DIY Network

Polymer Clay Mask Visit DIY's Craft Lab and learn how to create masks using polymer clay. From "Craft Lab" episode DCLB-123

Guest Anne Igou makes unique polymer clay masks by creating a paper template, prepping a paper-mache armature, making a skinner cane for mask embellishments, applying the embellishments and finally, adding the finishing touches.

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Guest Anne Igou loves masks and polymer clay and shows you how to use clay to create this classy mask.

Materials:

Fimo Soft Polymer Clay in following colors: white, peppermint, emerald, purple violet, dayglow pink and lavender
Pearlidescent Polymer Clay Foil
Lisa Pavelka's Poly Bonder
clay blade
craft knife
pasta machine
ceramic tile
papier mache mask form
cardstock
scissors
pen or pencil
purple eyelets
needle tool
aluminum foil
black felt
pink and green ribbons
paint marker
2-part epoxy
craft glue

Figure A

Polymer Clay Mask

1. Cover the entire surface of the mask from with aluminum foil. Place a mask form of ceramic tile and set aside.

2. Fold a piece of cardstock in half and draw the outline shape of the mask including the eyes. Mark a dot in the upper and lower corner of the template. Poke through dots with a needle tool.

3. Cut out the mask outline and eyes with scissors. Set aside.

4. Condition all clay thoroughly before use by kneading and rolling through the pasta machine. Roll lavender clay through pasta machine on the thickest setting. The sheet should be large enough for the mask template.

5. Lay a small piece of foil on the surface of the clay (shiny side up). Burnish the foil onto the clay using a credit card. Rip off the plastic backing of the foil by quickly ripping it off. Repeat until the entire surface of the clay is covered.

6. Place the mask template on the clay and cut around the outside of the template and the eyes. Poke through the marked holes in the template leaving small holes in each corner of the clay mask.

7. Place the clay onto the mask form and bake according to manufacturer's directions.

8. Create a Skinner Blend (figure A) by rolling each conditioned block of Emerald and Purple Violet clay separately through the thickest setting of the pasta machine. Place one color on top of the other and cut through both, creating a perfect square, approximately 5" x 5". Using a clay blade, slice diagonally through the entire square, creating two triangles. Peel both colors apart and set each on top of the same color to make one pink and one emerald triangle of double thickness. Fit the triangles together to from a perfect square.

9. Roll this square through the thickest setting of the pasta machine.

10. Fold in half, matching Purple Violet-to-Purple Violet and Emerald-to-Emerald and roll through the thickest setting of the pasta machine. Repeat until a smooth gradient is achieved (about 20-25 passes).

11. Cut an oblong triangle into the sheet with the point of the triangle at the Emerald side. Roll this triangle with the palm of the hand until a long tapered snake is made.

12. Roll the snake into a spiral and attach at the top of the mask with Poly Bonder. Randomly repeat this technique until the entire top of the mask is covered.

13. Create another skinner blend sheet using the pink blended color and peppermint. Cut a triangle into the sheet with the top of the triangle pointing to the pink end.

14. Attach the triangles to the inside of the eyes with Poly Bonder. Repeat until both eyes are covered.

15. Using the remaining pink clay, roll a long thin snake. Wrap the snake around the entire mask form using the Poly Bonder to adhere it.

16. Bake the mask again according to manufacturer's instruction. Allow to cool completely.

17. Using the craft knife, make the pre-marked holes in the corners of the mask bigger by gently twisting the knife into the clay until the holes are just big enough to hold the eyelets.

18. Apply a small amount of epoxy to the inside of each hole and insert eyelets. Allow the epoxy to dry.

19. Insert ribbons and glue them to the back of the mask using epoxy.

20. Lay the mask template onto black felt. Trace the outline of the mask, including eyes. Cut out the entire outline.

21. Turn the felt backing over and glue to the back of the mask using a small amount of craft glue.

RESOURCES :

Fimo Soft Polymer Clay, Clay Blade
American Art Clay Co., Inc.
Website: www.buyamaco.com

Purple Eyelets
Making Memories
Website: www.makingmemories.com

Pearlidescent Foil, Lisa Pavelka's Poly Glaze
Covered in Clay
Website: www.coveredinclay.com

GUESTS :

Anne Igou
Blushing Marie
We apologize no contact information is available.