An easy to understand illustrated guide to creating polymer beads.



Other Things to do With Polymer Clay


Understanding how to create beads out of polymer clay is an important step to creating other objects because:
  • You get to know the way the clay handles
  • You understand how to use some tools
  • You know what color combinations do and don't work
  • You have your own techniques for working with the clay

Check out some books at the library or visit the craft section of a book store. There are dozens of books on the market on all sorts of polymer clay topics. Even if you don't copy objects in the books, they can give you a good starting point for your own designs.


These bears are from about seven years ago when I started using polymer clay. As you can see, the bears have very simple elements. Their heads and bodies are basic balls, their ears are flattened balls, as are their facial features. Their eyes just holes. The balloons are beads on wire. The wings are tear drop shapes that I carved into with the needle tool. If you can make beads, you can make bears.


This dragon was made in the summer, 2002. He is one of my more favorite figures. He's not perfect, but it's all about trial and error.


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© JoAnn Cohen