Every step, every tip, every sculpting trick — all right here. Grab a tea or coffee and settle in.

IOD Products:

🎨 IOD Swans Mould

Additional Supplies

✨ Polymer clay (or air dry clay — more on that below)

✨ 9 gauge crafting wire

✨ Aluminum foil

✨ Clay sculpting tools (or a toothpick and a pen — seriously)

✨ Brayer

✨ Chalk-type paint in creamy white

✨ Grey glaze (or soft grey paint + water in a 1:4 ratio)

✨ UV resin + UV lamp

✨ Art brushes

✨ Cloth or paper towel

A Quick Note on Clay

Before we get into it — polymer clay or air dry clay?

Both work beautifully. Air dry clay gives gorgeous results and is a great option if you've got the workspace and a few days to spare for drying. Polymer clay is the faster option, with only 25 minutes in the oven, and you're ready to move on. For this tutorial, we're using polymer clay, but the steps are the same either way. 💕

Start by kneading your polymer clay by hand until it's soft and pliable. No rollers needed here, just warm it up until it feels good to work with. Press it firmly into both swan cavities in the mould, using the micro-rim edges to keep your edges clean and crisp.

Run a brayer over the backs of the castings to make sure you have full contact with the mould — and bonus, it gives the backs a beautifully smooth finish that makes assembling the two halves much easier later on.

Before you demould, take a small scraping tool, or a toothpick, a pen, or anything with a little grip, and gently score around the edges of each casting. This helps the two halves adhere to each other more securely when you bring them together. Don't skip this step. 💕

Now we're really getting into it.

While your castings are still in the mould, cut a length of wire long enough to run from the beak, down the neck, and into the torso. This wire is the structural backbone of your swan, and it keeps the neck upright and strong, especially important if you're using air dry clay, which needs that support as it dries. Press the wire flat into one side of your casting and make sure it's completely embedded.

Next, roll a separate chunk of clay into a log about 1.5 inches wide and the length of the swan's breast down to the tail...think playdough snake energy. 😅 Keep it about an inch thick or less so it bakes evenly. Then crumple a piece of aluminum foil into a body shape and use it to add bulk to the torso. This foil core keeps the figurine lightweight while giving it the volume it needs to stand on its own.

Now for the part that requires a little patience and a lot of love. 🥰

Demould your castings gently and carefully place them around the body you've built with the clay log and foil. Work slowly and with a light touch. You want the detail in those feathers to be protected.

💕 Pro tip: If you start losing detail in the feathers or the swan's head during assembly, place the casting back into the mould and start that section again. Don't rush it. The mould is your best friend here.

Starting at the head and working downward, press the wings firmly onto the body so there's good contact all the way around. Use a small rolling tool, the handle of a clay scraper, a pen, anything cylindrical to help smooth the joints without pressing too hard. Wet your finger slightly for an even smoother finish on the neck joint.

For the chest and tail areas, use your sculpting tool to scrape and smooth the clay into extra feathering texture. Keep working, smoothing, and lining up feathers until your swan stands upright and looks exactly how you want it. 🙌

Follow your polymer clay brand's instructions for temperature and baking time. This one went into the oven for 25 minutes and came out perfectly set. Let it cool completely before you do anything else. And no peeking, no touching. Just let it do its thing. 😅

If you're using air dry clay, this is where patience really comes in. Depending on conditions, it can take a few days to dry completely, especially the base. Leave it alone to avoid fingerprints. (We know, it's tempting!)

Once your swan is completely cool and dry, it's time for the most satisfying part. 😍

Start with a coat of chalk-type paint in creamy white, and let it dry completely. Then mix up a soft grey glaze: either use a premade grey glaze or make your own with a 1:4 ratio of soft grey paint to water.

Apply the glaze with an art brush, working it into all the details and crevices, then wipe back gently with a cloth or paper towel so it settles into the feather details and adds depth without obscuring them. The result is a soft, antique quality that will make it look perfectly aged.

This step takes it from beautiful to breathtaking. Let's get to it!

Apply a layer of UV resin over the entire swan using an art brush, working one side at a time. Cure each side under a UV lamp for about 3 minutes before flipping. The resin creates that thick, glossy finish that gives the figurine a stunning ceramic-like quality.

Creamy white. Soft grey glaze. Glossy resin finish. And all those gorgeous feather details from the IOD Swans Mould catching the light in the most stunning way.

This is what the IOD Swans Mould was made for, and we are so glad the Creative Tribe asked for this tutorial, because the result is absolutely swoon-worthy. 😍

This is an intermediate project, so if you're just starting your IOD journey, our Product 101 pages are packed with beginner-friendly techniques to help build your confidence and creative skills. We are so giddy to be part of your creative journey. 💕

Ready to get your hands on the IOD Swans Mould? Find your nearest IOD Stockist using the big red Where to Buy button on our website. 🙌

Made your own swan figurine? Please, please, please share it with the IOD Creative Tribe on Facebook! It is the most supportive community of makers on the internet, if we do say so ourselves. We genuinely cannot wait to see what you create. 💕