpey. It takes most of two sheets to form the head, body and tail. Tools are the same too. Needle tools in two sizes, X-acto, old paintbrush and a bit of Translucent Liquid Sculpey for joining limbs. Let's go!

Tutorials, dragons and grifflings! Oh, my!

Due to some technical difficults...Ok the cat ran across the key board while I was downloading pictures and I lost them all. Don't know where they went or if they will return home. The camera hit the floor and well it isn't pretty. The tutorial I was working on just flew away. So due to some popular demand, ummm Tracey, the next one will be for a baby griffling. I hope to have the entire thing posted by Wednesday. Got the battery charging for my other camera as we speak. You won't believe how easy he is. The feathers take forever but easy, easy!