What do you need?
FIMO, black, grey & light blue
a stick or clay knife
acryllic paint
a rough stone or brick
kitchen paper
acryllic varnish (mat)
acryllic varnish (glossy)
paint brush
Picture on the right: a real Trilobite fossil
Trilobites, along with ammonites and dinosaurs bones, are the most commonly found fossils. They are the oldest fossils of these three. Long ago they lived in 15,000 different species on earth. They were simple arthropod animals that lived under water. They ranged from a few mm to 70 cm long. All over the world the Trilobite fossils are found, even as far as in Groningen ;). In the Permian they became extinct. Why is still unclear. Source: Wikipedia
We make a Trilobite ourself and using FIMO it's not as difficult as you might think, to make the animal look like a real one.
How to make a Trilobite
Knead de different colours FIMO together.
Roll the clay in an oval en press it flat.
Make a nick and press the edge all around flat.
Near the tail press it slightly oblique.
Make all around little dents in the clay.
Press eyes in the head with a straw.
Give a nick under each eye.
Give a nick in the edge under the head.
Make two semi-circle impressions next to the tail.
Pull app 12 stripes over it's body en take them to the edge.
Press the body on both sides in so it runs over into the legs. Preheat the oven in advance to 110°c.
Let the legs run through to both edges.
Place the Trilobite in the oven ans bake it hard in 30 minutes max!
This is how the Trilobite comes out of the oven, rub it shiny with a piece of soft cloth.
Knead some grey FIMO soft and shape it into an oval.
Roll the oval a bit thinner (we're out of grey, preferably make your stone a little thicker).
Press the FIMO 'stone' firmly on to a rough brick so it gets scratches & sand on it.
Rub the sand in with your fingers and wipe too much sand off.
Press the Trilobite firmly into the FIMO and shape the gray 'stone' some more.
Bake the Trilobite in the stone together for another 30 min. on 110°c.
Be precise, set a timer! If you bake longer or hotter toxic fumes are released!
Mix the paint until light blue/gray and paint the Trilobite with it.
Paint the animal all over and press the paint in the notches.
Rub the paint in with kitchen paper, make sure the paint stays in the notches.
Darken the paint with a drop of black and paint the 'stone' with it.
Rub the paint off lightly so some paint and the sand remain on the stone.
Varnish the Trilobite glossy and the stone mat.
When the varnish has dried rub the Trilobite shiny with a soft cloth.