Mosaic Chicken

6" foam ball for the body
knife
tin snips
metal lath - head and tail
paper
pencil
scissors
leather gloves
silicone glue
plaster cloth
papier mache
small plastic cups
woodcraft sticks
plastic tray
glass tiles
glass scorer
glass pliers
wheel cutters
safety glasses
grout
bucket
mask
grout sponge
latex gloves
grout sealer
fiberglass (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut 1/2- to 1-inch off the bottom of the 6-inch foam ball.

2. Draw a chicken face and tail on white paper and cut them out.

4. Cut two slits into the foam ball with a knife, one at the front and one at the back of the ball, then insert the metal lath head and tail in the foam ball slits.

6. Cut plaster cloth into 2- to 3-inch sections with scissors. Dip the plaster cloth pieces into a plastic tray filled with water, and place the pieces over the metal lath covering the head and tail (figure C).

7. Let plaster cloth dry for a few hours or use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process.

9. Re-apply plaster cloth (figure E) (see step 6) and let dry overnight.

10. Wearing safety glasses, cut the glass tiles with a glass scorer. Separate the mosaic tiles with glass pliers. Then, with wheel cutters, chop the tiles into smaller pieces (figure F).

12. Glue all the pieces with silicone glue. Start with the eye, followed by the beak, waddle and comb (figure G). Work your way down the neck into the body (figure H). Let pieces dry overnight.

13. Put on a mask. Mix the powdered grout with water in a bucket until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes. Completely cover the chicken with grout (figure I).

14. Remove the grout from the bucket. Fill the bucket with water, wet the grout sponge and clean the piece off. After it is almost clean, buff the chicken with an old towel or rag (figure J).

15. Seal the grouted chicken with grout sealer.

Enjoy your mosaic chicken!

Website: www.pondballs.com