Polymer Clay Winged Dragon

Steps:

1. Condition polymer clay by warming and kneading. Roll balls as follows for the following parts:

- from blue clay: 1-1/4 inch body, 7/8-inch head, two 1-inch back legs, two 3/4-inch front legs, two 1-1/8-inch wings
- from violet clay: 1-inch ball for wings
- from emerald green clay: 7/8-inch ball for wings
- from lemon: two 3/4-inch balls for wings
- from white: 1/2-inch ball for wings

2. Roll the body ball into a football shape, then roll and stretch one end to create a long, skinny tail.

3. Flatten the wide part of the body to 1/8 inch thick. Crush a 6-inch-long sheet of foil into a body shape, roughly the shape of a sheep's body without head or legs.

4. Wad foil in center of flattened clay body, then wrap with the clay. Smooth seams with fingers.

5. Roll front and back leg balls into long skinny egg shapes. To make feet, place small end of egg between index fingers, about 1/3 inch down from end of egg. Now do the drumstick roll by rolling clay between fingers to create a bulge for foot. Stretch out rest of leg.

6. Press foot to flatten. Cut in toes. Roll each toe to make it skinny and pointed. Bend legs at knees and elbows.

7. Set the body on an index card. Turn the neck so that it points up. Press a toothpick into neck for support. Use a second toothpick to press in scale lines on chest. Press legs in place.

8. For head, roll head ball into a short drumstick shape. Cut in mouth. Use a toothpick to make nostrils. Press in holes for eyes with end of paintbrush.

9. Roll white balls for eyes. Press eyes in place. Add smaller colored balls for irises, tiny black balls for pupils, and much smaller white balls for the highlights. Add small football-shaped eyelids.

10. To make scales, line up the seven wing balls in an order that is pleasing to you. To make seven different colors, starting with the white ball, mix in a bit of color from one of the other balls. Continue doing this until you have seven distinct colors. I used the following order: white with a bit of yellow, yellow with a bit of green, yellow with slightly more green, green, violet, half blue and half violet, blue.

11. Roll the lightest ball into a 1-1/2-inch rope. Flatten the second ball into a rectangle shape that is 1-1/2 inch long and wide enough to wrap around the rope. Now flatten and wrap the other colors around the rope, making each successive one slightly wider than the one before it. Roll this big tube or cane of clay until the layers are firmly together.

12. Using a very sharp blade, cut two 3/16-inch-thick pieces for wings. Reduce the diameter of the wing cane by rolling and stretching it to one third its diameter (it will also get longer). Cut two ear pieces. Reduce the cane to the size that you would like for scales. Cut scale pieces. Pinch into points. Cut some in half and pinch into points.

13. Shape the wings and ears, flattening slightly between your hands and stretching into points or curves. Press in place. If necessary, support wings with a ball of foil that is covered with paper toweling. Press scales in place.

14. Preheat oven and bake according to directions on clay package. Let cool before removing foil supports.