TUTORIALS   

EQUIPMENT

Dresden tool 
Ball tool (13 mm diameter)
Round cutters:
23 mm
10 mm 
Piping nozzles:
6 mm
1 mm
Wheel tool
Sharp scalpel
Brushes:
glue - medium round, small roun
dusting - medium flat, small round
painting - small round
Wooden skewer (9.5 cm long + a spare piece)
Cocktail sticks x 2
Pliers
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Foam pad
Additional equipment to make the bow & the crown:
TUTORIALS   
Knife
Metal ruler
Round cutter - 14 mm (you need it only for the crown)
Piping nozzle - 3 mm (you need it only for the bow)

EDIBLES

TEMPLATES

SIZE

AMOUNTS

1.

In some steps I will be using a pink foam sheet which makes the parts more visible. Normally I work on a non-stick board and build the topper
on a piece of greaseproof paper. That allows me to move the figure around the board without the need of touching it and the risk of damaging
it.

Add about 1/2 teaspoon of CMC* to the 55 g of grey 50/50 FP/SP mix**. Roll a smooth ball (1). Form a teardrop shaped body (2).

* The brand of paste you are using might require less or more CMC. You'll find more information about how much CMC to add here. 
** I used different pastes for different parts. You'll find more information here.
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2.

Press the part to the board and rotate it a couple of times around its axis to create a flat bottom surface.

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Flatten the top part of the body. Check the shape with the template (3).

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Place the body on the board and push it slightly towards one side. The side which is more straight will be the front. The side which is more
curved will be the back.

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5. TUTORIALS   

Roll a 13 g ball of grey paste* (4). Form a tapering down towards one end sausage (5).

* I used the 50/50 FP/SP mix with CMC. I added ⅓ tsp CMC to 66 g of the 50/50 FP/SP mix. 66 g is the amount you will need for all four legs.
Prepare the whole amount now and put away the amount that you will use later in an airtight container/bag.

The brand of paste you are using might require less or more CMC. Keep on adding the CMC gradually until you feel that the paste is quite thick
but you can still roll a smooth ball. The paste doesn't need to be as thick as for the body or the head, because the legs won't support the weight
of other parts.

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Press the element to the surface of the board. Keep on rotating it and pressing around the bottom in order to create a sharp edge of the
leg. 

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Roll the leg on the board to even the surface and to round the edge of the leg. Check the shape and size with the template (6). You might
need to repeat steps 6-7 a couple of times to get the correct shape.

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Flatten the leg. Start from the bottom of the leg...

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... and move towards the top part of the leg.

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Press, release, move your hand further, press, release, move your hand further, and so on.

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Smooth the surface of the leg with your finger.

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Press the leg gently to the board to flatten the bottom surface.

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Place the leg flat on the board as shown in the photo and flatten the top part of the leg a bit more. Check the shape with the template (7).

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Use your index finger and your thumb to smooth the sides of the leg. Repeat steps 5-14 for the second leg.

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Apply a small amount of glue on the body where the legs will go and stick the legs on. Make sure the legs join neatly.

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Bring the topper to the edge of the board and use a 10 mm round cutter to make toe marks on the feet.

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Use the dresden tool to make knee lines as shown in the photo.

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Apply a small amount of glue on the wooden skewer and insert it into the body in a rotary motion, all the way down. If you are 
working on a foam pad make sure that the skewer doesn’t poke through the bottom of the body – it may cause the body to lean to the
sides later. 

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Roll a 20 g ball of grey paste (8). Form a tapering down towards one end sausage (9). Flatten the bottom surface of the leg the same way as
in steps 6-7. Check the shape with the template (10). 

Repeat this step for the second leg. Use a sharp, clean scalpel to cut the ends of the legs (10).  Make the cuts at an angle so that the leg fits
nicely to the curved body (see photo in step 24 and 68). Cut a cocktail stick in half. Apply some glue on those two pieces of cocktail sticks
and insert them in the legs as shown in the photo.

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Position the legs as shown in the photo to mark the  points where the cocktail sticks will go.

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Use a dry cocktail stick to make holes where the points have been marked.

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Attach the legs. Remember to apply some glue also on the cocktail sticks.

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Make sure that the back and the bottom part of the leg joins with the body neatly.

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This is how the leg should look like from the back.

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Use the 10 mm round cutter to mark the toes and the dresden tool to make the knee lines.

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26. TUTORIALS   

Roll a 115 g ball of grey paste* (11). Start pressing and gently pulling out some paste from one of the sides of the ball.

If you want to make a simplified version of the elephant's head, you'll find instructions here.

* I used the 50/50 FP/SP mix with CMC. I added ½ tsp to 115 g of the paste. The paste you are using might require less or more CMC. If you add
too much the paste will be too dry and you will get cracks during modelling. If you add too little the head will sink after attaching. You'll find
more information about CMC here.

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Keep on rotating the head in your hands and pressing and pulling the paste out. 

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To avoid cracks warm the paste around the trunk frequently.

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Continue rotating, pressing and pulling the paste out. At this stage you can check the shape with the template (12). 

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Now focus only on elongating the trunk (don’t pull any more paste from the head). To elongate the trunk make the same moves as in
previous step: keep on rotating, pressing and gently pulling the paste upwards.

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Work gradually. 

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From time to time warm the head with your hands (especially the area where the trunk will bend).  Check the shape with the template (13).

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33. TUTORIALS   

Place the head on one hand and use the other hand to flatten the head slightly. Check the size with the template (14). Warm the area
above the trunk before moving on to the next step.

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Bend the trunk slightly - push it gently towards the head.

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Once again warm the area above the trunk with your finger.

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Bend the trunk more and shape the trunk - curve it a bit to one side and flatten the end of the trunk (pinch to create a sharp edge). Check
the shape with the template (15). Smooth the head with your fingers.

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In the place of the bending you will probably notice wrinkles. To make them look as if they were made intentionally, use the fine side of the
dresden tool to deepen some of the lines. 

At this stage you can decide which type of head you would like to make. If you prefer a simplified version of the head you will find instructions
here. 

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38. TUTORIALS   

Use the ball tool to make indentations for the eyes. To position the eyes evenly, first make very small, shallow marks with the ball tool. Look
at the head from the front and check if they are positioned evenly. If they are, deepen the indentations gradually, checking if they are still in
one line.

If the initial shallow marks are not in one line, simply reposition the marks and then deepen the indentations gradually. Making the
indentations gradually allows you to make adjustments as you go.

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39. TUTORIALS   

Look at the head from the front and use the fine side of the dresden tool to mark two curved lines as shown in the photo (take a look at
the next photo too).

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This is a view from a different angle.

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Join the two lines to create a smile.

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Insert the wide side of the dresden tool as shown in the photo to create a mouth.

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Push the tool slightly downwards to enlarge the mouth.

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Use your thumb to press the paste as shown in the photo.

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Do the same with the other side of the smile.

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Next press the paste underneath the mouth as shown in the photo.

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Roll a 4 mm ball of black flower paste (16). Stick it with a small amount of glue inside the mouth and use the wide side of the dresden tool
to smooth the paste inside the mouth.

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Use a clean scalpel to deepen the line of the smile and to make short ending cuts as shown in the photo.

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Roll two 9 mm balls of white flower paste (17) and stick them inside the eye indentations. Roll out a small amount of blue and black flower
paste very thin (as thin as possible without tearing).

After rolling it out peel the pieces from the board and flip them around allowing the bottom surface to dry a bit. Flip the pieces back
around and cut two 1 cm blue circles and two 6 mm black circles.

Use a small round brush with a tiny amount of glue to pick the circles up from the board and stick them on as shown in the photo.

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50. TUTORIALS   

Roll two 5 mm balls of grey paste (18) and form two short sausages (19). Stick them above the eyes. Use your fingers to flatten them. Use
the dresden tool to shape the eyelids.

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51. TUTORIALS   

Roll a 3 mm ball of black flower paste (20). Roll a tapering towards both ends sausage (21). Cut it in half (21) and stick the eyebrows above
the eyes.

Roll another 3 mm ball of black flower paste (22) and roll a thin, long sausage on your hand (23). Cut it in half (23).

Apply a small amount of glue on the edge of the eyelids and stick the sausages as eyelashes. Cut the ends off with a scalpel.

Black flower paste will leave colour on your hands.  Wash your hands and dry them before starting work with lighter colours.

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52. TUTORIALS   

Roll out a very small amount of white flower paste and let it dry for a moment. Flip it to the other side and use a 1 mm piping nozzle to cut
out two circles.

To get the circle out from the nozzle rub the tip with your finger and the tap the wider side of the nozzle against the board.

Use a fine brush with a tiny amount of glue to pick the circles up from the board and stick them on the eyes as shown in the photo.

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53. TUTORIALS   

Pick the head up from time to time and round the back of the head. Don’t worry too much about the head being a bit flat at the back - it’s
going to be partially covered with the ears.

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Use a dry, wooden skewer to make a hole in the bottom of the head as shown in the photo. I made it in the centre but I inserted it at an
angle, because I wanted the head to be a bit tilted (see next photo).

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55. TUTORIALS   

Position the head on the body without applying any glue to check if the hole is in the right place.

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56. TUTORIALS   

Take the head off the body. Use the dresden tool to make the nostrils.

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Use the dresden tool to mark a few wrinkle lines on the trunk.

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Check if the body is firm (press the neck from the top). If it is firm, apply some glue on the skewer and the neck and stick the head on. If it’s
not firm yet, leave the body and head to dry. If you attach the head too early, the body will start sinking underneath the weight of the head.

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59. TUTORIALS   

Roll out 20 g of grey paste* (24) to about 1-2 mm thick (not thicker - you don’t want the ears to be too heavy). Use the template (25) to cut
out one ear. Then flip the template to the other side and cut the other ear out. 

* I used the 50/50 FP/SP mix with CMC. I added ⅕ tsp of CMC to 20 g of paste.

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Use your finger to smooth the edges. 

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61. TUTORIALS   

Place the ears on a foam pad. Use the rolling pin to thin the edges. Work gradually. While thinning the edges, the paste will stretch slightly
(the ear will get a bit bigger) - that’s fine, just make sure not to lose the shape so that the inner element fits nicely.

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62. TUTORIALS   

Roll out the pink flower paste (26) very thin (as thin as possible without tearing). Use the 23 mm round cutter to cut out two circles. You'll
find tips on how to use cutters here. Leave them to dry. Use the template (27) to cut out the inner parts of the ears. You'll find tips on how
to do that here.

Leave the circles to dry out for some time - about 5-10 mins. Cover the inner ear parts with a plastic sleeve to prevent them from drying
out.

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63. TUTORIALS   

Don’t apply any glue on the ear to stick the inner shape. If you didn’t use any corn flour or icing sugar to roll out the paste, the underside of
the pink cutout will be wet enough to stick by itself. If you use glue it might show through the pink paste. Place the pink part on the grey
one. Press and smooth gently.

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64. TUTORIALS   

When the pink circles dry out quite well, use a small amount of glue to stick them as shown in the photo. If you stick them on too early
when they are still a bit wet - the glue marks will show through the paste and you won’t get a nice, clean finish.

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65. TUTORIALS   

If the ears are too floppy, let them dry for a few minutes. Once the ears harden a bit, apply some glue on the area that will touch the head. 

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66. TUTORIALS   

Stick the ears on. You might need to hold them for a moment. If they are sliding off that might mean you applied too much glue or that the
ears are to thick (heavy).

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67. TUTORIALS   

Roll an 8 mm ball (28) and a 6 mm ball (29) of grey paste*. Follow the steps from the above photo and the templates 30-34 to make the
tail.

* I added a tiny amount of CMC to the paste.

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68. TUTORIALS   

Stick the tail to the body as shown in the photo.

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Dissolve some white lustre dust in a drop of clear alcohol or rejuvenator. Paint the toes.

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70. TUTORIALS   

Let the topper dry before dusting it. Once the topper is dry, use a fine brush and blue dust to dust the outlines of the irises.

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71. TUTORIALS   

Apply some dust below the eyelashes, where a shadow naturally would appear.

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72. TUTORIALS   

This is how the eye looks after dusting.

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73. TUTORIALS   

Dust the circles on the feet pink. Dust around (outlines) and go slightly inwards.

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Dust the ears the same way. Support them from the back.

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75. TUTORIALS   

Dust the inner area of the ears.

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Use a fine brush and grey dust to dust the wrinkle lines on the legs...

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77. TUTORIALS   

... the outlines of the toes, ...

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... the eyelids slightly, ...

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79. TUTORIALS   

... the wrinkles above the trunk, ...

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... and the ones on the trunk.

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Use a flat brush and grey dust to dust the underside of the feet, ...

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... the edges of the feet, ...

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83. TUTORIALS   

... the area between the front legs, ...

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... the sides of the front legs, ...

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... the underside of the hind legs and the body ....

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... and the edges of the ears.

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87. TUTORIALS   

Roll out 10 g (35) of pink 50/50 FP/SP mix to about 1-2 mm thick. Use a long knife, a metal ruler and the template (36) to cut out a
rectangular. You'll find tips on how to cut strips here.

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Run your fingers along the edges to soften them.

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89. TUTORIALS   

Flip the strip to the other side.

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Apply a small amount of glue in the middle of the strip (a line across the strip).

I often use plain flower paste to make the bows, because it holds the shape better and you can roll it out very thin. I used 50/50 FP/SP mix for
this bow, because I wanted the paste to be still a bit soft when attaching to the head.

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91. TUTORIALS   

Fold both ends as shown in the photo and press with the back of the knife to make sure that the ends stick well. If the paste is too floppy
and it doesn’t hold as shown in the photo, leave the strip to dry for a moment (but not too long so that you can shape the bow without the
paste cracking).

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Take the bow in your hands and fold the centre top part as shown in the photo.

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Push your thumb delicately in the middle as shown in the photo and use your other thumb to fold the bottom bit to the back.

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Remove your thumb from the centre and press the bow gently as shown in the photo. 

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Stick the centre together.

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96. TUTORIALS   

Roll out the rest of the pink paste to about 2-3 mm thick and cut out the centre part of the bow (37). Run your fingers along the edges to
thin them.

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Apply some glue in the middle and place the strip as shown in the photo.

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Flip the bow to the other side and apply some glue at the back.

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Join the ends.

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You want the centre strip to be wrapped around quite tightly.

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101. TUTORIALS   

Use the wide side of the dresden tool to shape the centre strip.

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102. TUTORIALS   

Apply some glue on the bottom-back of the bow and stick it to the elephant’s head.

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103. TUTORIALS   

Dust the bow using pink dust. Cut out small circles using a 3 mm piping nozzle the same way as th eye reflections. Use a fine brush with a
tiny amount of glue to pick the circles up from the board and stick them on the bow.

HOW TO MAKE THE CROWN:

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104. TUTORIALS   

Roll out 4 g of yellow flower paste (38) to about 1-2 mm thick. Let the underside dry for some time (about 3-4 mins).

The paste needs to be quite dry so that the it doesn’t stretch, but it can’t be completely dry, because you will need to pull the tips of the
crown out a bit later. Flip the paste back to the other side and use a knife to cut a straight edge.

Place the ruler against that straight edge as shown in the photo and use the template (39) to cut out the crown shape.

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105. TUTORIALS   

Use a 14 mm cutter (or f.ex. a pen cap similar size) to wrap the crown around it.

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106. TUTORIALS   

Apply some glue on one end and join the ends together. 

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107. TUTORIALS   

Pull the tips out slightly. Leave the crown to dry for some time (at least 10-20 mins).

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Roll a 10 mm ball of grey paste (40), flatten it (41) and stick it on the head as shown in the photo. 

Apply some glue around the sides of the flattened ball. Take the crown off the round cutter and stick it on the head.  

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109. TUTORIALS   

Roll five 3 mm balls of yellow flower paste and stick them on the tips of the crown.

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110. TUTORIALS   

Once the crown is completely dry, dust its edges using a mix of yellow and brown dust.