How to Create Whimsical Chickens with Mayco Glazes

Additional Items

• Mayco Script Liner

• Mayco Detail Liner

• Mayco Soft Fan

• Toothpicks

• Sponge

Create Basic Clay Shapes

1. Split three pounds of BLICK Talc-Free White Clay in half and set one half aside.

2. Split one of the halves in half again and roll into spheres.

3. Create two pinch pots from the rolled spheres and set aside. These will create the body.

4. Split the other half of clay into four pieces.

   1. Roll one piece into a ball and cut in half. One half will be the head, the other half can be set aside and covered.

   2. Roll a second piece into a ball, flattening the opposite direction to create a cone shape. This will be the tail.

   3. Roll out the last two spheres and flatten both sides to create a disc. These will be the wings.

Attach Shapes

1. Using a toothpick, scratch and attach the two pinch pots together.

2. Scratch and attach the head piece to the body, and the tail opposite of the head. You can make these pieces pinch pots if they need to be bigger, but don’t forget to poke a hole in the body underneath before attaching!

3. Scratch and attach the wings to the back of the chicken.

Smooth and Add Details

1. Use your finger to smooth all the joints where the attachments connect to make them look like one solid piece.

2. Take the remainder half ball of clay and split into five small balls and a pyramid shape for the comb, eyes, and beak. You may need a little extra clay for this.

   1. Flatten three of the balls and attach them together to form the comb.

   2. Scratch and attach the pyramid and two balls above it to the head for the beak and eyes.

   3. Scratch and attach the comb on top of the head, starting between the eyes.

   4. Make feet with any extra clay by rolling three small coils and attaching them under the body.

3. Use the toothpicks to press and scratch designs into the wings and tail feather.

4. Create a hole in the bottom of the chicken.

Dry and Fire

1. Allow chicken to dry until it is no longer cool to the touch.

2. Bisque fire to shelf cone 04.

Glaze and Fire

1. Begin with a properly fired cone 04 bisque. Moisten a sponge and wipe bisque to remove any dust.

2. Apply glazes to the following areas, allowing the glaze to dry between each coat:

   1. Three coats of SC-16 Cotton Tail to each eye with the Script Liner

   2. Two coats of SC-11 Blue Yonder to the raised circle of each eye with the Script Liner

   3. Using SC-15 Tuxedo, apply a dot to fill in each eye with the Detail Liner

   4. Three coats of SC-24 Dandelion to the beak and feet with the Script Liner

   5. Three coats of SC-88 Tu Tu Tango to the comb and tongue with the Script Liner

   6. One coat of SC-11 Blue Yonder to the wings and tail with the Soft Fan

   7. One coat of SC-76 Cara-Bein Blue to the tips of the wing and tail with the Soft Fan. Dip the same brush into SC-11 Blue Yonder and blend towards the body. Repeat for a total of three coats.

   8. Apply two coats of CG-718 Blue Caprice to the rest of the body with the Soft Fan and Script Liner.

3. Fire to cone 06.

Variations and Adaptations:

• Have students sketch out three different poses for their chicken before building.  

• Allow the body to set up a little before adding the additions to eliminate sagging. 

• Pre-heat the chickens at a low temperature in your kiln before firing to ensure they are dry.

• Use found objects to give texture to the chickens.