How to Make Clay Cameos
The cameo is a decorative piece of jewelry usually worn by women. The cameo was born some 300 years prior to the birth of Jesus in Alexandria, Egypt. The origins of the cameo began with ancient carving traditions of carving figures into stone. The most common cameo figure is a woman. Other cameo depictions include men, various gods and animals. Cameos were first carved in stone, but as time has passed, cameos carved in sea shells began in the 15th and 16th century. Make your own cameo using polymer clay.
Things You'll Need
- Polymer clay cameo mold
- Black and white polymer clay
- Craft knife
- Cookie sheet
- Oven
Instructions
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1
Place the polymer clay cameo mold on a flat work surface.
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2
Squeeze and roll a white piece of polymer clay into a soft, pliable 1/2-inch ball.
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3
Separate the ball into two halves.
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4
Press one half into the figure in the bottom of the polymer clay mold. Press the clay flat. Add more clay if needed to fill the figure level with the flat surface of the mold. The flat surface is the portion behind the figure when removed from the mold. The white clay creates the cameo figure.
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5
Squeeze and roll a black piece of polymer clay into a soft, pliable 1-inch ball.
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6
Separate the 1-inch ball into two halves.
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7
Press one half of the black polymer clay ball into the clay mold. Press the clay down until it is flat with the outside rim. Add more black clay if needed.
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8
Place a craft knife parallel to the top edge of the polymer clay cameo mold. Cut and remove any excess clay that extends past the mold.
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9
Carefully bend two opposite corners of the polymer clay cameo mold and pop the pressed cameo loose.
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10
Place the clay cameo on a cookie sheet so the white figure is on top.
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11
Place the cookie sheet in a preheated 250 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
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12
Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Sit in a safe location to cool for 15 minutes.
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1
References
- Photo Credit Zedcor Wholly Owned/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
