Faux Ceramic Stars tutorial

I've really been enjoying this faux ceramic technique, so I wanted to share my method. It's really easy! Actually, most polymer clay stuff is really simple - all of the tools and different methods can make it seem intimidating, but if it is something you want to try, just get a few blocks of clay and play with it a little bit.

What you'll need:

White Polymer clay (I prefer to use Premo! as it is a bit sturdier after baking)

Liquid Sculpey or Liquid Kato (I used Kato)

Alcohol Ink

Texture sheet

Brayer or acrylic rod

Parchment Paper

You will need to condition about half of a block of clay. After your clay is conditioned, run it through on the widest setting.

Then fold it in half.

Next, create your texture! A really thick texture will make the coloring more interesting.

Next, use your cutters in whatever shapes you want

Poke holes if necessary (I'm using mine for a necklace and earring set, so I needed holes).

Then, bake at whatever setting is recommended for your clay type. For this project, I ended up using a little bit of pearlized white mixed with regular white, and since the pearlized white tends to burn, I baked at a lower temperature. Also, if you are baking on a metal pan, the parchment paper will keep the bottoms from discoloring.

While your stars are baking, you can pour some liquid clay, and mix in a few drops of ink. Let the alcohol evaporate a little bit.

Once your starts are done baking, you can use a blade to scrape off any imperfections (if necessary), and then using a small paint brush or your finger (with a GLOVE), apply the clay-ink mixture to the top of your clay piece. I recommend leaving them on the same baking pan so that the liquid clay doesn't run while you are moving the pieces.

Then bake again for 5 minutes or so, and voila! You have faux ceramic!

A couple of things to note: I almost always wear latex gloves while working with polymer clay. This is for 2 reasons - I don't want to have to sand off finger prints, and I really don't like the way it makes my hands smell. It's just a personal preference, but I highly recommend them for when you are working with the alcohol inks - those can really stain!

I used this same technique for these ornaments:

Have fun!