Painting Pansies with Super Softened STAEDTLER Fimo

I've really been hooked on painting with thinned out STAEDTLER Fimo these past few weeks. I've also been loving the hearts. I wanted to share how these pansies were done (thanks for the request) as well as the base heart for the project. So here goes..... 

I flattened some pink quartz STAEDTLER Fimo Effect clay to a 1/2 cm thick sheet and used the STAEDTLER music/calligraphy texture sheet sprayed with a mist of water to add some words to the piece. I covered the textured clay with a sandwich bag and used a teeny heart shaped cookie cutter (for clay use only) to cut through the clay. The sandwich bag remains relatively unscathed by the process. 

I grabbed a soft paintbrush and coated the heart shapes with a good layer of STAEDTLER Gold Powder, making sure to rub it in well with the soft brush to get it in all the nooks and crannies. 

I baked these pieces in a preheated 230 degree oven on a parchment lined surface for 20 minutes and allowed them to cool off before the next step.

I used a medium grit nail file to file away the gold powder from the top of the pieces, leaving the gold deep inside the texture. Sandpaper or a sanding block will work also, I just happen to have a heap of nail files.

I rolled out some white Fimo to a 1/2 cm thick sheet and cu out hearts slightly larger than the pink hearts. I put toothpicks onto the white hearts where I will put the jewelry findings and eye pins later. I put the pink hearts on top of the white larger hearts and pressed them well in to secure them. If you're concerned with the pieces not sticking, you can add a thin layer of Liquid Fimo between the two hearts before joining them.

Coat the white Fimo with a good, well pressed layer of Gold Powder. Bake the pieces for another 20 minutes in a 230 degree preheated oven on a parchment lined baking surface. Cool the pieces before the next step.

I varnished the gold frames with two coats of STAEDTLER Fimo gloss varnish and let them dry. Don't forget the back.

I wanted to talk a bit about the brushes I'm using to paint with the Super Softened STAEDTLER Fimo clay. I've been a huge fan of Heinz Jordan for a very long time. They really are the very best when it comes to the perfectly made brush. I needed a soft textured but firm brush to paint with. I needed the bristles to be soft enough not to leave a huge amount of brush marks, but firm enough to push around such a rigid "painting" medium. These Synthetic Mongoose are PERFECT!

Here are the brush styles and sizes I use the most for teeny flowers. The round brushes are great for pushing petals and leaves into shape and the cat's tongue makes detailing the veins in the leaves so simple. They are made to use in solvents like alcohol and bounce right back into shape after use.

Here's the video Tutorial for the pansy making process.

Here's a still of the pieces being finished.

Hope you all like the pansies.

I await new flower requests for the next tutorial.

I'm thinking daffodils.... but whatever flower gets the most requests here and on youtube will be the next tutorial.