Avian August day 13! I almost didn't add the pipecleaner legs but am I so glad that I did. They've gone from just okay to possibly my new favorite. Lesser flamingo I love you and your silly little legs!!
More photos below because I love this bird so much.
Avian August day 9! I'm quite pleased with how this one turned out - the colors go together better than expected. I may go back someday and attempt to add in the two long tail feathers.
Avian August day 9! I'm quite pleased with how this one turned out - the colors go together better than expected. I may go back someday and attempt to add in the two long tail feathers.
Start with a large sheet of cardboard. Stores like home depot have large moving boxes that come flat like this, perfect for this project.
I use a projector to trace my butterfly, but you can also put tracing paper up to a screen and glue it to your cardboard, or ask your library to let you use their projector.
Make sure to trace not just the outside, but also all of the markings and patterns. Doing the antennae as well and keeping the scrap cardboard will allow you to measure out the right length.
2.
Cut around the outside of your lepidopteran and crease where the wings meet each other and the body. I use my hands, but a ruler can help. After bending your wings into a natural position, make the body and head with your clay of choice, mine is foam clay which is cheap and easy to use.
Blend the sides of the body into the wings just enough to stick, this will hold the pose you've chosen.
Prop up the wings with whatever is around and keep in a safe spot to dry. Mine dries overnight at this size. You can see I've used bottles for mine
3.
Once dry and solidified, the clay holds the wings in place in the way you left them.
Measure your antennae wire a little longer than needed and poke it into the clay. If it doesn't stay, add a little dot of super or hot glue at the base.
Glue a mounting bracket on the back. You can angle this however you like to have your lepidopteran upright, sideways, or even upside down
4.
Paint your sections individually so you don't lose your trace lines. I go in with white first to cover up the print on the cardboard, then put the correct colors over that.
If making a high contrast lep like this, go in with black at the end to clean up your edges.
If adding any fur to the body, get a piece larger than you need and hot glue it on, then trim the backing underneath the fibers with tiny snips, as not to cut the fur itself, and carefully glue the edges of the backing to the body as well
5.
Brush a matte finish like mod podge over your final product. Hold your lep up to where you want it to hang, then mount with a nail
After my tiny worm pattern and being away a week I still cannot get knitting worms out of my head so I am doing more of my very normal knitting patten research
Picked out the Lumbricus Terrestris as my model as it's a common native worm where I am, with that classic worm look
Some experimental bees from awhile back! I was testing out different feet options here so I could have a bee pattern that stands up nicely.
The one on the left uses bobble stitches, while the one on the right is triple crochet in the front loop then slip stitched to the back loop (a technique I picked up from a Complicated Knots video).
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