Baobab Tree Sunset Polymer Clay Bracelet Tutorial

The Baobab Tree Sunset Polymer Clay Bracelet Tutorial Step by Step

• To start you’ll need a sheet of clay made from one part Ecru, one part white, rolled out on the thickest setting of your pasta machine. You need about 2oz.
• Next your will need a selection of brown pastels in warm tones.
• Scrape the pastels over the clay using your craft knife.
• Tap down with your fingers and then rub it in.
• Roll the clay up with the pastels facing inside, and roll into a thin log.
• Chop into sections and then split each section down the middle.
• Pull all the pieces together into a ball, then roll back into a log.
• Repeat the cutting and rolling together once more.
• Cut off a small piece and roll into a log around 1 and half inches long. Squeeze in your fist. See the video.
• Make about ten pieces like this.
• Cut a further ten pieces from your log.
• Roll these into balls and then roll each ball into a log, each the same length. Round off the ends of each log using your fingers.
• Choose some pastels in red and orange sunset colors, as well as black.
• Scrape some black pastel onto your work surface and use your fingertip to rub it around both ends of each log.
• Scrape piles of your other pastel colors onto your work surface and use a brush to add the colors to your logs, starting with red next to the black and working down to the lighter orange in the middle.
• Gently roll each log on your work surface to set the pastel into the clay.
• Pinch the end of each log into a torpedo shape.
• Take two more pieces of the ecru mix log, and roll into balls.
• Scrape a mix of sunset pastels onto your work surface and roll the balls in the pastel until they are covered.
• Flatten your two balls into rondelles and then use a brush to add black pastel to the top and bottoms.
• Roll two more small pieces into logs and squeeze in your fist.
• Bake all your pieces at the recommended temperature for an hour.
• Once cool use your fingertips to cover the entire surface of your finger beads with black paint.
• Allow to dry then use a wet wipe to remove some of the paint then use tissue to wipe some more.
• Drag a 400 grit polishing paper over the surface to finish off the antiquing process.

• Use a pin drill to drill a hole through either end of each bone bead and each torpedo bead. (Keep the two rondelles and smaller bone beads for the earrings aside).
• Drill a hole through the center of each rondelle and through the top of each earring bone bead.
• Lightly coat each piece with renaissance wax.
• Buff using a soft cloth or rotary tool.
• Add a jumpring to the top of each earring bone bead.
• Thread an eyepin onto each one and add a rondelle to each.
• Create a loop using your pliers, trim and string on an earwire. Close the loop.
• Cut two pieces of elastic for the bracelet.
• On each elastic, string your bone and torpedo beads alternating with copper spacers.
• Tie a knot in your elastics.
• Add a drop of Lisa Pavelka's polybonder to each knot. While drying, poke the knot into the hole of the bead and trim the elastic.