I waited two days for the clay to dry on the beak and eyelids, then I took a coarse grit 80 sandpaper to smooth off any sloppy trowel ridges and seams. I repeated the sanding with 120 grit and 340 grit to get the concrete as smooth as possible. I wore a respirator and worked outside for this step as it’s super dusty and messy. I used an air compressor to blow off any remaining dust from sanding, then applied a thin coat of joint compound to fill pits and low areas. Before the joint compound fully hardened, I used a wet paper towel and paint brushed to smooth the surface further. Once dry, I did a light sanding with 400 grit sandpaper, then applied two coats of acrylic gesso sanding with 1000 grit paper between coats. Now it’s really smooth and preped for acrylic paint!