Learn how to sculpt an adorable foam clay skunk using different tools and get valuable insights on how to deal with the stickiness of black foam clay. This one is definitely for intermediate to advanced clayers because the black foam clay can be tricky to work with.
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Why Foam Clay is So AMAZING!
Crafting with foam clay is not just about creating cute figures; it’s like a therapy session that’s all about relaxation and pure enjoyment. Imagine the joy of squishing, molding, and creating without any mess – that’s the beauty of foam clay! It’s not just for the kids; adults can totally get in on the fun too. So, if you’re looking for a creative outlet that’s soothing and brings out your inner artist, foam clay is the way to go!
It’s a fantastic indoor activity for the whole fam! It’s the perfect medium to improve your sculpting skills. If you are looking to quickly learn new skills to master your other mediums such as polymer clay or ceramics you are at the right place! Foam clay is so quick and easy to work with that you can practice many projects in a short amount of time improving your skills along the way. What are you waiting for? let’s get those creative vibes flowing together! 🌈✨
WATCH ME MAKE THE SKUNK STEP-BY-STEP
MATERIALS NEEDED
- Black Foam Clay (I use BohsClay from Amazon)
- Daiso Soft Clay
- White Foam Clay
- Pink Foam Clay (I color my white clay with food colors)
- Acrylic Paint
- Sculpting tools
- Scissors
- Scale
Step 1: “Unsticky” your clay with soft clay
Sometimes black clay is prone to being a bit more sticky and softer which makes it harder to work with. I find that by mixing in a little bit of this super dry and lightweight soft clay you can give your black foam clay a little bit more stiffness and get rid of the stickiness.
depending on how wet your clay is start with a 1:2 ratio (Daiso:Black Clay) ANd go from there. Add more if you feel it is still sticky. The more you add the more it turns grey, so be careful not t add too much.
Step 2: Shape the Skunk’s Body
Weigh out 3.7g of your black clay and shape the skunk’s body. Go for a plump teardrop or almost a round triangular shape. Squish it well between your palms and roll it around to get out all the wrinkles. Then shape it into its final form.
For the white belly grab some white clay and roll it flat with an acrylic rolling pin. Use the body to estimate the size of the belly fur. Make it smaller than the body and trace a tear drop shape with a sculpting knife or pointy tool.
Cut along your lines and smooth out any rough spots. Then add it into the center of the body with the bigger, round end towards the bottom.
For the stripe on the back roll out some white clay and roughly eyeball the length you need to cut. Smooth out the edges then attach it to the back side of the body. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the neck. Cut off any excess with scissors.
lastly, stick a toothpick into the neck for stronger head support.
Step 3: The Skuns’s Feet
Weigh out 0.35g of the black clay for each foot and shape it into a ball.
Use your sculpting knife to create toes by pushing its edge into he ball. The squish the ball to shape it flatter.
Next, attach the feet to the bottom front of the body with the toes slightly facing to the outsides.
To make the paw pad take 0.02g of pink clay and roll it into a ball. Flatten it and attach it to the skunk’s feet. make 6 tiny toes the same way. you can use a pointy tool to help you pick them up and place them on the feet.
Step 4: Shape the Arms
Weigh out 0.23g of black clay for each arm and shape it into longish teardrops. Attach to the sides of the body.
Step 5: Shape the Tail
Weigh out 3g of black clay for the tail. Shape a thick log and then give it a wavey form.
Next, flatten some white clay and cut a long oval slighlty smaller than the surface of the tail. Attach it centered on top of the tail.
Then roll out some black clay and repeat the process with an even smaller oval. This will give you a striped look with minimal effort.
lastly, stick a toothpick into the tail for secure attachment to the body. Use a little bit of glue to secure the joint.
Step 6: Head of Skunk
Weigh out 2.7g of black clay and roll it into a ball. Take your finger and add slight pressure on one side of the ball to make it more narrow. You will end up with a slightly curved slimmer end on one side of the ball which is going to be the nose.
Use a sculpting knife to emboss the nose into the tip of the face. With a flexible rib tool, you can shape the mouth and with a dotting tool create two little nostrils.
Create an opening of the mouth with a slightly larger dotting tool. then take 0.03g pink clay to sculpt the tongue and place it inside the mouth.
Step 7: Creating the Mohawk
Wigh out 1.6g of white clay and shape an approx. 2-inch log. Flatten about 0.5 inches of one end. Sqush the log between your fingers to make it a liitle thinner.
Cut the sides of the flat part at an angle. This will be the stripe on the head that transitions into the mohawk.
attach the mohawk starting with the flat part right behind the nose. and work your way around. Cut any excess in the neck.
Make little cuts to create the spikes.
Lastly, place the head onto the body.
IMPORTAINT: Make sure you lean your skunk against something to prevent it from slanting. Watch your figure and see what direction it wants to lean and place it against a container to give it proper support until it is dry.
Shape 2 tiny balls (0.03g) of black clay to shape the ears. Attach a tiny amount of pink clay and use your pointy tool to create a rounded ear shape. then attach to the head.
Step 9: Paint the face
paint the skunk’s eyes with acrylic paint. Wait for each color to dry before adding the next. Use a larger dotting tool for the white part of the eyeball. Use a smaller dotting tool for the black part and use a toothpick to pointy tool for the spark.
Congratulations! You created your very own baby skunk! Show off your success in the group. We love to see your work!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/humblebeefoamclaycrafts/
Hope to see you there!
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