Polymer Clay Airbrushed Necklace

Materials:

leaves with good veins
scrap clay
translucent Kato Polyclay
Kato Clear Medium liquid clay
powder or corn starch
acrylic roller
parchment paper
craft knife
scissors
Aztec gold PearlEx powder
small brush
Copic Markers, #YR23, #YG03, #G99, #V09
Copic air delivery system
caned air, air tank or air compressor
sticky notes for masking
glass jar
pasta machine or roller
clay-dedicated oven
20- or 22-gauge wire
BBQ skewer
round nose pliers
wire cutters
Zap-a-Gap glue
Duncan Porcelain Ceramic Sealer # SS 334
rubber or latex glove
cotton swabs
rubbing alcohol

1. Roll out the conditioned clay on the thickest setting of the pasta machine. Using the leaves you collected and scrap clay, create molds. Dust the clay with powder and press the leaf into the clay (figure A), roll in with the acrylic roller. Remove the leaf and bake per package directions (figure B).

2. Condition and roll the translucent clay on the second thickest setting of the pasta machine. Dust the mold you made from scrap clay with powder and press the translucent clay into the mold.

3. Remove the clay from the mold and cut out the shape of the leaf (figure C).

4. Place the leaf on a piece of clay cut to the shape you want for your pendant, using a drop of liquid clay as glue to hold the two pieces together.

5. Apply PearlEx powder lightly on the veins of the leaves and edges of the pendant (figure D).

6. Put the piece on a jar and bake for 30 minutes according to package instructions.

7. Apply airbrushed inks to front and back of the piece (figure E).

8. Put the piece back in the oven for 10 minutes to set the ink.

9. When the piece is cool, spray with two coats of porcelain sealer (figure F).

10. Make the bale by winding the wire around the skewer to look like a spring. Turn the ends into little coils (figure G).

11. With Zap-a-Gap, glue the wire coils to the piece, one end on the front and the other on the back (figures H and I).