How to Make a Miniature Peacock

by Madd1eArt in Craft > Art

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How to Make a Miniature Peacock

Finished product peacock.jpg
paint and peacock.jpg

In this instructable I'll show you how to make a miniature peacock decoration. Peacocks have a fun and fancy look that can add lots of personality to an area. All you need is your materials than it time to create!

Supplies

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I was able to find these items at my Hobby Lobby and around my home, so heres what you need!

  • Egg shaped papier-mâché
  • Leafy flower accents
  • Fake leaf
  • Gold cord
  • Tree branch
  • Pins
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Paint palette
  • Fine sand paper
  • A cup ( should be able to fit the egg inside)
  • Scissors
  • Gorilla glue
  • Most importantly- Imagination!

Shaping Your Head

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For your first step you will need your air-dry clay and water. Roll out a thick noodle shaped piece. Make one end pointed, this will be your beak. You can use water to smooth it out and avoid cracking.


Details

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Next we add details to the head. Make indents where the eyes should be, make lines down the neck and face to look like feathers and then grab your pins and push them into the top of the head. Use as many or few as you want, I used three.

Sand and Combine

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Next step, grab your papier-mâché egg and sand it. Then you can smooth the clay unto the top of the egg. It can be helpful to use water during this step. You should have something like the picture but of course with your own artist creativity! I used a cup to keep my peacock upright while drying. Air-dry clay can take up to 24 hours to dry, so while you wait let's move onto the next step.


Feathers

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For step 4 get your leaf accents and gold cord. Cut as many pieces of cord as you want, I used 4, and glue them onto your leafs or you can use another piece of cord to tie them on the leafs. I also added some blue paint to the edges of the leafs. Next we'll do the wings.

Wings

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In this step you'll need your fake leaf, scissors and paint. Cut your leaf in half. Then mix a greenish blue color and paint the leaf. You can do a gradient, or just add some detailing. Let's move back to the main body of the peacock.

Painting

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Once your air-dry clay is fully dry its time to paint. Grab your paints and mix three (or more) blue colors into your palette. Then pour out some white paint. Cover the peacock in a white layer to give you a fresh canvas. Next cover it in a blue color. Now for my favorite part details! Use a lighter and darker color to add feather details and coloring around the eyes. Now let it dry!

Combine Your Pieces Together

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Once your peacock is dry its time to combine all the pieces together! Grab some glue and your wings. Find a position you like and glue them on. Next grab your feathers and glue those on in a spot you like. Wait for those to dry and your nearly done!

Optional Details and Setup

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This step is optional, depending on where you want to put your miniature peacock. Get your tree branch and glue the peacock into a position you like. Now, my favorite part, name your peacock! This is optional but it gives your new friend more personality. ( I named mine Moe) Hang up your peacock and you have a beautiful new decoration to liven up your space!

I hope you make your own little peacock!