Cats, Sculptures, The making of.. beagle, cat, cheetah, dachshund, dogs, fox, hedgehog, otter, Polymer Clay, sculptures

The making of my new animal sculptures

Helen White October 16, 2019

In this post I am sharing with you how I created my new animal sculptures.

New animal sculptures: First up my polymer clay cats.

I made all of these cats with polymer clay (Super Sculpey firm medium grey and Super sculpey beige). I attached tails the with a wire and I made the eyes with glass cabochons which I painted with acrylic paints.

Two of the cats with fur and before curing.

After curing I painted the cats with white Gesso first to make the acrylic paint stick better. And then I painted them with several layers of acrylic paints. I found the ginger one the trickiest to paint, because of the stripes.

White cat sculpture - front — White cat sculpture – front

The making of my new animal sculptures 1 — Ginger cat sculpture

The making of my new animal sculptures 2 — Black cat sculpture

Cat made with air dry clay.

A few months ago, I bought some cheap air dry clay from Aldi – I also posted this video about the clay. I have never worked with air dry clay before and wanted to try it out. In the video I created this cat. It has the same type of eyes and is created similarly to my polymer clay cats – though I decided to keep the ears smaller. The cat had to dry for a few days before I painted him black, white and pink. I also used acrylic colours for him. I didn’t use the Gesso though and found that several layers were also needed because this clay absorbs paint quickly and still shows some clay. This is a one-of air dry cat, as I definitely prefer to work with polymer clay. However, for YouTube I have just recently filmed this tutorial for you to try out – it shows you how you can make beautiful Christmas tree decorations.

Dachshund sculptures and Beagle sculpture.

While I have had plenty of practice sculpting cats, I haven’t created many dogs. So, I decided to sculpt a dachshund and a beagle. For the first dachshund I used grey Super Sculpey. I noticed that their toe nails (or claws) are quite prominent and I wanted to show them in my sculpture. Adding them raw on raw clay didn’t really work so I sculpted them first and cured them. I then added the nails to the paws, which wasn’t straight forward as they take up a lot of space. After baking I primed the dog with white Gesso. Originally, I wanted to paint him in brown, but it didn’t work with the colour I had and I ended up painting him black. Once dried I also varnished the eyes and the nose.

I also ended up sculpting a dachshund in brown. This time though I used brown clay and black clay for the dog and green clay for the base. This meant I didn’t have to paint him. I also used a different type of pre-baked eyeballs and I used pre-baked toe nails. After baking I highlighted the nose and eyes with varnish.

The beagle was more complicated and time consuming to make. I cured the legs and head first. Then I attached the front legs and the head and cured him again. Painting took a long time as I had to add several layers of the brown colour for a solid coverage.

Beagle - work in progress. Head and front legs were cured first. — Beagle – work in progress. Head and front legs were cured first.

Beagle - with front legs and fur. — Beagle – with front legs and fur.

Beagle with front legs - side view. — Beagle with front legs – side view.

Beagle with head attached - still needs fur added to cover up seams. — Beagle with head attached – still needs fur added to cover up seams.

The cheetah sculpture

The final sculpture of these bigger ones is my Cheetah. Again, I had to cure the front legs first and I also cured its tail first. I originally had the cheetah stand on a base, but when I painted the base I noticed it stayed sticky – this can happen with some acrylic paints or varnishes. I got rid of it and repainted the underside of the Cheetah. For the cheetah I also used the glass eyes I painted with acrylic paints. Painting the body of the cheetah took a long time – they do have a lot of spots!

Curing the cheetah's front legs and tail first. — Curing the cheetah’s front legs and tail first.

Cheetah sculpture - side — Cheetah sculpture – side view.

New range of smaller animal sculptures: hedgehogs, fox and otter.

My husband suggested that I should try and make smaller and simpler sculptures that don’t take as much time to create. So, I have started with these new designs.

2 Hedgehogs, a small otter and a small fox. I didn’t want to paint any of them, so I used coloured clay. For the eyes I used small black glass beads. The challenge with the hedgehogs was to create an illusion of spikes without over complicating the design. So, I used two colours and created these two versions. I wanted the otter to have wet appearance and therefore decided to varnish him. The noses of the hedgehogs and fox are also highlighted with varnish.

I hope you like my new designs. They are all available in my shop and as an option I sell them with adoption certificates which can be personalised.

Thank you for reading.

Helen x

Contents hide

1 New animal sculptures: First up my polymer clay cats.

2 Cat made with air dry clay.

3 Dachshund sculptures and Beagle sculpture.

4 The cheetah sculpture

5 New range of smaller animal sculptures: hedgehogs, fox and otter.

Ivy cooper leaf bracelet

January 9, 2026

My dad bought me this bracelet for Christmas and I absolutely love it, it has amazing detailing.

Malia Mackenzie

I could have kept them for myself!

March 25, 2022

“I have bought some lovely jewellery and bookmarks from Helen typically to give as special and unusual presents. Everything is beautifully made, reasonably processed and always well packed. I have also been a lucky winner of a red bracelet and earrings set which has bought me some lovely compliments as does the lovely blue and white nautilus necklace which is so unique and eye catching. I was really interested when Helen began making the sculptures, watching her posts as each model developed. As a cat worshipper, this specific group really caught my eye! I bought two cats; one sitting black and white, the second white and black which was laying down – bought them as presents for people with cats of similar colouring; they are so lovely, the detail is wonderful and their recipients are so pleased with them! They nearly didn’t get their presents, as I could have kept them for myself! Thank you Helen, your work is wonderful!”

Cathy St. John

Thrilled with them.

“Just taken delivery of 2 cat sculpture ornaments, a surprise for my birthday and am thrilled with them. Very special as handmade so each one unique. They arrived very well packaged and in cat paper with a ribbon and each even came with an adoption certificate with my cat’s name on, a lovely touch. Very personal service with a follow up to check if parcel had arrived safely and undamaged. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a lovely unique gift for friends or even themselves. In fact, I’ve just ordered another cat to go with my others! Thank you, Helen :)”

Louise West

Every item is unique.

“I discovered Helenka White Design through The Cat (magazine of the charity Cats Protection) and I have now bought five of Helen’s beautiful pieces: two sitting cat pendants for myself) and three gifts – including one for a non-cat person who was delighted with her shiny pendant. Helen’s service is prompt and personal, and all the items were lovingly and attractively packaged. Best of all: every item is unique, yet the prices are so affordable!”

Brenda Griffith-Williams

Surpassed expectations.

“I commissioned a custom pair of earrings from Helen and was very happy with both the process and the finished result. She patiently actioned my requests for various adjustments to the design along the way and the finished product surpassed expectations. Highly recommended.”

anon

Very tactile and beautifully made.

“I’ve bought several items from Helen over the years, both for myself and as presents. They’re all unique, artistic and stylish. One of the things I like most about the jewellery is the lovely feel. All the items are very tactile as well as beautifully made.”

Sian Aubrey

Love the little cat pendant.

“I wanted to get something special for xmas for my wife, and, I found Helen’s site. Whilst there was lots there I liked, nothing that would be perfect for my wife, so, I emailed Helen, told her what I wanted, and, GOT IT. Had to pay a bit extra, but, when you ask for pure silver you have to pay for pure silver. Love the little cat pendant I have got, with a pure silver chain. Communication with Helen was so easy, so simple to sort out issues. If you want something from her for this xmas, order now, fast like.”

Mark Fisher

Arrived beautifully packaged.

“I ordered a custom piece to be made for a young lady’s birthday. Helen was very good with communications over the piece, making sure I was happy with the design and materials used. Delivery was very good and it arrived beautifully packaged. She was overjoyed with her present and also the unexpected gift that Helen had added. I’ll be definitely recommending Helen’s work to others and shall be returning to purchase more of Helen’s lovely work at later dates.”

Jim Laver

Delighted with the finished pieces.

“I asked Helen to design me a necklace using beads I’d seen and liked on her website. I had quite a clear vision for what I wanted and she agreed she could make what I wanted and offered to make me some matching earrings.

She communicated with me frequently throughout the design process offering alternatives and using photos to illustrate the options. She gave me quotes for the work ahead of time. She worked diligently and in a very timely fashion keeping me updated as she went. I was delighted with the finished pieces which she packaged beautifully and sent by secure post. I was very happy throughout the entire process and Helen finished the necklace and earrings to a very high standard. I would have no hesitation recommending Helen for her work, design and collaborative approach and the excellent quality of her jewellery. I’ll be keeping an eye out on her website for other items I might fancy.”

Siobhan O'Neill

I received several compliments from family and friends.

“I was thrilled when Helen contacted me in October to inform me that I had been chosen as the winner of her latest giveaway to celebrate her 4th successful year in business! I was to be the proud owner of her beautiful Macaw polymer clay pendant and earring set and I also had to thank Bobby, her beautiful pet kitty, who pawed my name out of the bag!

Just a few days later my handmade jewellery set arrived safely secured in a pretty little drawstring black velvet bag. The colours were striking and the set was so well made with Helen’s signature marked on the back. I wore it first with my red top and black jeans and received several compliments from family and friends! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Helen and Bobby once again for the lovely giveaway and to wish Helenka White Design much success in the future. I will definitely recommend her products to all my family and friends and will be looking forward to seeing her new creations!”

Tracy Nixon