How To Make Your Own Horns

Sometimes you just need a pair of horns! Whether it's for Halloween, a costume party, "dress like a Goth day" at your work, or you want to just look cool, horns can add that perfect finishing touch!

Sure, you can go buy a pair of cheap, plastic horns on a headband, or a pair that light up, or horns you can glue on. But where's the fun in that? Making your own horns means you can choose the type and shape, the color, and even what kind of finish! From stripes to glitter to plain, there's all kinds of options that store-bought horns can't give you.

For those unfortunates who can't grown their own horns, this lens will show you how to make your very own pair out of clay!

Before you start making your horns, you need to assemble the materials! You will need the following:

2 or more packages of bake-able polyclay
(Sculpey, Fimo, etc)

Clear topcoat spray
(to seal the horns after they're baked)

Blunt instrument to form holes
(pencil, dowel, chopstick, etc)

Cording to tie them on
(leather cord works well and helps stop slippage)

Optional
Acrylic paint, glitter, or any other finish or embellishment you choose

If you want to paint your horns, choose white clay. If you don't want to bother, pick clay in the color of your choice or to match your costume. You can also choose to coat your horns in glitter, give them a faux finish, or embellish them with rhinestones!

Another optional idea is to wear gloves while working with the clay. This can prevent the clay from staining your hands and prevents finger print smudges, keeping your horns smooth.

When you start to form your horns, work and knead the clay as soon as you take it out of the package. This warms it as well as works out any air bubbles. After you've worked the clay until it's pliable and warmed, roll it into two uniform logs. You don't have to have the same amount of clay for each horn; no two horns are alike. The amount of clay you will need depends on the type of horns you want to make. Always buy extra clay, just in case you find you need more. (Or if you want a second set of horns!)

After you've rolled the clay logs, start to form your horns on a sheet of foil wrapped around a baking sheet. As you work on your horns, you might need to pick them up and move them around. Using foil helps them from sticking to the baking sheet.

No matter the style you choose for your horns, you want to make sure of two things: You need the base of each horn to be wide enough to support the horn as well as sit on your head and the width of the bottom part of the horn needs to be thick enough to make holes for the string. If your horns don't seem to support the top part of the horn or fold over on themselves, you need to make them thicker.

For my horns I chose to make short little goat-like horns. You can see they're pretty thick at the base, spreading out flat at the bottom so they can sit on my head. These horns are made with enough clay that they support the curving top part of the horns where they form into points.

Once you've formed your horns to your liking, it's time to make the holes through which you will thread the string so you can tie them on. This can be a little tricky.

REMEMBER! You need to make the holes from side to side, not front to back! The string is going to go around your head; making the holes on the front will render your horns unwearable!

This is where making a thick base counts! Run your instrument of choice (pencil, dowel, chopstick, etc) carefully through the clay. You may have to wiggle it to get it to break through the opposite side of the horn. If something goes wrong, you can always smush up the clay and start over. I find a rat-tail comb makes an excellent hole maker!

Once you've made the holes, hold the horns up to a light source to make sure you can see through the holes you've just made. If you can see through them then you'll be able to string them. Also smooth the edges of the holes so the string won't catch on them. Once you're done, you're ready to bake 'em!

Once the horns are made to your liking, it's time to bake 'em! This is where having the formed horns on the foil-covered baking sheet comes in handy. Pre-heat your oven to the temperature required, following the instructions on the clay packaging. I find that putting the formed horns in the refrigerator while the oven heats up helps cool them down from the heat they've absorbed from your hands.

When the oven is ready, pop your horns in and follow the baking instructions on the clay package for temperature and time. You might have to adjust it for your oven; take notes if you intend to make more then one pair of horns, so you can reference it later for your next set.

Watch your horns! You don't want the clay to burn or discolor. As soon as the time is up, remove the horns from the oven and leave them to cool down.

Don't try to paint, clear-coat or embellish your horns until they've cooled down! Let them cool down completely before attempting any finishing. The outside of the clay might be cool to the touch but the insides may not be. Plus, if the clay isn't fully hardened, you might end up with finger prints in the clay. I usually wait and let them sit over night before finishing them.

Remember! Even though your horns are baked, they are still fragile! Don't drop them; they could break! Also remember not to let young children play with these horns. They aren't meant to be toys!

Now that your horns are baked and thoroughly cooled down...

For plain horns: go ahead and spray them with two coats of clear spray varnish, letting the horns dry between coats.

For painted horns: If you want to paint your horns (if you made them out of white clay) in either a solid color or in stripes or polka-dots, or even add a faux finish, do it before you clear coat them.

For glittery horns: If you want to coat your horns in glitter, you can do so before or after you clear coat. Coat the horns in a strong craft glue and roll them in glitter until you get an even coat. If you intend to clear coat the horns after you glitter them, test the spray varnish on some loose glitter to make sure it doesn't dissolve or discolor, or melt!

REMEMBER! Spray your horns in a well-ventilated area! I recommend doing it outside. Cover your work area to make sure it doesn't get spray varnish all over. You can leave the horns on the foil you baked them on. Make sure you get every inch of your horns sprayed. You don't want to find you've missed a spot! It isn't necessary to spray the bottom of your horns. Follow the directions on the spray can for best results.

Two coats should be enough for your horns. After you've finished, leave them to dry outside, or set them in your garage or other sheltered space. Make sure they're out of reach of children and pets while they dry! Keep them in an area where dust or debris can't settle on the clear coat and get stuck to it. Allow the clear coat to dry per the instructions on the spray can.

After your horns are completely dry, now you can string them up and tie them on!

You want to string the first horn on your cord (I find leather thong is a great cord, as it's supple and easy to adjust the knots until you get them where you want them) and tie a knots on either side of the horn. This prevents it from sliding around on the cord.

Make sure you cut yourself extra cord! Not only will you be tying on the second horn, but you need the cord to be long enough to tie around your head. You can cut off any extra after you get the horns knotted.

After you've finished the first horn, put slide on the second one but do not knot the cord! Check in a mirror to see how far apart you want the horns to sit on your head. Once you've decided on placement, mark the space where you want the second horn to be knotted into place. You may need some help to do this.

Once you've got your horns in place and knotted, tie the string around your head and fix your hair to hide the bases of the horns. Voila! Now you've grown your very own horns!

Now you've got your own pair of horns! Show 'em off! Wear them any time you feel like it! Dressing up isn't just for Halloween, you know!

Once you've made your first pair, the second and third and so on get easier. You learn from trial and error, just like any craft project. Try different styles of horns; twisted, curly, straight. Make pairs of horns for your teenage niece and nephew, for your neighbor, for yourself! Everyone's got a little bit of devilishness in them.

I hope you've enjoyed my little tutorial. I had a lot of fun making it (it's my first attempt at one) and I hope you enjoy your new horns!