Polymer Clay Tutorials

2012-07-15T02:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone. Here is a Video related to the Spider Tutorial I posted a while back. This Video isn't a tutorial, but more a collection of all the photos I took During the Process of creating this Little Spider. I hope this helps with understanding what i have done even more than the Tutorial did. Any questions i can help with feel free to leave them on youtube with the video or as comments on this blog.

How to Create a Super Sculpey Spider Sculpture

2012-07-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

This is a quick "how to" on creating a Super Sculpey Spider.

Step 1
First you need to Create an Armature for Your spider, I have used Aluminium Wire for the main structure of the Armature and then wrapped it in a very fine gauge soft jewellery wire. I used the fined wrapping of wire to add extra texture for the Polymer Clay to grip to. I have Bulked out the body section to cement the legs in position with some Scrap Clay which I then baked.

Armature wire I used in this project.

Step 2
I have then bulked out the main body and Legs of the spider using a mixture of Super Sculpey and Sculpey Firm I conditioned this using a Pasta machine it can be done by hand but is really time consuming and your hand get sore after a while.

Products I used in this step

Step 3
My next step was to start adding detail around the point where the legs meet the body. I created this effect by rolling very thin snakes and then moulding them around the base of the legs with a very fine ball stylus tool. I have also bulked out the main body a bit more.

Step 4
In the last photo you can see where I started to create the joints on one of the legs, in the next I have continued making the rest of the joints on the legs. These I have made using a thin plastic knife which I have used to make an incision on an extreme angle to create the effect that the next section of leg is coming out of a socket.

Step 5
Next I added Feelers and Fangs, which I have strengthened with inner wire as well.

Step 6
The next step for me was to Bulk out the Main body or head which I then smoothed into the pre existing clay using a ball stylus tool. I also added an extra set of horizontal fangs for effect.

Step 7
Now I have started to add eyes by creating eye sockets using a ball stylus, then I have simply added simple balls of clay which i gently inserted into the sockets.

Step 8
Then I painstakingly used a pin to create the Hair effect over the entire surface of the Spider, keeping the texture always going in the same direction to keep the look of hair.

Step 9
After baking it was time for painting which I used Water based acrylic paints and a paintbrush (obviously). I then used some High gloss glaze to make the eyes glint.

Products I used in this step.

Anyway this is the way my Polymer Clay Spider has finished. I hope you can all take something out of this quick tutorial. If you have any questions at all feel free to ask away.

Tools used in the Making of this Polymer Clay spider

If you are looking for any of these products you can click on the image or I have made a list of links of all tools and products used in this project.

Set of Thin Plastic Clay Modeling Tools
Sculpey Super Sculpturing Compound 1 lb. box, Beige
Polyform Sculpey Glaze 1 Oz: Glossy
Sculpey Clay Conditioning Machine
Super Sculpey FIRM Gray- One Pound
Sculpting Tools
1/16 Inch X 32 Foot Aluminum Armature Wire
Studio By Sculpey Style & Detail Tools Set Of Three
Matisse Structure Sampler Set of 12 12 ml Tubes

I look forward to hearing about your experiences making a Polymer Clay Spider of your own.
Post a comment and Link to a photo of your spider when your done.

You can also see my photos in sequence with this short video that has a quick commentary on a few of the main things I did to create this spider.

Mokume Gane With a Twist

2012-07-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

This Tutorial is on Mokume Gane with a slight twist that I love. I had some off cuts of Mokume Gane sheets. I had Three off cuts, so i laid them out and flipped the middle one over and out came a really cool effect.

First roll out your different colours that you want to use in your Creation.

Then go ahead and roll them out as evenly as you can, either with an acrylic roller or a pasta machine.

I then Stack my layers up in the order I have chosen and trim the edges for neatness. (This isn't necessary but i like to keep things neat.)

Next I Put this piece through the Pasta Machine and cut into 3 pieces which I then layer on top of each other so that you have 12 layers. (Try and have at least 9 layers for a better effect.)

Now you Cut this Piece into Three equal pieces, then flip the piece in the middle over and then you need to push these together slightly so that the edges of the pieces will stick together. This then needs to go through the past machine or under the roller again to really meld the edges together.

Next you can go ahead and texture the sheet in whatever way you would like, in this i am using circle objects.

Now you need to get your thinnest tissue blade and very slowly and carefully take off a layer of clay, the effect underneath will be amazing.

The next photo shows you the amazing effect you can get. Both the top and bottom pieces can be used for various creations, such as beads, pendants or other things like sheeting a pen or a picture frame, the options are endless.

The following photo I am pointing to a spot where i went slightly deeper than the rest of the sheet, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just gives a different effect.

And this final photo shows the effect that you get by flipping the middle piece over. The texture that you use over the join in the sheet has cool mirror image look where the colours are opposite. Have a look at the circle I am pointing at with my stylus.

I hope you have all found this Tutorial useful. Feel free to ask any questions or leave comments. Thanks all.

If you are interested in trying to recreate this effect try out the sampler pack below.

Premo Sampler Pack 24/Pkg-

My new Tutorial Blog

2012-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hi All we are the Team From L & S Treasures on www.madeit.com.au/lands912 This is going to be our new tutorial page. We intend to put user friendly Tutorials and when we can link to video Tutorials on our youtube page as well. Our first Tutorial will be posted on 19/6/12 Tuesday night it will be a simple basics with polymer clay Tutorial, just quickly outlining the best tools to use and a few basics on Polymer Clay. I have been using Polymer Clay since i got involved with it at the age of 8 years old, when i started up a little Fridge Magnet stall out the front of my Grandfather's Roadhouse. i will add a couple of Photos to this post to give you all an idea of some of the amzing things you can create with Polymer Clay. You can also check out my Online Store to see some of my and my wife's creations. hope you can all head over and check our little wonders out.