Polymer Clay Faux Wood, Bone and Shell

New for 2016! Polymer clay’s amazing versatility makes it the perfect medium for imitating a wide range of materials that are more difficult to work with or to obtain.

In this class, join me for a day exploring the use of polymer clay to imitate a range of natural materials including wood, bone, ivory and paua shell. You’ll use metallic, translucent, pearlescent and opaque polymer clay colours to replicate the internal grain, pattern and colouring of these materials, and then use them individually or together to make jewellery components.

The class will also cover a range of finishing techniques to enhance your completed pieces, including a smooth satin finish that’s perfect for faux wood, and aged/antiqued carving for faux bone and faux ivory.

You might also be interested in the companion class, Polymer Clay Faux Semi-Precious Stones.

Essential Techniques Covered

Faux wood:

  • Clay and colour selection
  • Replicating woodgrain including knots, forks and other features
  • Use as a solid and as a veneer
  • Forming shapes that would be difficult to make with real wood.

Faux bone and faux ivory:

  • Clay and colour suggestions
  • Replicating the fine texture, grain and pores of bone and ivory
  • Making a pressed impression look carved
  • Carving and scoring after curing
  • Antiquing and highlighting.

Faux paua shell:

  • Choosing and manipulating colours to match shell samples and photos
  • Producing smooth colour transitions and realistic patterning
  • Colour variations for other types of shell
  • Inlaying faux shell patterns in faux wood, faux bone or faux ivory veneers.

What’s Included

  • All materials, including a generous allocation of polymer clay. Additional polymer clay will be available to purchase if required.
  • Loan of all tools required for the techniques covered.
  • Comprehensive notes.
  • Tuition.

What to Bring

Please bring:

  • A plastic takeaway container to take home any uncured pieces or leftover clay.

You are welcome to bring your own pasta machine and polymer clay toolkit if you have these and would like to use them instead of the loan equipment.