Wednesday, June 14, 2017

POLYMER CLAY JOURNEY: Pink Delight. Faux Knitted Simple Stud Earrings

Hi guys! I just wanted to share A pair of faux knitted square stud earrings that I recently made for fun. After watching some photo knitting Techniques and polymer clay, I tried and tried and couldn't seem to get it to look like knitting. 
After some more learning, I figured out what I was doing wrong.
So please learn from my mistake, I'm going to post a couple of  video Tutorials So you can learn how to create the faux knitting look in clay. 

My mistake? Make sure you twist the two strands of clay in one direction, twisting away from you and then the second set of strands, twist towards you, laying them down side by side, in alternating directions.

That way when you lay them side-by-side they will look like the knitted look you're going for. For the longest time I was stumped and didn't get it, I'm a slow learner. The key is to not give up. Once you get that part, it is a very Simple technique that looks real. We all know that knitted items are soft and squishy. So when you touch these, Of course they are not.

To Make The Pink Square Studs that I Did You Need...
πŸ’— A set of earring studs with backs that have a flat disc to attach clay to
πŸ’— 2 complimentary colours of Polymer Clay of your own choosing
πŸ’— Krazy Glue or a strong bonding glue OR, you can push the post base into the clay in it's unbaked state and bake it on
πŸ’— Mica Powder for Sparkle
πŸ’— Straight blade cutter
πŸ’— Needle tool
What Next?
πŸ’— Watch  the video tutorials below to learn how to "knit" with clay. The smaller you roll out the strips of clay, the smaller your "knitting" stitches will be. In the videos below, are a few various sizes. MoClay's brooch stitches are about the closest to my stud square size.

Once you create a small sheet of "stitches," cut out matching squares. Mine are about 1cm x 1cm or 10mm x 10mm. I did  not use a cookie cutter but if you have one, you can.
Then I laid each square onto a contrasting colour that I rolled out to the same thickness almost. Taking a straight blade, slice along all 4 side of your knitted square. Smooth it all out on the edges with your fingers. 
πŸ’—Texturing: I took a needle tool and poked a texture into the back and sides of the coloured back.
πŸ’—Highlighting: Then I took a a hint of mica powder from the lid of my powder and highlighted wherever I thought best.
πŸ’— Bake face up, flat, on a piece of cardstock or paper on a ceramc tile, at the manufacturer's temperature for one hour. Yes, it says a shorter time on the package, but I have learned from other artists the clay is stronger when baked at least one hour even if it is thin. Or you can  bake them on a crumpled up tissue if you want.
πŸ’—Once Cooled. I just squirted a bit of Krazy Glue on the center back and placedd the posts on. Let sit for a while.

Voila, all done!

FAUX KNITTING TUTORIAL VIDEOS



Be inspired and comment below letting me know if you have try this technique. I would love to know how it went for you.

πŸ’—HeArtfully Creating,
Anita


See, all glued on!  













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