Zelda Deku Ornaments

Hi, I'm TikiCrafter and this is my very first instructable. The Legend of Zelda is my favorite game series and has been since the first time I played one of the games (My first and favorite is Twilight Princess). These little deku ornaments are based on the dekus from The Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. These guys are very easy to make and look amazing hanging on a Christmas tree or just hanging anywhere.

Materials:

• Clear glass ornaments (I used ornaments that were two inches in diameter)
• Acrylic paints - golden brown, white, apricot, bright yellow, apple tart, kelly green, black(optional-I used black tempera paint because I think it looks smoother but black acrylic works too)
• Green felt
• Clear spray primer
• Spray clear gloss
• Glue (I used flexible adhesive but hot glue or any other glue with a strong hold will work)
• Twine or string for hanging the ornaments

Tools:

• Scissors
• Paint brushes - a large flat one and small one for details should be enough
• Sticks that are small enough to fit through the top hole of the ornaments (these can be pencils or similar objects or sticks from outside)
• Tooth picks

Note: If your ornaments are a different size, the sizes I give in the guide probably won't work but you can still guess sizes based on the pictures.

Before doing anything else, remove the metal toppers and wash the ornaments with a little soap and water to remove any residue that might be on them. Once they are completely dry, the ornaments need to be sprayed with the clear primer. I found that the best way to do this is to put the ornament on a stick and have someone spin it on the stick while I spray it. Make sure you spray it from the recommended distance noted on the spray can or you could end up with globs and drips. Once each of the ornaments is covered in an even coat of primer, leave them on their sticks and set them somewhere to dry.

Note: make sure you spray the ornament down wind of you and your helper so it does not blow back on you.

After the Ornaments are done drying, paint them with the golden brown paint. Allow the ornaments to dry then add a second coat of paint. Repeat this until there are no more streaks and they are a solid color.

Next, it is time to add black. As I mentioned above, I like to use black tempera paint because it covers better and glides on smoother but acrylic black works too, it just needs a couple more coats. paint the tops a little less than a third of the way down the ornament. Once again, repeat this step until there are no more streaks.

Immediately after applying the final coat of black, use a flat paint brush and make quick downward brush strokes around the bottom rim of the black layer. Make sure you have a little bit of paint on the brush but not too much. You can test it on a piece of paper first if you want too. These strokes create a nice transition from the black to the brown.

Note: Don't worry too much about the very tops of the ornaments because they will be covered in felt later on.

Start making the mouth by painting a black circle about a 1/3 of an inch below the black section of the ornament. I usually make the circle about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter but I don't measure anything while I'm painting these guys so each one is a little different. Once again, paint as many coats as needed to make it solid black without any streaks.

Once the final coat is completely dry, mix some white paint and the golden brown paint in a ratio of one part white to two parts brown. Use this mixture to paint a trapezoid like shape on top of the black circle. The wide end should be near the black circle and it should get smaller as it goes up ending where ending where the black on top of the ornament becomes solid (see picture).

Use the same white and brown mixture to paint a ring around the black circle. Once these are dry, add a little bit more white to the some of the paint mixture and a little bit of black to the rest and use these colors to add highlights and shadows.

To finish the mouth, use a very small paint brush and black paint and outline the outer edge of the circle and the trapezoid.

Note: differences in the sizes and shapes of their faces add character to your dekus :D.

For the eyes, start by deciding what kind expression you want your deku to have. The eyes can be horizontal for a kind of blah expression or at an angle to make them angry, sad, or confused (I haven't yet figured out a way to give them a happy expression that looks right). Once you have decided on an expression, use the apricot paint to make two orange half circles on either side of the top of the trapezoid at which ever angle you want to achieve the expression you want your dekus to have. It usually takes three or four re-coats of the apricot paint to get rid of the streaks but make sure you allow the paint to dry completely between coats. Once the eyes are streak free and completely dry, use the bright yellow and paint slightly smaller half circles inside the orange ones to make the pupils and re-coat as needed.

Note: If you make a mistake and get the wrong color of paint in the wrong spot, you can just wait for it to dry and then paint over the spot with the right color.

Once the dekus are completely dry, it is time to spray them with clear gloss. I wait at least twelve hours after I finish painting them before I spray them to make sure they are thoroughly dry. I use the same method for this as I used to prime them. Put it on a stick, have someone hold it and make it spin, and spray it from a distance. Apply two or three coats depending on how shiny you want it then set it somewhere to dry.

To make the leaves on top of their heads, I first cut out a square of green felt about 3-1/4 inch sides. I don't have a template for cutting out the leaves. I just kind of freehand it until they look like leaves (see picture). Just make sure to leave an uncut circle in the center about 1-1/2 inches wide. Once the square looks kinda like leaves, cut a small slit about 1/4 inch wide in the very center.

Next, use the green paint to give the leaves some detail. Start with the lighter green and use a small paint brush and make V shaped lines that point towards the center of the leaf hat (see picture). Then make make small circles in the center area. Next, use the darker green to make a center line down each leaf that goes through the center of each light green V. Once the paint has dried, the leaves are ready to be glued on top of the dekus.

First put the metal toppers back on the ornaments. Make sure the
leaves fit by sliding the slit in the center of the leaves over the metal ring on the topper (see picture). If it fits, remove the leaves and spread glue over the top of the topper. replace the leaves on the glue and wait for it to dry for a few minutes. Then use a tooth pick and spread glue all the way around the top of the side edge of the topper (see picture). Now, bend all the leaves down and wrap a rubber band around the top to hold them in place. Leave the rubber band on until the glue has dried. For the glue I used this takes two hours.

Finally, tie a a piece of twine or string through the metal loop on top to hang the ornament by and its done!

Now you have your very own deku ornaments you can hang on a tree, hang by your desk, or anywhere you want!