Make a 3-Dimensional Self-Standing Metal Bird : Tutorial with images!

Hey hey! Here's tutorial with pictures of how I made the 90% metal bird which is displayed in my virtual Art Gallery :)

Click on any images to enlarge them.

This tutorial is just a guideline. You can change the colours up a bit, experiment with materials, bend the rules and make it your own! That's what art is all about! :D

Warning: Safety first! Look after yourself. Be careful with the metal -- it can be sharp! Wear safety glasses at the welding machine (if you use it) and be cautious with the hot glue gun! *Don't* use this as a beginner's project (unless you have a good helping hand around!) because it can get a bit complicated. Also, make sure to set aside more than just a couple hours, because this'll take some time!

Good luck!

Okay, let's start! You make it with me! :D

So, first we make a rough frame using welding wire. Experiment with different shapes using the wire here and weld (or hot glue) them together. Add strips of sheet metal for the tail feathers. Also, the feet are covered with hot glue and spray painted to cover the ugly welding joints and create a more proper foot shape.

Next, we cover the head, neck and entire front (stomach) with wire mesh and then cut up thick strips of sheet metal to cover, glue these on with strong craft glue. These thick strips are then cut into a fringe-like formation, and then each little strip is curled up at different lengths to create curled stomach feathers! Then finish off with a chunk of heavier sheet metal at the back (to weigh the back down to the bird doesn't topple!) 

Now we can start on the main body :) first, cover the back/ rest of the bird with chicken wire around the frame. Then, cut out scale/triangle shapes (about 1.5-2cm wide and 3cm long) out of the sheet metal and layer onto the chicken wire on the body with craft glue (leave the head). Also, use the heavier/harder sheet metal to cover the join between the main body and the legs (see image, which also shows how the feathers are layered).

Later, its time for the head! Hope that you left a bit of room at the neck ;) Okay, so here we cut the sheet metal into thin, 8mm approx. strips of differing lengths with rounded ends. We later these over the head long-ways, so that they seem to start at the beak and go through to the neck/body. (NB: before this, make a beak out of a folded triangle of sheet metal and hot glue it onto the front of the face.) Also, note that when sticking the strips on, we need to leave room for eyes!


When that's done, find something suitable for eyes (I used two round dark chrome coloured beads). Then move onto the wings. (This is the last part!) For this, we can use sort of heart/oval-halves (see picture), incorporating layered colours (as used for the rest of the bird). Place the wings how you see fit on the bird, until it looks right :)

Put a few finishing touches on if needed... make sure everything is stable.... balance out the bird to make it stand by itself (adjust the bending of the legs)....

And, voila! We're done! Yay! :D

We can use a mirror underneath the bird to reflect the stomach detail :)

Also, remember to keep your relatively heavier sheet metal down the back and the lighter ones at the front, as this will make it balance and stand up better!

I hope that this was helpful or inspiring for any of your own projects that you might decide to undertake in the future.

If you have any questions or opinions, feel free to leave a comment below!

B-bye and take care,
-Cheryl. x