How to use transfers and patterns to create polymer clay beads – A short tutorial
Using transfers and patterns to create polymer clay beads is a very quick and rewarding process.
I even risk myself and say it’s for the “lazy” ones amongst us (and I consider myself sometimes lazy too!)
It’s really 1-2-3 and you’re done – buy a pattern or draw your own, transfer it onto the clay and cut your bead.
Sounds easy, right? oh yes.
I got a chance to play with Becky from “Nunn Design” findings again, this time it’s bezels with an open hole – round and rectangle.
The findings are available in several colours, I like to work with the “goldish” style simply because all my other findings (rings, ear wire etc) are gold plated.
Since I was in the mood of creating cabochons for my macrame art I took the same patterns and used them along with Becky’s metal findings.
I am sharing with you the short process of layering, cutting and assembling the clay beads inside the metal.
There is not right and wrong, simply the way I do it :) If you do it differently I would be happy to hear more about it.
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- Start by preparing your patterned sheets. I chose to separate them into sections so it would be easier to handle. The sheets are quite thin (no. 4-5 in an Atlas pasta machine)
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- Choose and measure your cutters according to the opening/hole of the finding. Lucky for me I found an almost exact cutter to match the opening of the metal circle.
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- Layer your sheets. I am using purple on the back (visible) side and scrap clay on the inside (un-visible) side. Top layer would be the pattern sheet
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- Place your transfer/pattern sheet, position the cutter
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- Cut all the way through the layers. My bead was quite thick due to the height of the metal finding. I wanted it to fill nicely the circle so I used a medium setting on the bottom (purple), thickest folded in half (scrap, 2 laters), and then top pattern layer (thin sheet)
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- The is the cut out bead
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- Carefully insert it onto the metal finding. You may need to take it out after baking and reinforce with glue on the “walls” of the metal
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- Press to secure the bead inside the findings and to fill the space completely
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- Ready made beads
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- You can texture the back side using a coarse sanding paper
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- All beads from front side
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- I’ve added a stamp on the back side with my name on it (optional)
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- I’ve tried adding a strip of pattern onto the outer border of the metal findings but eventually I didn’t like it and took it off.
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- Same process to create a matching earring set – placing the patten on a sheet of clay
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- Inserting into the metal findings
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- Pressing to fill the space completly
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- Flip to add texture (and stamp)
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- Here is a set ready for baking.
Bake according to manufacture instructions.
Once the beads are baked and cooled, I added clear resin on top to give them a nice shine and as a protective later.
Here are additional beads made with the patterns, this is too much fun, can’t stop!
Have fun! :)
Iris.
“Resin-ing” | Adding 2 parts epoxy resin on image transfer polymer clay beads from PolyPediaOnline by Iris Mishly on Vimeo.
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Love the process and rage resul, but I have a question, what kind of transfers did u use?bb thanks a lot
Ida
It’s the same technique I used in the INKredible Macrame class (citrus cavandoli), color ink printer.
https://www.polypediaonlineexpress.com/product/inkredible-macrame-citrus-cavandoli-polymer-clay-tutorial-alcohol-inks-micro-macrame-ebookvideos/
Thank you Ida!
yes I would love to know more on how you did the transfer? and when you say you bought the images are they digital papers for scrapbooking? and then you printed them ? and transferred with medium like modpodge?
The transfer is a simple technique of taking an ink printer image and copying to the clay (there are many free tutorials on this subject, no, I didn’t use modpodge, I don’t have it…),
The patterns came as JPG files which were printed in my printer and transferred onto the clay :)
Thank you!
love, love your choice of patterns! I have been doing some using Canon matt photo paper with liquid clay. How did
you do those beautiful transfers?
It’s the same technique I used in the INKredible Macrame class (citrus cavandoli), color ink printer.
https://www.polypediaonlineexpress.com/product/inkredible-macrame-citrus-cavandoli-polymer-clay-tutorial-alcohol-inks-micro-macrame-ebookvideos/
Thank you Susan!
Ah HA! Thanks for letting me know, your tutorials are great also ;-)
Oh how I love these! Thank you for sharing, Iris! ♥
I love your choice of patterns!
Thank you for sharing!!