Clay Spinosaurus: Part 2 (Painting)

1.  How to paint and seal polymer clay

-    Mix Titanium White and Yellow Ochre in acrylic to create a beige colour

-    Use a medium flat brush to cover the entire sculpture with a consistent coat of beige

-    While this coat is still wet, mix a touch of Black into the beige mix and paint this into the shadow areas (under the forelimbs, rear legs, and parts of the body)

-    Paint Black onto the head and sail, covering ¾ of the way down

-    Allow this to dry completely

2. How to mix oil paints

-    Mix the following shades for the dino colour palette:

-    Darkest Blue: Phthalo Blue

-    Dark Blue: 1-part Phthalo Blue + 1-part Titanium White

-    Mid Blue: 1-part Phthalo Blue + 2 parts Titanium White

-    Lightest Blue: 1-part Phthalo Blue + 3 parts Titanium White

-    Dark Aqua: 2 parts Turquoise + 1-part Phthalo Blue

-    Mid Aqua: 1-part Turquoise + 1-part Phthalo Blue + 1-part Titanium White

-    Beige: Titanium White with a touch of Yellow Ochre

3. How to paint a sculpture

-    Lay a band of Dark Aqua across the Spinosaurus from the tail to the head and under the chin

-    Lay aqua down the legs, blending into lighter aqua on the lower portions of the limbs; repeat on the other side

-    Lay the lightest Blue on top of, and adjacent to, the Dark Aqua, leaving a millimetre gap between colours; take this up to the neck and repeat on the other side

-    Lay the Mid Blue adjacent to the lightest Blue and repeat on the other side

-    Lay the Darkest Blue into the previous Blue, covering ¾ of the sail on both sides

-    Extend this Blue into the neck at the back of the head and down the back of the legs

-    Blend these colours into each other using a small flat brush, gently bringing the colours into each other, and wiping off excess paint as you go with a paper towel

4. How to paint a dinosaur face

-    Paint the head with Mid Blue using the dry brush method 

-    Paint the bottom of the dinosaur with a mix of Titanium White and Yellow Ochre, darkened slightly if needed and blend into the aqua above

-    Paint the top of the sail with Payne’s Grey, blending into the blue beneath it

-    Paint the eyes and dry brush the hollows of the face with Crimson

-    Carefully paint the teeth with White

-    Add some Mid Blue spots and blend them into the underlying colour

-    Add some aqua spots in the same way

-    Dry brush the pads on the bottom of the feet with Crimson

5. Creating the Onchopristis

-    Fashion a flattened long teardrop shape from beige polymer clay for the body

-    Add 4 triangular side fins, 2 dorsal fins, and a tail fin

-    Create the eyes by making hollows for the orbital, pressing a small ball into the hollow

-    Add another ball and press it flat

-    Use a small angled loop tool to create the teeth in the saw

-    Bake for 30 minutes at 130°C

-    Once cool, gently slide a knife under to release it from the plate

-    Paint with Black, then dry brush with a mix of Titanium White and Phthalo Blue

6. Water background painting

-    Mix light moulding paste with Yellow Ochre and Titanium White acrylic paint

-    Spread this over the sculpture base with a palette knife, smoothing it as much as possible

-    Modify a small flat taklon brush by cutting the corners to create a triangle shape

-    Drag this modified brush across the moulding paste in wavy lines for a realistic sand effect

-    Place sticks from the garden onto the base to suggest large logs on the riverbed

-    Add your Onchopristis and you’re all done!

Thanks for joining us to create this lifelike dino sculpture. Take your time and enjoy the process, changing the colours and environment to suit your cretaceous world!