Making a Clay Dragon!

Today we will be crafting a lovely clay dragon sculpture to put on display wherever you want! With the use of bright colors and shiny Swarovski Crystals, we can bring this creature to life!

Supplies

- Sculpy Polymer Clay (Whichever colors you want)
- A tool with a rounded edge (If you don’t have any sculpting tools, anything with a round edge will be fine to make the eye sockets for the crystals!)
- A tool with thin, flat edge (For making fine details like toes and nostrils!)
- Crystals (I use Swarovski and Cabochons)
Optional: Eyeshadow that you don’t use, adding a little can make the colors POP!

Step 1: Starting With the Body

First, begin with a ball of clay (choose whichever color you’d like!). The size is your choice! Do you want a big dragon? Small? Somewhere in between? I chose to make a ball that was about the size of a quarter in diameter. The larger your dragon, the longer you will have to bake it, and vice versa! Once you have your ball of clay, roll it with one side ending in a point, and the other side rounded off, kind of like a snake!

Step 2: Detail the Body and Shape It

Once you have finished rolling the ball, it’s time to create the neck area. Many dragons have long necks, so roll out the snake figure near the head to make it slightly thinner and longer, this will be the neck. After that, shape your body in any way you’d like, I did a standing up position as shown. Feel free to follow along or try going a separate route!

Step 3: Add the Eyes!

Once you’ve finished positioning your dragon’s body, it is time to start working on some of the facial features! Starting with the eyes, use your rounded-edge tool to create come eye sockets. Now it’s time to add those crystals! I added a beautiful topaz to my light pink clay, but go ahead and choose whichever color suits your clay base the best!

Step 4: I’m All Ears!

Time for the ears! To begin, start with two small spheres, about the size of the eye sockets. Once you have them, flatten both spheres like pancakes! Make sure they aren’t too flat though! Be sure that both are the same size, then pinch one side to create the ear. Typically, I connect the ears to the head face down, but you can go ahead and place them however you’d like!

Step 5: Continuing the Eyes

It’s time for the brow. Start with two small spheres yet again, and roll them out so they are pointed on each end. Connect each of these to one corner of the eye and wrap it around to the other side. Then have the elongated brow come off and form horns.

Step 6: The Legs and Feet!

Start with two spheres, each about half the size of the head. Pinch one side so you can connect it to the bottom half of the main body. Each leg will have a round shape with one side thinner than the other. Connect each leg to the body and then make two more smaller spheres, once again about the size of the eye sockets. Then roll out one side to a point and leave the other rounded off. Connect each of these to the bottom of the legs to form the feet. Make sure the rounded edge is facing outwards to be the toes.

Step 7: Time for the Arms!

Create two larger spheres, about 3/4 the size of the head, and roll them out so one side has a slightly smaller rounded edge then the other. Then, flatten each size perpendicular to the other. Connect the larger edge to the body to form the shoulder, and position the arm however you would like!

Step 8: Adding the Horns

For each set of horns, keep in mind that you will want to make each set of spheres slightly smaller than the last set. Starting with the first two horns, make two spheres that are about half the size of the head. Roll them out to a point on one side and a rounded edge on the other. Connect them and shape them to your liking. Continue this as many times as you like! I usually make two sets of horns and one in the middle.

Step 9: Finishing Touches!

Finally! Almost done with this little clay beast! I love to add a little gem in each of my creations chests! And to give them a little more sparkle, I added some crystal spikes along it’s back and some rose gold eyeshadow to boost its color! Feel free to get creative with this project and add your own personal touches to it! Once you are done, bake your clay for the respected time! If you’re using Sculpy, preheat your oven to 275°F and bake your creation 30 minutes per quarter inch of clay! Hopefully you enjoyed this Clay Dragon Craft!!