Pancake Stack Turtle

Learn how to make a foam clay pancake turtle with fake maple syrup and butter on top. Makes a cute gift and a fun decoration on your kitchen shelf. Check out my other food turtles and create your very own collection for a fun display. you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/s2z5KubS4BU?si=Vu9fWAL-5UtnrEQO

Supplies

Foam Clay: Brown, yellow and white (I dye my clay with food gel colors to get any shade)
brown soft pastels: I mix the tan, a medium and a dark brown together
Toothpicks
Safety eyes
Resin
Gloves

Color Your Clay

In process shot pancake yurtle tutorial foam clay coloring brown.jpg

I added 2 drops of brown gel food color to 50g of white clay to get a light brown pancake batter shade. you could even add a speck of yellow.

Mix well until all the pigment is evenly distributed. It’s not as messy as you think with a little practice you’ll be able to avoid staining your hands during this process and after the pigment is mixed in, the clay does not stain your hands.

Shape the Turtle

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial neck.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial leg 2.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial eyes.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial shading.jpg

Take some light brown clay and shape it into a 1.75 inch flattish ball for the turtle’s body.

Next, shape a 0.75 inch egg-shaped head.

Use half a toothpick to join the head and body together. Use some glue for extra hold.

shape 4 teardrops, about 0.5 inches for the legs and attach with a quarter of a toothpick for more joint stability.

For the turtle’s eyes, I now use glass eyes to save the step of making them shiny. For this size turtle I use the 6mm pin eyes. Stick them right into the clay, no glue is needed.

To get that nice, baked look I mix tan, light brown and dark brown soft pastels. Shave each color to a powder and mix and apply all over leaving the edges more pale while the top is more dark.

Turning the Turtle Into Pancakes

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial plate.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial plate 2.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial pancake.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial pancake 2.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial butter.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial syrup 2.jpg

in process shot humble bees creations foam clay pan cake turtle tutorial syrup spreadding.jpg

For the plate, roll out some white clay and cut a circle with a round (1.5 inch) cookie cutter. Then add some details to the plate edge with the end of a paint brush. Add the plate to the turtle’s back.

Next, make the pancakes with the same light brown clay. Flatten them to about 0.75 inches then take a toothpick and engrave the baking line for a realistic look. Shade the pancakes the same way as the turtle’s body. Then stack them up on the plate

For the butter, color your clay yellow and mix well. Take a small piece and shape it into a rectangle or square (about 0.25 inches) to top the pancake stack and an even smaller piece for the head.

To create the syrup, I use UV resin and the same gel food colors as for the clay. Mix a couple of drops of yellow with just a speck of brown to get it to that golden color of the maple syrup. Then apply it and spread with a toothpick. If it’s runny, have your UV light handy to harden it right in the spot before it drips all the way to the bottom.

Safety precaution: wear gloves and work in a well-ventilated area due to the fumes

After you're done let the resin cure under a UV lamp for as long as directed on the bottle.