Basic Embossing and Coloring Clay
Tip: Make sure not to allow any moisture to touch the chalks, from the clay, the
spray bottle or your fingers or hands.
1. Start with an easy project such as a framed key chain design. To create an
off white color, thoroughly mix together 3 parts
White with 1 Ecru clay.
2. Roll 1/4 cube of pre-conditioned (squished and softened) white clay to a 1/8"
thick sheet, taping craft sticks or emery boards (or similar) on each
side of the clay to keep it even. If you have a manual Clay
Machine use the thickest setting.
3. Mist the backside of the metal "Black Eyed Susan" #LJ902 stencil with water
and secure clay to the desired design area. Roll over the clay with a roller
tool or run both the clay and stencil through the Clay Machine together at
the second thickest setting. Be careful not to bend
the stencil. Allow the water to dry!!
4. I use my finger to rub the dark brown chalk (or black works) color and gently
rub it onto the flower center, overlapping the petals slightly. Wash
fingers or use moist towelettes. Dry fingers well!
5. Apply a rusty orange color in a circle area overlapping the
brown slightly. Wash and dry fingers.
6. Apply deep yellow to the petal tips, wash and dry fingers, then add leaf
green to the leaves and swirl lines. Add a light tint of light blue chalk to
the background area. Press the frame upside down onto the clay to impress
the shape and lift away. Use a knife to cut carefully along the curved
lines. Squeeze thin squiggle lines of TLS onto the inside of the frame and add a slightly
smaller 1/8" thick scrap clay oval shape in the center (for a domed look).
7. Squeeze TLS onto the scrap clay pad and press the sunflower oval shaped
clay, centered onto the smaller oval. Press the edges down into the frame.
(Refer to the finished sample keychain above.)
8. Bake clay IN FRAME as directed on the clay package you are using. Add 1-3
layers of polymer compatible glaze to the clay, allowing to dry between coats.
Another Fun Technique
Stenciling with Pastel Speckles
1. Mix together 1/2 cube of Ecru clay with 1/4 cube white clay, condition the
clay then roll into a smooth ball. Cut the ball in half.
2. Roll 1 piece into a smooth ball and then into a log shape that is about 2"
long. Flatten to a short strip about pancake thickness and run through the
pasta machine at the thickest setting (or about 3/16" thick with a roller
tool). Now run though the machine at the second thickest (or about 1/8"
thick). Mist the backside of the "Mosaic Swirls" #LJ901 stencil with water!
Press the strip onto the backside of the stencil and run through again at
the second thickest setting (or press the clay onto the stencil evenly so it
is raised on the front of the stencil). Leave the
clay secured to the stencil!
3. Turn the stencil to the front side. Rub or gently scrape the surface of a
brown, rust then yellow/gold pastel chalk and rub fingers together over the
clay to form speckles of color. Repeat until most of the clay openings are
speckled. Brush finger softly and quickly, at an angle, over all mosaic
openings to partially mix them together. Remove stencil slowly.
4. Now use a reddish purple chalk to sprinkle the surface of the clay strip. It
will show up in the stencil lines as well as the mosaic areas.
5. Now run the clay through the Clay Machine at the second thickest setting,
wipe off the rollers with a dry paper towel to clean away the chalk, then
run through at the third thickest setting to form a long strip of clay. Wipe
off rollers again. Wash and dry hands.
6. Form the remaining solid clay into a smooth ball and then a 2" log shape. Run
it through the Clay Machine at the thickest, then the second thickest, then
the third thickest settings. Apply a thin layer of TLS to the INSIDE of
metal cuff bracelet. Press the clay, centering it, to cover the inside of
the cuff. Cut away the excess overlapping clay slicing it right up against
the metal using a slicer blade.
7. Apply a thin layer of TLS to the front (top) side of the metal cuff bracelet.
Center the cuff onto the BACK of the speckled strip and secure the strip to
the cuff. Trim off both ends of the strip and set aside to be used for earrings.
8. Using your finger, rub a little rust color chalk on the inside of the
bracelet clay. Trim the excess clay with a slicer blade, right
up against the side metal rims.
9. Your bracelet should look like this photo. With your finger and thumb, pinch
the clay layers together, pulling the decorated edge over both layers of the
solid clay edge to cover the metal rim (see the finished bracelet above step 1).
10. Press four round earring settings, face down, into the remaining decorated
clay ends from step 7 to form round earrings. Remove settings by pulling up
on the metal loop. Add a drop or two of TLS into the earring settings and
rub around the base. Place a 3/16" ball of scrap clay inside each earring
setting and flatten it to about 1/8" thick. Leave about 1/16" of the metal
setting showing inside (see second photo). Secure the decorated circles into
the settings, pressing around the edges to form a slight dome on the
clay. Bake the cuff and earrings on a cardstock lined ceramic tile at
the recommended time and temperature and allow to cool.
11. If a shiny surface is desired, apply 1-3 coats of glaze to the domed clay
surface, allowing each coat to dry completely before proceeding. When dry,
lay earring face down and secure round flat post earring backs to the center
of the of two earrings (with the loop at the bottom) using E6000 adhesive.
Allow to dry several hours. Secure two earrings settings together with a
small jump ring using a jump ring tool and chain
nose pliers (or two pairs of pliers).
Tiny Leaves Necklace and Ring Set
1. To make the ring, flatten a 1/8 cube of white clay to a 1/16" thick sheet, taping craft sticks or
emery boards (or similar) on each side of the clay to keep it even. If you
have a manual pasta machine use the third thickest setting. Press the ring setting
into the clay to cut the shapes and remove the ring.
2. Apply TLS in the two round openings in the rings and spread it out around the base.
3. Add scrap clay that is run through the second thickest pasta machine setting
(about 1/16" thick with a roller tool). Repeat adding a piece of scrap clay
to all 4 bracelet link circles, just smaller then the setting itself.
4. Mist the backside of the metal "Four Seasons" #LJ875 stencil with water and
secure 1/8 cube (flattened at the second thickest setting) of white clay to
the desired design area (I used the summer tree). Refer to step 3 of "Basic
Embossing and Coloring Clay". Roll over the clay with a roller tool or run
both the clay and stencil through the pasta machine together at the second
thickest setting. Be careful not to bend the stencil. Allow the water to
dry! Repeat to make 3 more pads of embossed tree design embossed
clay.
5. Color two of the clay pad leaf designs with leaf green. Press a large pendant
setting into ONE pad and remove the setting. Color the remaining two pads
with turquoise chalk in the same manner. Using a smaller round "earring"
setting, press and cut out 2 leaf green circles and 2 turquoise
circles. Set them aside for step 7 below.
6. For the small beads on the necklace, use a mini pattern cutter or a drinking
straw to cut out 4 leaf green and 4 turquoise embossed circles. Sandwich two
of the same color back-to-back over the area of an eyepin
just below the eye as shown.
7. Make four two-color connector beads. They are bracelet pieces that you can
disconnect with needle nose pliers, which have two larger
silver loops on each end.
8.Using an EARRING setting, press out 2 green and 2 turquoise circles. Create 4
donut shapes by cutting out a smaller circle in the center of each, using a
5/16" pattern cutter. Add a little TLS to the scrap clay pad in the
settings. Place the pieces into the links creating 2 green links with a
turquoise center and two turquoise links with a green center. Press a jump
ring over the smaller circle to look like a setting (see finished necklace).
9. Clip the tiny loop off of a smaller earring setting with wire cutters or the
cutting area of needle nose pliers. File as needed with a metal file. Press
the small earring setting into the center of the large pendant clay and
remove setting and the green clay cut out. Add a drop of super glue to the
metal center area of the pendant and replace the earring setting (without
loop). And place a piece of scrap clay, then a cut out turquoise earring
size clay circle into the center earring setting (as shown in the next photo below).
Here are all the pieces shown in order of how you will connect them
for your necklace after they are baked and glazed.
11. Bake clay IN FRAMES and ON PINS as directed on the clay package you are
using. If desired, add 1-3 layers of polymer compatible glaze,
allowing each coat to dry in between.
12. When the glaze is dry (if you chose to glaze the jewelry), form eye pins at
the bottom of each smallest bead. Bend the pin to a 90o angle close to the
bead, clip it to 3/8" long and use round nose pliers to
curl it into a loop.
13. Connect the necklace together as shown above by opening the eyepins and
inserting them into pieces of cut chain. The length will depend on how long
you want the necklace, just make sure to use the same length on each side
between specific beads, once you decide how long the finished piece will be.
You will use jump rings to connect the 4 "links: and 2 jump rings to connect
the pendant to each chain piece. Keep necklace flat white assembling.
Refer to the finished necklace above step 1 for placement.
Here is a close up the finished ring with the glaze dry and ready to wear!
