How to Sculpt a Sea Nymph Face Using Polymer Clay

Polymer clay is a perfect medium to sculpt characters that are not quite “real”. A sea nymph or nature goddess is something that doesn’t have to be quite as perfect as a real person, so this is good for anyone to do. Use your imagination and creativity. You want your sea nymph to capture the essence of a real person, yet have something extra. You may want to attach this face to a fabric body later on or you can just attach it to a piece of wood or put it on a dowel to make a doll.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Aluminum foil
• Polymer clay, any brand or color you choose
• Tools that are rounded, sharp, pointed such as a knife, knitting needle, toothpick etc.
• Acrylic round doll eyes (optional)
• Fibers for hair, such as yarn, doll hair, raffia, moss, or a sea fan
• Various small shells and nature items found on the beach
• Toaster oven or conventional oven
• Acrylic paint
• Glitter, sequins, other treasures
• Glue

1. Study your own face in the mirror and learn where each feature is in relation to other facial features. Study the profile also.
2. Condition the clay by warming it with your hands and then working it by twisting it and turning it until it is soft and workable.
3. Build an armature from the aluminum foil by crushing a piece of foil to make it sturdy and firm in the decided shape and size.
4. Cover the armature with about 1/4 inch of clay.
5. Check the profile and be sure everything is placed and shaped like you want. Right now the face probably looks like an alien, so now you need to add dimension and form to the face by building up bits of clay in different parts of the head.
6. Add a little piece of clay to the following: the forehead and chin area, the upper and lower lip area, the nose area, the eyebrow area and the cheek area on both sides of the face. Blend each area as you go. Insert the eyes at a convenient point for you. Finally add anything else you want to.
7. Bake finished creation in toaster oven according to package instructions, usually 15 minutes for each 1/4-inch thickness.
8. Finish off by painting, adding chosen hair and decorating the piece as you want.

Tips & Warnings

• Use your imagination and have fun! Remember she is a sea goddess.
• Bake at correct temperature according to package instructions.
• Use these tools with clay only.
• After a project wash hands with soap and water.
• Test to be sure you are not allergic to the polymer clay.
• Do not underbake or overbake your polymer clay piece.