I have always been interested in the mystical creatures that have become a part of our society, so last month I went to the fairy festival. I wanted to be festive so I created little elf ears despite it being a fairy festival. There were people there dressed as fairies, elves and trolls so I didn't really feel out of place, in fact, I felt completely blended in. This is how I made my ears, this is my own idea and if you like it then try it:
- This is what the ears I made looked like. For this I used beige Sculpey clay, that was the closest to flesh color and created the shape I wanted.
- After that, I carefully began to mold the clay to create the shape of my ear in the bottom part of the clay. I carved out the center so the mold went over the top of my ear. I made the front very thin as to create a natural looking ear, with all its crevasses.
- Then, I carefully removed the mold. I didn't have anything really handy to use at the moment so I used the bottom of a fork to create the crease on the outside of the ear. I suggest powering your ear and fingers beforehand with any type of powder, I used XinYinZhui professional finishing powder to coat my ear so the mold wouldn't stick and ruin the shape.
- After that, the mold may look a little rough but, if you carefully wet your finger with water and gently smooth the mold, the clay should become smoother and nicer.
- After you have the shape you want, place a piece of tin foil on a cookie sheet and carefully place your mold on it. Place it in the oven, 165 degrees and carefully watch it! It won't take long for the mold to harden and if it's in there too long it will crumble once picked up and you don't want that. If anything were to happen, for example something breaks off then don't fret, there is a way to fix it. I suggest buying 2 Sculpey clay packets, even though you should barely need a full one, in case of mistake you can always fix it by molding the unbaked clay onto the baked clay. That will also help with creating a smoother look to your mold. If everything goes right and it comes out the way you want it to, then applying it is simple.
- To hold it in place for as long as you want, I used Spirit Gum, a VERY sticky glue used for prosthetics. I highly suggest pulling your hair as far from the working area as possible because if spirit gum gets in your hair, it's not fun to get out.
- Once you have applied the spirit gum, hold it on you ear for about 30 seconds and count SLOW..Remember it needs time to dry. After you have done that and the ear feels stable enough, use Liquid Latex around the areas where the mold meets your ear, this will get rid of any harsh lines that may be apparent. The liquid latex will make it look more realistic.
- Once your satisfied with how it looks, use a concealer that matches your skin tone and start applying that on the liquid latex once it has had time to dry and blend that up onto the mold. This makes sure the color matches your skin tone making the mold look like it's your ear.
I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial on how to make elf ears using sculpting clay. It's a fun little project and will keep you busy if you're ever sitting at home bored one day! :D
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