I wanted to make a Valentines Day craft. Here's what I came up with.
Some Things:Polymer clay
(I used a mix of black and red sparkle for a base and white and translucent sparkle for the cameo face or decoration.)
Sculpting tools
(toothpicks, ball tools, pens that are out of ink. Use what you have)
Liquid sculpey or diluent
(Should be able to pick it up where the clay is sold)
*Optional: Oval mold to shape clay background
Corn starch
Parchment paper
Oven
If you are using a mold powder it with cornstarch and shake out the excess.
Push some conditioned clay into the corn starched mold. Flatten the back with your fingers.
Smack the back of the mold to release the formed disk.
If you don't have a mold, you can shape the clay into discs on your work surface. Smooth out any finger prints by rubbing gently.
I made several shapes and sizes.Bake at 260 degrees for 15 minutes and let cool.
Push a flattened oval of white or transparent clay onto the baked background disc. Push two eye sockets into it beveling the edges a bit.
An upside down heart shape makes a great nasal cavity.I have also started to form the teeth here. I didn't make a bottom jaw.
I made the skull a bit more detailed by pushing in the hollows in the temples and playing with it a bit until I liked it.Bake this at 260 degrees for about 5 minutes to firm it up.
Mix the diluent with your white coloured clay until it gets pretty mushy. We need it soft for the next step so it will stick to the base and we can easily push it around with the end of a rounded tool to form petals.
Put a tiny ball of softened clay (about one quarter the size of a pea) onto the side of the base. Flatten one side and fan it out to create a petal.
Create a second petal overlapping the first.
Keep making petals like this overlapping as you go. Each layer will be a smaller ball flattened and fanned out.
The last ball will be poked in the middle and flattened slightly on one side.I added leaves, and re-baked the piece for 15 minutes at 260 degrees.
I glued some trim around the edge using hot glue and reinforcing the bond with super glue. Hot glue is an immediate bond, super glue is forever.
I also glued some beads and rhinestones around the edge to make it glitzier, but feathers, lace and metal jewlery bits will also do. Use what you have if you can. I glued it to a hair clip and will wear this one in my hair, but a pin or buckle would be fun too.
I decided to make a few, here is one that is just a rose with leaves. The sky is the limit, if you can sculpt it, it'll work as a cameo.Have fun!