How to make a tortoise out of polymer clay

Hey kids, in this video you’ll learn how to make a tortoise out of polymer clay. This is the perfect project if you are new to this craft and want to start off with a manageable goal.

So, follow along with the video, or… if you prefer, have a quick read of the written instructions below, to get started!

Instructions

Take a ball of dark brown/grey polymer clay and shape it into a dome with a rounded bottom by laying it on your finger and rounding the edges.

Using a sculpting tool, start adding the shell texture. Start with a single shape on the centre of the shell and draw lines coming down from each corner of the middle shape. Finally connect the lines going down with lines going across the shell. When the texture is done, roll out a tube of the same colour clay, and wrap it around the entire shell’s edge, cutting off any excess, and blend the edges together.

You will now bake the shell according to its package instructions. This ensures you don’t smudge the shell design while you sculpt and add the tortoise to it.

For the tortoise’s head, roll out a tube of clay and pinch around the neck to shape the head. Add a line for the mouth, indents for the eyes, and two dots for the nostrils. As for the legs, add a ball of light brown clay to the inside of the shell with a bit of liquid sculpey – a thick version of liquid clay, used to attach unbaked to baked clay (or baked to baked) – to attach them together.

Next, roll out four balls of clay and roll them into slightly curved cone shapes. Add some winkle texture and then attach to the bottom of the shell. Attach the head after all the legs are on, adding additional winkle texture as you see fit.

For the underbelly, take some clay the same colour as the shell and roll out small tubes of clay. Squish those onto the belly to form the tortoise’s underbelly shell. Bake once more. The only thing left is to add some more colour with some watered-down brown paint. Add on some toes as well, and your tortoise is done!

View the original video here.

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