How to Make a Polymer Clay Leaf

Use polymer clay to make a clay leaf to use for a necklace pendant. You do not need to blend very much of the green clay to make this project unless you will be using it to make beads for the necklace as well. The following will show you how to blend the clay for the necklace and how to form the clay leaf for the pendant.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Polymer Clay
• Waxed paper
• Tape
• Clay roller
• Needle or nail
• Swarovski crystals

Prepare the Clay

1. Soften the colors of polymer clay that you will be using by kneading them with your fingers until the clay is nice and soft.

2. Take a piece of green polymer clay and mix it with a very small amount of yellow by kneading the two colors together, rolling it in your hands and kneading it on a table until the two colors are mixed together.

3. Mix more colors by combining some green polymer clay with a small amount of another color such as white or clear clay and mix until it is well blended. Make about three or four different shades.

4. Roll all the shades you have created into snakes and lay them side by side. One of the colors could be clear or white. Squish the snakes together into a flat rectangle and fold the rectangle in half lengthwise.

5. Start from one end and start rolling the rectangle over and over to mix up the shades until you complete rolling the entire piece of clay. Your complete piece of clay will have a nice marbleized green-colored look.

Make the Leaf

6. Line the table with waxed paper. Tape down the waxed paper with scotch or masking tape around the edges.

7. Roll a small amount of the green polymer clay into a ball.

8. Make the clay flat by rolling it with a clay roller, which you can purchase at a craft store.

9. Form the leaf with your fingers by creating a long oval with a sharp tip at the end of it. Smooth out the edges of your leaf with your fingers so that they are smooth and even.

10. Fold over the top of the leaf to the back to make a hole at the top for your necklace wire to go through. Put a hole at the back of the leaf with a needle or small nail where the tip will connect once you fold it over so that it sticks a little better. Smooth it with your fingers.

11. Make small holes with a needle or nail into the clay leaf and stick Swarovski crystals onto the holes if you want to make your leaf sparkle. Make sure the crystals have a pointy back and not a flat back so they stick in and stay into the clay.

12. Bake the clay according to the packaging directions to finish your polymer clay leaf.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have a clay roller, you can use anything round to flatten out your clay, such as a small jar or bottle.
• Do not roll your leaf out too thin. If you do roll it thin, after it bakes and hardens, there is a greater chance of your leaf breaking over time.