Wearable Art Doll Necklace

Mimi Diehl obtained a purple belt in karate, has been a ballroom dance instructor and even a tarot card reader. But today, she is happy to be an elementary school art teacher, and a craft instructor to both children and adults. Diehl crafts a three-dimensional wearable art doll necklace using polymer clay and other mixed media.

Materials:

precious metal clay (PMC)
kiln
olive oil or other precious metal clay mold release
face button or bead
soft wire brush
polymer clay dedicated pasta machine
polymer clay dedicated toaster oven
2, 2 oz. packages of polymer clay for the doll body
metallic leaf bits: gold, silver, copper, etc.
flexible cutting blade
needle tool to make holes
cornstarch
old makeup brush or large soft paintbrush
rubber stamp moldboards*
unmounted rubber stamps
cornstarch packing peanuts
white glue
quilt batting
dark color acrylic paint
paintbrush
soft cloth
colored paste waxes
round nose jewelry pliers
spool of 22- or 24-gauge metallic wire
bead assortment
nylon coated bead-stringing wire
4 crimp beads
necklace clasp
* Moldboards are the actual molds that manufacturers of rubber stamps use to make the stamps. Some manufacturers sell the boards.

Steps:

1. Condition and roll a ball of polymer clay large enough to cover the bead, button or other object for the face mold.

3. Remove the object and cure the polymer clay mold by baking in a toaster oven according to the clay manufacturer's directions. Place the clay on a bed of quilt batting during baking. Allow to cool.

4. Lightly coat a small ball of precious metal clay (PMC) with olive oil. Press the PMC into the mold.

6. Condition the polymer clay to be used for the doll's body on the thickest setting on the pasta machine.

7. After the final conditioning roll, apply bits of metallic leaf to one side of the flattened clay. Burnish with your finger and roll through the pasta machine one more time to embed and fracture the leaf (figure D).

8. Cut the leafed slab of clay in half.

9. Place one half of the clay leaf side down and lightly dust the exposed side with cornstarch to keep the two halves from sticking together.

10. Lay the second half on top of the first side, blank sides together, and leaf sides out.