Seal
13
Have Made It
The trickiest part of this seal is his flippers – after that it’s a piece of (watermelon) cake!
Materials
Supplies
Tools
Instructions
- Read through the directions before you start.
- When removing excess flesh try to leave it in big pieces – easier for making melon balls or cubes.
- Use a green dry erase marker – wipe off excess marker after making cuts.
- Wash the watermelon under cool running water and pat dry.
- Placing the watermelon on its side, cut ¼” to ½” off the bottom so that it will stand on end. Be careful not to cut too deep into the white part of the rind – this would allow liquid to leak from the bottom of the carving.
- Stand the watermelon on the cut end.
- Using the carving photograph as reference, draw the outline of the seal with the dry erase marker. You can use your hand as an outline for the back flippers. Make sure that the bases of the back flippers are wide enough to support the weight of the top of the flipper.
- Use the paring knife to cut along the lines. For best results, hold the paring knife like a pen, but only cut half way into the rind. Once you complete that first cut all the way around, then go back and cut the rest of the way through the rind. Doing the cut in two steps will ensure a cleaner line and smoother curves.
- For ease of removal of the excess rind on the top you may wish to cut away smaller sections at a time, rather than trying to remove the entire top piece at once.
- Scoop out all of the remaining flesh from the base, trying to leave as much flesh intact. This will leave larger pieces for making watermelon balls or cutting into bite-sized chunks.
- Draw side flippers on both sides of carving as shown in the photograph. Cut along the lines using a paring knife. Place your hand inside the carving and gently push flipper out just enough to add dimension. Use caution to not break and flipper or create an opening.
- Draw eyes and mouth as shown in photograph. Using a channel knife carve outlines of eyes. Use a paring knife to cut out mouth. Cut grapes in half and use for nose and eyes. Place toothpicks in cheek areas of the face to create the whiskers.
- Place on decorative pedestal.
- Fill carving with drained watermelon balls and other fruit.
- Place decorative ball between back flippers. Secure with toothpicks.
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