Silkscreened Summer Polymer Clay Pendant

Silkscreened Summer Pendant by Leila Bidler

Using silkscreens you can make a very quick and very eye catching pendant for this summer in no time!

For this project you will need:

Makins's Clay® Earth Tones Colors Package (I used the colors Olive and Straw)

Makin's® Clay Roller

Cookie Cutters (Makin's® Clay Cutters are great for this project)

Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat

Makin's® Clay Tool Set

1 Jump Ring

Silk Screens (I used one of my own and MOIKO brand)

Squeegee (you can use an old credit card if you have none)

Acrylic colors of your choice (I used Lumiere Metallic Grape, Halo Blue Gold, True Gold, White)

Pearl Ex gold pigment powder

Necklace cord

Extra for the silk screen: a bowl of water

Instructions:

Take your two colors of Makins's Clay® out of the package and mix it with a small amount of gold pigment powder. Start with a small quantity, remember you can always add more if you think you need more, but not take it out if you did add too much! Mix both colors individually with the gold pigment powder to get it nice and sparkly.

When you are satisfied of the mix roll out the clay with the clay roller.

Now take your silkscreen and place it shiny side downon your clay. Be careful to place the correct side up and read the manufacturers instructions. Rub very slightly with your finger to make sure id adheres well to the clay. Also prepare a small bowl or dish of water to rinse your silk screen right after using it. 

There are several different approaches to doing silk screen, I like to add the color directly to the border of the squeegee (if you do not have one a rubber or silicone texture sheet or old credit card work well also). As shown here, if you want some color variations you can add two different colors: 

Now pull the squeegee and the color across the screen, from top to bottom. Go firmly in one motion but do not push too hard to not indent the clay underneath. As you can see the colors mix nicely on the screen:

This is the result on the Olive Green Clay - after using your silk screen put it immediately in your bowl of water so the paint will not dry and cloak the mesh before you get a chance to properly wash it. 

Choose a different pattern for the second piece of clay and proceed with a first print, using a dark color:

Let's add a special effect: le the color dry, wash and dry your silk screen, place it exactly on top of the previous print, then move it very, very slightly and print again using a light color. This way we will create the illusion of a shadow image on the clay: 

 

Cut out two shapes you like and place one on top of the other, putting a drop of water between them to help the clay stick together to create your pendant. You can put it on a slightly curved surface to let it dry in a curved shape to add more interest.

Have fun experimenting with different shapes of silk screens and different colors, layering them in different ways to get very interesting designs, here another example using different colors and silk screens. 

Poke a hole in your pendant before it dries. Let your pendant dry and then add a jump ring and string it and it is ready to be worn. Optional: you can add clear varnish or resin on top of the pendant but you do not really need it as the acrylic colors will not rub easily.

Go to the beach and have fun! 

Mandala Flower Jewelry Set

Mandala Flower Jewelry Set by Naomi Scarparo

I go through different fads of fashion, depending on how I feeling… as an artist, I sometimes express my creativeness through fashion jewellery… and at the moment I love the Boho look and feel of dresses... breezy, carefree, and natural look… I decided to make Boho-inspired earrings and pendant to match my carefree, black linen dress, using a Mandala flower silkscreen. 

Materials:

Makin’s Clay®- Black

Makin's Clay® Roller or Clay Machine 

Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat 

Makin's Clay® Texture Sheet - Set A - Sand

Makin's Clay® Clay Tool Set - Chisel

Makin's Clay® Texture Sheet - Set A - Sand

CreateAlong.com Zensation Silkscreen

White acrylic paint

Gold acrylic (I used Cadence Metallic Peridot Gold) 

Gold Flake Foil

Soft small tip paint brush and a stiff small paint brush

Gold sparkled hotfix gem approx. 0.3cm

2 circle cutters, one approx. 3cm and 4cm 

(to cut Mandala shapes - the smaller earring size and larger pendant size one)

Jewellery findings - Jump rings, Earring hooks,

Instructions:

Roll out your Makin's Clay® black to the thickest setting on your clay machine, then sprinkle a small number of gold flakes, and roll/mix through the clay, roll through your clay machine again on the 2nd thickest setting. 

 

Select what mandala you would like to use. I used the small flower style and the same patterned larger pendant size mandala. Place the silkscreen with the orange/shiny side down, smooth it down gently with your fingertips or roller.

Put a line of paint along the edge. Pull the paint across the mandala with a squeegee or an old credit card. Remove the silkscreen by slowly lifting up from one side.

Rinse the silkscreen off and lightly pat dry it to use again. Using the same technique to one more small flower mandala to match the other one. 

Handy tip - Do not let the paint dry on your silkscreen. Keep a container of water nearby to place your silkscreen in. Gently rinse your silkscreen with water, using soap if necessary. Gently rub the pain off with a soft sponge if required.

Allow the paint to touch dry - but don’t leave it too long as the clay will start to cure. Once touch dry, use your circle clay cutters to cut around the flower mandala. Smooth edges lightly with your fingertips if necessary. 

Lay the Mandala onto the Makin's Clay® Texture Sheet - Set A - Sand and lightly press them into the texture sheet to give the back of the pieces some texture. 

While placed on the texture sheet, add the gems in the centre of the mandala and use the tip of a ballpoint pen (without the tip/pen down), securing it into place. After cured/dry they can be removed and place a dab of glue to secure them further into place.

With a small tip brush and the Cadence Metallic Peridot Gold, paint in some of the areas of the mandala.

Using the pointed size of the Makin's Clay® - Chisel, place holes in the 2 small mandala where the jump rings will be placed.  Using a micro circle cutter, cut a hole for the cord on the larger pendant mandala. 

Allow to dry for 24 hours. Handy tip - Place a clay tile on top to ensure the mandala dry place.

Once dry, Apply some white glue on the backs of the earrings and pendant, then add a touch of gold flakes, press them to attach to the glue. With a stiff paintbrush, brush off the excess to the desired amount.

Coat the pendant and earrings with your favourite polymer clay varnish, back and front.  

Once dry, attach jewelery findings. 

Perfect to wear for a Night out on the town or makes a lovely gift for a Boho Chic...

Golden Peacock Polymer Clay Pendant

Materials:

Makin’s Clay® - White

Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat

Makin’s® Clay Roller & Clay Tools

Makin’s® Round cutters 4 piece set 

Makin’s® Floral Texture Sheet - Peacock Feathers 

Makin's Professional® Ultimate Clay Extruder® - Multi-hole disc

CreateAlong.com Cindi McGee Designs Peacocks Silkscreen 

Gold acrylic paint 

Gold DecoArt® Metallic Lustre™

Gold satin cording 

Instructions:

Roll white clay to about 1/4” thick. 

Select desired image from silkscreen and place silkscreen orange side down onto rolled clay sheet. 

Use scraper or squeegee to apply gold metallic paint to silkscreen. Lift silkscreen to reveal image, wash silkscreen immediately for later use. 

Let silkscreened image dry. Use round cutter approximately same size as image and cut out image. 

Roll another sheet of white clay about 1/4” thick. Place Peacock Feathers texture sheet over the sheet and roll with roller to texture the sheet with the feathers. Note:  You can use Makin’s® texture sheets on both sides, to create raised or inset images. I chose to make my feathers raised up. 

Apply gold Metallic Lustre to highlight details of feathers. 

Use larger round cutter to cut disc from textured clay sheet. 

Use Ultimate Clay Extruder® to extrude thin strands of white clay. Make small coils of clay.  Use tacky glue to add them around the outer edge of the peacock disc. 

Paint the coils with gold paint. Let dry.

 

 

Place peacock disc off center onto feather disc. Fresh clay will stick to fresh clay, but add a bit of tacky glue if you desire to ensure good adhesion. 

Make a small hole at the top center of the textured disc for the cording. 

Let dry 24 hours.