Humpty Dumpty Clay Pen

Materials:

2 oz. blocks of Premo! Scupley:
- 5001 white
- 5572 cadmium yellow
- 5042 black
- 5063 cobalt blue
- 5382 cadmium red
24-gauge black Fun Wire
round stick pen
small brick Shade-Tex architecture rubbing plate
pasta machine or acrylic roller
toothpick or 1/2" Kemper circle cutter
pliers
quilt batting
knife
paint brush
Cyanoacrylate adhesive (optional)

1. Condition polymer clay according to manufacturer's instructions. Use pliers to remove ink cartridge from pen.

2. Roll a sheet of gray clay (2 oz. block white + 1/4 block black = gray) through the pasta machine at the thickest setting. If using a roller, roll to 1/8-inch thick.

3. Cut the sheet to fit around the tube of the pen with seams matching up. Use fingers to erase seam. Roll pen on a smooth surface to even out the clay.

4. Roll pen against brick sheet to texture pen (figure A). You can also use a knife to draw bricks around the entire pen.

5. For egg whites, roll six 3/8-inch balls of white. Use fingers to flatten to 5/8-inch round. Indent each egg white four times using a paintbrush. Place randomly all over pen.

6. For yolks, roll six 3/16-inch balls of yellow. Flatten slightly and press in center of each egg white (figure B). Set aside on quilt batting for now.

7. For body, roll a 1-inch ball of white into an egg shape. Roll a sheet of blue through the pasta maker through the thickest setting, then thinner and thinner still. If using a roller, roll until 1/3-inch thick. Cut a 1-inch strip of blue and wrap around the lower half of egg, matching up the seam. Use a knife to trim extra clay and smooth the blue into the egg around the bottom. Press bottom against a smooth surface to flatten (figure C).

8. For eyes, roll two 1/8-inch balls of light blue (3/16" ball white + 1/8" ball blue = light blue). Flatten into ovals and press onto egg. Roll two slightly larger than 1/16-inch balls of white. Flatten and press onto the bottom half of each eye. Roll two 1/16-inch balls of black. Flatten and press onto white of eye (figure D).

9. For nose, roll a 3/16-inch ball of white and press onto egg under eyes.

10. For mouth, press half of the circle cutter into egg under the nose to make the mouth. You can also use a toothpick to draw the mouth (figure E).

11. For bow, roll two 3/16-inch balls of red and flatten into triangles. Use a toothpick to press a line to the middle of each triangle. Press the two triangles together to make a bow and press onto egg. Roll a 1/8-inch ball of red and press into center of bow (figure F).

12. For legs, cut two 4-inch lengths of black wire and wrap around a paintbrush to coil.

13. For feet, roll two 3/8-inch balls of black and flatten slightly. Press one end of wire in center of foot and place the other end into the lower part of the egg (figure G).

14. For arms, cut two 3-inch lengths of black wire and wrap around a paintbrush to coil.

15. For hands, roll two 5/16-inch balls of red and flatten each slightly into mitten shape. For thumb, roll two 1/8-inch balls of red into a teardrop and press one onto the side of each hand. Place one end of arm wire into bottom of each hand and press the other into the side of the body. Do the same with the other arm (figure H).

16. Press Humpty Dumpty to the top of the pen. Bake on quilt batting according to manufacturer's instructions. Note: Make sure the quilt batting is not touching any heating elements or the sides of the oven.

17. For stability, remove Humpty Dumpty from the pen after he is baked and cooled; apply glue to the top of the pen and place him back on (figure I).