Baby Unicorn

Every now and then I like to sharpen my sculpting skills. I love to make animals and miniatures. I once sculpted a set of carousel animals using this method of paper clay over cardboard.  I also have recently learned how to make my own paper clay and it saves me a ton of money from buying the kind I used when I made dolls and carousel animals years ago - and it's just as strong, if not stronger.

I got the paper clay recipe from Jonni Good at Ultimate Paper Mache. It's been going around the internet for a few years with small changes to her original recipe but stick with hers because it is the best and the ORIGINAL one.

I got her instructions for making a baby unicorn and rabbit from patterns I purchased from her web site. I decided to make the unicorn first but I changed the instructions on mine because I've sculpted with all these materials before and pretty much know how I wanted to make mine.

I decided to use layers of corrugated cardboard with paper clay and not use aluminum foil and epoxy clay. I used what I had. I use foil under polymer clay but I don't like it under paper clay, I would rather build my sculpts up with cardboard for the thicknesses I need.

It's just a personal preference and you can do it any way you like. I followed the rest of her instructions pretty much though. I used florist's wire to reinforce the legs and neck. And I used a lot of hot glue to strengthen up these areas and hold the wire on to the cardboard. I added masking tape in places to help hold the next layer of paper clay on.

I built the thickest parts of the horse up over time and allowed it to dry thoroughly between layers. So far I have the start of a good looking little unicorn. He comes in around 12" tall to the tips of his ears. It's a start.

The Outside

It's starting to really come together now. I used a crimping tool and poster board to make the strip going around the center and between the windows look like trailer siding. It was just what I was looking for.

I also took strips of poster board and bent them back and forth in irregular patterns to look like vertical siding for the rest of the exterior. I used turbo tack to glue them on. Match sticks around the outside windows for framing and popsicle sticks around the door but I'm going to change that because my door won't open all the way.

I filled in any corners and cracks with turbo tacky glue and painted with acrylic paint when it was dry. I may add some aluminum strips to the outside later - or not. But I definitely will add reflectors and lights to the back end.

Cushions and The Sink

I ran florist wire through a hollowed out black wire so I could bend it into a hook for the faucet, then painted it silver. I made the faucet handles out of bent florist wire painted silver too.

I had the miniature guitar so I used it as a prop. The "cushions" were covered with fabric paper from the Country Home stack and glued over foam core board. I made the "pillows" from foam core too.

The stove burner is a punched out snowflake that has been trimmed. I covered the walls and door with fabric and paper from the stack then I glued my furniture in place.

The little word signs are cut out of a piece of gold word paper from the same stack and little match stick frames were glued to the edges.

I also glued a little edge onto the table to give it a more solid feel and covered the bench cushions too. After I got the walls done and the windows in, I added woodwork inside to cover the edges.