Materials
- Polymer clay
- Variety of Brown Acrylic paint
- Rubber Stamps
- Aluminum Foil
- Ball Chain
- Jewelry Blanks
- Craft Knife
- Acrylic Rod
- Baking Parchment Paper
- Paper Towel
- Soft Cloth
- Palette (for mixing paints)
- Paintbrush
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
Directions:
- Roll out a sheet of clay using an acrylic rod. The sheet can be any thickness you like, we have made ours 1 - 2mm thick.
- Place the sheet of clay onto a piece of baking parchment.
- Crinkle a piece of aluminum until you have the texture you want to transfer onto your clay.
- Place the aluminum foil over the sheet of clay; press lightly to transfer the textured aluminum into the clay on both sides until you have the desired effect.
- Press rubber stamps or any other item whose texture or pattern you would like to transfer on to the clay.
- Use the utility knife, or a cookie cutter, to cut your tag out of the clay sheet. If you are making jewelry, cut the clay in the shape of your piece.
- If you are making a tag and you want the look of a grommet, use the utility knife to cut a small circle out of one of the clay scraps. Press the clay circle into the clay where you will string your chain. Texturize the clay circle. Cut the center out of both of the layers of clay to create the string hole.
- Transfer the parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Cure the clay following manufacturer’s directions. Allow to cool completely.
- Mix colors of acrylic paint until you have the shade of “leather” you want. We suggest using browns, coppers, or even ruddy reds.
- Apply the paint to the baked clay with a paintbrush. Make sure you get the paint into every crease and dimple.
- Don’t let dry. Take a dampened paper towel, and wipe away the majority of the paint. We want to have the darkest paint in the crevices, with a light coat of paint on the rest of the clay surface.
- If you wipe away too much paint, repaint and try again. If you have allowed the paint to dry to completely, try using rubbing alcohol to strip the paint. Once you have removed the desired amount of paint, allow to dry completely. Repeat the process on the other side, remembering to paint the edges.
- Once the clay is completely dry, put the clay back in the oven for about 10 minutes. After the clay has cooled for the second time, buff it to a nice sheen with the soft cloth.
- If you are making a tag, string the eyelet with a ball chain. If you are making jewelry, affix the clay to the jewelry blank with E6000 Epoxy.
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