Need more help getting started with QuikWood (QW) go to this page: Quikwood Tips and Tricks
Making Noses:
Mix sliver of QW and pull off a ¼” ball for each nose. Roll into a cone that is about ½” – ¾” long. Let clay sit 5 – 10 minutes before starting or after rolling nose when it has set about 15 minutes reroll it so there is no flat spot on the bottom.
Allow to cure. (video)
Getting Started:
Mix sliver of QW and roll into a coil that is 1” long. Insert dowel into center of pointy end of egg with about ½” showing. Wrap coil around dowel and blend clay down onto Styrofoam, and then blend clay up on dowel, use extender if needed. Repeat for second snowie. Allow to cure.
Attaching Her Head:
Press 1 ½ ball on top of dowel and then remove. Mix ½” of clay to cover head. Roll into a ball and then begin pinching between your fingers to make a flat pancake. Lay on top of ball and then begin pressing and pulling to cover ball. Keeping working with ball until it is nice and smooth. Place on top of dowel and press to secure in place. Place hook in top of head by folding over a piece of wire and then trimming to ½”. Insert into top of head. Allow to cure. (video)
His Hat Brim: (This will be cut out in your kit)
Either transfer on pattern to watercolor paper or use circle template for pattern and cut out of paper. The outside circle is 1 ¾” and the inside circle is 1 ¼”. You could also cut out using a 1 ¾” and 1 ¼” circle punch. Cut smaller circle out first. Then insert paper into larger punch and looking from bottom evenly align and punch out.
Attaching His Head:
Press 1 ½ ball on top of dowel and then remove. Mix ½” of clay to cover head. Roll into a ball and then begin pinching between your fingers to make a flat pancake. Lay on top of ball and then begin pressing and pulling to cover ball. Keeping working with ball until it is nice and smooth. Insert nose into middle of face with it slightly turned up. Place on top of dowel and press to secure in place. Place brim of hat on top of his head and press into place.
Finishing His Hat:
Mix 1” of QW and roll into ball and the a fat cone that is about 1 ½” long. The cone should not come to a sharp point. Place cone on center top of head with the skinny end down. Begin pulling on edges on cone until edges come to the edge of the brim. Keep the top of the hat flat. Reshape and flatten top of hat. The top of the hat should now measure just a little over an inch from the brim. Place hook in top of head by folding over a piece of wire and then trimming to ½”. Insert into top of head. Allow to cure. (video)
Making Arms & Legs:
For the arms mix 1/4” of QW and divide into two. Roll each piece into a coil that is about 2 ¼” long. Lay on a piece of parchment paper and gently press pointy end on top to make a little fatter, then gently flatten a little. Using pointy tool put a hole in top of leg so that you will be able to put your wire through to attach legs to body. Allow to cure.
For the arms mix 1/4” of QW and divide into two. Roll each piece into a coil that is about 2 ¼” long. Lay on a piece of parchment paper and gently press pointy end on top to make a little fatter, then gently flatten a little. Using pointy tool put a hole in top of arms so that you will be able to put your wire through to attach arms to body. Bend each arm out at the elbow. Let arms sit about 10 minutes. Pick up and position on Styrofoam body and bend so that the arms conform to the shape of the body. Keep checking them until they hold their shape. Allow to cure.
Attaching Legs:
Mix up 1/8” of QW and divide into two. Cut two pieces of wire each about 3” long. Fold wires in half using round nose pliers. Slip wires through holes in the legs. Pick the side that you think would be the best for the face and then insert them into the bottom center. Have them evenly spaced and about 3/4” apart. Leave the wires out of the body about ½” to ¾”. Roll clay into a coil that is about 1” long. Wrap around the top of the wire and have it connect together. Shape it into a little mound and have it securely press against Styrofoam. Repeat on the other leg. You want to make sure you have enough room for the legs to swing freely. Adjust them in or out as needed. Allow to cure.
Attaching Arms:
Mix up 1/16” of QW and divide into two. Cut two pieces of wire each about 2” long. Fold wires in half using round nose pliers. Trim to about ¾”. Position arms and then insert wires through holes in the arms. The one prong of the wire should go in the arm and the other should go to the back of the arm. Leave the wires out of the body about ½””. Roll clay into a coil that is about 1” long. Wrap around the wire next to the body. Make sure the clay is connected in the center and then blend the edges out onto the body. Repeat on the other arm. You want to make sure you have enough room for the arms to move freely. Adjust them in or out as needed. Allow to cure.
Covering body with clay:
Mix a small amount of QW up at a time. Pull off a small piece and flatten between your fingers and then lay it on the body where there is no QW. Press the clay to the body and then press and pull it out to cover the body. This is just a thin layer of QW that you are putting on the body. Continue until the entire body is covered. Allow to cure. (Video)
His Jacket:
Mix 1/4” of QW and lay a piece of parchment paper over the pattern. Let clay sit 5 minutes. Roll clay into an oval and then lay on paper and begin pressing an d patting and filling in shape. Once shaped use exacto knife and cut down middle of tails starting about ¼” down from top. Draw a line around his body, about 1” from bottom and 1 ½’ from top to mark where his waist would be. Lift tails off of parchment paper and center in back next to waist line. Blend top of tail onto body. Let sit about 5- 10 minutes until clay is almost set and then lift tails and have them go out a little so that it looks like his tails are swirling out while he is dancing.
Place a mark where the tails will end in the center front, about ½” above his waist line. For the lapel mix 1/8” of QW and roll into a coil that is about 4” long. Make sure evenly rolled and have a little point on each end. Place one end on mark and wrap around neck and bring back to mark. Once happy with the placement then gently flatten. Allow to cure.
Adding Flowers:
Mix 1/8” of QW and let sit about 5 minutes. Pinch thin between fingers and lay on parchment paper. Cut stars out with medium Kemper star cutter (1/2”) . Reroll excess and continue to cut until almost all. From excess clay roll very small balls for flower centers and place in center of flowers. If desired lift a few of the points on the stars to make them look a little more dimensional. Allow to cure.
Mix 3/16” of QW and divide in two. To make flower ring on snowies head roll a coil about 3” – 31/2” long. Place center of coil on center top of head and bring ends back to create ring. To attach the flowers make a few small leaves. For each leaf pull off a small ball a little less than ¼”. Roll into a cone that is about ¼” – 3/8” and flatten. Choose where you want it and then place a small ball of clay on the back of the flower and position it over/near the leaf. For him I put one leaf and one flower for the buttoner and on his hat I put three leaves and two flowers. For her I put small leaves on the ring and then began adding the flowers. You can have the flowers just in the front and sides or the whole way around the ring. Allow to cure.