Elephant from plastic bottles

Craftwork from plastic bottles is a great idea to decorate your apartment or household plot. All sorts of deer, pigs , frogs , swans , hedgehogs and elephants from plastic bottles are popular.

If you become fired with the desire to make such an elephant, then we offer two master classes on this topic. The first is a simplified version, it is suitable for those who do not want to complicate their work. Such an elephant can serve as a toy for a child or decoration of a children's room. The second option is a more sophisticated elephant. It is a little more difficult to manufacture, but it looks more noble and will fit well into the interior of the living room. So, the choice is yours!

How to make an elephant of bottles?

1. In the figure you see a schematic depiction of the process of making crafts. For the trunk, take an ordinary plastic bottle, for the legs of the animal - two more (cut them to the desired length). The trunk consists of a curved wire with bottles lined on it (6 lids are needed with holes pre-drilled in them).
2. In bottles that will serve as elephant legs, fill the croup (preferably rice) by about ¼ of its length (the workpiece should not be too heavy). Attach the legs to the body with tape. The trunk is attached more simply: screw the last stopper to the neck of the bottle-base.
3. Cover this whole structure with thin gray paper. Corrugated paper or conventional foil can be used. The tail of the elephant is done like this: cover the wire with paper, and from the threads make a brush and tie it to the tip of the tail. The rest of the details (ears, tusks, fingers) are made of foam rubber in two colors: gray and pink. If you do not have such a material, you can take a regular foam and cover it with a colored cloth. Eyes are best taken "running", plastic.
4. Here's an elephant from a plastic bottle you should get as a result.

How to make an elephant with your own hands?

1. The skeleton of this elephant is made similarly to the first, only for the trunk are used five 1.5-liter bottles glued together, for the legs - four 2-liter bottles, for the ears and head - a cut 5-liter bottle. As for the trunk and tail of the animal, they are made from mint (twisted into bundles) paper pasted with adhesive tape. When all the details are joined together, the skeleton of the craft should be covered with a bandage soaked in a plaster solution.
2. The eyes of the elephant are cut from a brown plastic bottle and glued in place with a bandage.
3. From the scraps of bandage form a smiling mouth.
4. You can paint the hand-crafted article with any paint available in your possession. A glossy silvery paint from the spray can be looked at. You can also use acrylic, mixed with the glue of the pva in equal proportions.
5. Mouth and eyes tint acrylic colors.
6. Using a paint or a contour, apply a patterned pattern of contrasting color to the body of an elephant.
7. Add cilia.
8. From plastic bottles you can make a hand-made butterfly, and seat her elephant on the trunk. To do this, cut out the appropriate shape of the wings, fasten them together with adhesive tape, and then wrap the butterfly with a bandage or glue the papier-mâché, dry it and paint it in bright "tropical" colors.

Elephant is voluminous, but easy. It can be installed on a coffee table or on a glass shelf so that your guests can admire this original handmade work. You can also make an elephant as a gift. As a souvenir, it is a symbol of dignity, wisdom and prudence and can mean the following:

• An animal with a lowered trunk - peace and tranquility;
• elephant with raised trunk - good luck and victory.

Any of these gifts, no doubt, will please the birthday boy.