Faux Tiger Eye Polymer Clay Earring Tutorial

The Faux Tiger Eye Earrings Tutorial Step by Step

• You need nine colors of Premo polymer clay mixed according to the following recipes:
  • Color 1: 4 white translucent, 2 Pearl white, 1 cobalt, 1 graphite pearl
  • Color 2: 4 white translucent, 4 Pearl white, 3 cobalt, 1 graphite pearl
  • Color 3: 4 white translucent, 3 graphite pearl, 1 cobalt
  • Color 4: 4 white translucent, 6 Pearl white, 3 ultramarine, 1 cobalt, 1 graphite pearl
  • Color 5: 4 white translucent, 2 Pearl white, 3 ultramarine, 1 graphite pearl
  • Color 6: 4 white translucent, 6 Pearl white, 6 ultramarine, 1 graphite pearl
  • Color 7: 4 white translucent, 3 graphite pearl, 3 ultramarine
  • Color 8: 4 white translucent, 4 graphite pearl, 2 cobalt, 1 black
  • Color 9: 4 white translucent, 5 black
• You will also need some white translucent.
• Roll each color out into very thin snakes, or use an extruder to speed up the process.
• You need most of the snakes to be very thin and a few thicker ones.

• Lay your snakes randomly beside one another, adding in some translucent every three to four snakes.
• Keep going until you have made a good size sheet, then trim away the ends.
• Cover with plain printing paper and burnish until the snakes are all stuck together.
• Fold the sheet in half and run through the pasta machine on the middle setting and then repeat on setting 2 (about 0.5mm)
• Fold in half again and rerun through on the middle setting.
• Repeat until the colors just begin to blend into one another. Usually three to four rolls will be enough.
• Roll out a piece of light blue clay for a backing and lay the Tiger Eye sheet over it. Smooth it out removing any bubbles.
• Create gentle folds in your sheet to distort the lines - see the video.
• Run through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.
• Scratch your veneer using a piercing pin, perpendicularly to the stripes.
• Cover with Deli paper and burnish until all the scratches are out.
• Repeat using the scratching tool and reburnish.
• Check for air bubbles and slit them out.
• Get a rough idea of where you want to cut your earrings from by laying your cutter over your clay. Cut this piece of the veneer out and put the rest aside.
• Run the veneer through the thickest setting on your pasta machine and then place on a black backing sheet rolled out at 1mm thick. Smooth out to eliminate air bubbles and trim away the excess black.

• Take the veneer you put to the side and trim it up.
• Push your clay into a mold of your choice. I will be using some from my shop, JessamaDesign.
• Fill up the mold with scrap pieces and fold over the edges of the veneer. Roll flat with your acrylic rod. Cut away the excess clay.
• Remove the cabochon from the mold, clean up the edges and place on a piece of deli paper.

• Smooth the veneer with the black backing firmly onto your work surface.
• Use a cutter of your choice to cut out a pair of earrings. I will be using my #3 donut cutter - size 40mm from JessamaDesign.
• If you are using a donut cutter, use a pin tool to remove the center.
• Smooth over any imperfections.
• Place in the oven on your tile for 30 minutes to set or set with a heat gun.
• Allow to cool and remove from your tile. Smooth out the back.
• Bring over a sheet of gold Faux Tiger Eye. You can learn how to make it on my Patreon community or here.
• Cut out two small circles. I am using the largest of my mini circle cutters.
• Smooth off the edges and then smooth the tops while on a piece of paper. This will smooth off the backs too.
• Repeat the whole process to create a reverse set of Faux Tiger Eye Polymer Clay Earrings.

• Bake both earring sets and the cabochons for an hour at Premo's recommended temperature.
• Set the cabochons aside to be sanded later.
• Roll out a sheet of black Premo polymer clay on the thickest setting and use a texture of your choice to add a texture to it. I am using my Spiral Roller.
• Lay your donuts down to get an idea of how much backing clay you need, then trim the excess away.
• Brush your clay with mica powders of your choice to create a brass effect.
• Lift up your sheet and place it to the side.
• Clean up your work area.
• Smear the back of your donuts with liquid clay. I am using Sculpey Bake and Bond.
• Stick your donuts onto your black backing and trim away.
• Smooth off the edges using your fingertips.
• Cut out the center.
• Spray a wetwipe with alcohol and remove some of the mica powder from the back.
• Bake again for an hour at Premo's recommended temperature.

• Clean up the edges of all the earring pieces using the Jessama Smear Technique.
• Bake again for 30 minutes.
• Sand your pieces. Start by lightly wet sanding the fronts with 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper.
• Next use polishing papers and sand the front, back and sides through the grits from 600 to 8000.
• Buff using a soft cloth or a rotary buffing tool.
• Repeat with your cabochons.

• Drill one side of each donut, perpendicular to the Tiger Eye stripes.
• Drill the round pieces straight through, perpendicular to the Tiger Eye stripes
• Feed a flat headpin through the hole in the first donut, and use your round nose pliers to form a small loop.
• Attach a small jumpring to the loop.
• Trim the end off of another headpin. Make a loop on one end, open it and pop onto the jumprings on the donut. Reclose it.
• Thread on your spacer, then your Faux Tiger Eye round. Make a loop on the other end and use a jump ring to attach an earwire.
• Repeat for the other earrings.