Next, the materials...Sculpey III Oven Bake clay. It really doesn't matter what color. It will all be painted later. I also used a very course covered wire and a vintage measuring cup for him to sit on.
I cut a slit in the top of the vintage measuring cup just big enough to hold the turtle shell. I formed an armature and slipped it down through the turtle shell and filled all the openings full with the Sculpey clay.
Now for that precious face.
Watching what I had already sketched out on my paper, I worked on it until I came close to what I thought it should look like.
Sculpt hands, feet and a smile and when satisfied, place him in the oven at 165 degrees for about 30 minutes. Look at him soaking up that sunshine.
Let him cool down now. He's ready for some new "skin". I am using Tim Holtz Distress Crackle paint in Antique Linen. This is a wonderful effect but extremely fragile in this instance. He will be under a cloche so it will be okay this time.
And now, I will be giving him a banjo. I can hear the music. I used a piece of round styrofoam (from my stash) and a stick . Color the stick with copic markers and make a front and back to the instrument.
And now world...I present......."Telly Turtle and his magic banjo". Hope you like him as much as I enjoyed working on him.