Exotic Face pin created using Sweetbrier Studio Flexible Art Molds

Materials needed:

• Sweetbrier Studio Molds:
• Mold #1010 Flights of Fancy &
• Mold #1016 Let’s Face It.
• Polymer clay: Black, Flesh, White • Condition the clay and mix the flesh color. • To make the Light Flesh color we used, one part white clay with 8 parts flesh clay. • After mixing and conditioning, put in clay plastic wrap until needed.
• To Paint the facial features, you will need either
• Genesis Oil Paints,
• Or Acrylic Paints in the following colors:
Brown, black, white, red, yellow and green.
• Brushes in appropriate sizes for painting features • Very, tiny and thin brush for eye lashes, eye brows and lips. • Larger brush for cheeks and eyelids.
• Small brush for Mica powder application.
• Mica Powders in these colors: Antique silver, red, and green.
• Pearl Ex Varnish or Varathane to varnish the parts after baking.
• Jewelry Parts: Two eye pins • Two jump rings • One pin back with a pendant loop
• Beads etc.: • Glass pearls, two 3 mm pearls, one 5 mm pearl. (You could use 4 mm and 6 mm pearls if you like.) • Two 1/2 inch mother of pearl disks or other disks or loops for her ‘earrings’.
• Glue: Strong glue like E-6000® to glue the pearls and pin back • Cyanoacrylate glue for eye pin insertion.
• Liquid Sculpey to bond the cooked face to the uncooked headdress.
• Optional: Pasta machine for conditioning clay.
• Optional: If a release agent is needed, you will need to dust the openings with baby powder (or corn starch) or lightly mist with water depending on which is best for your molding material.

1. • We molded the face first using Sweetbrier Studio Mold #1016 “Let’s Face It”. Mold part F-4 using the Light Flesh clay. Use a 3/4” ball of clay. Bake following manufacturers instructions. We did this to prevent damage to the face later on.

2. • After baking we painted the face using Genesis Oil paints in two stages, baking it after each stage of painting. ((If using Acrylic paints, paint the face after baking both the head and the headdress. Follow the color instructions. It is not necessary to bake after painting with acrylic paints. ))

3. • Color Instructions: Step 1. Paint the cheeks using a very, very thin mixture of red, with a touch of yellow lightened a bit with white. Lightly brush on the paint, and pat with fingertip, to soften and lighten the paint. The skin color should show through the paint. • Do the same for the eyes, using a very thin mix of soft green that has been muted by using a tiny bit of the cheek color. Very, very lightly apply the paint, blotting it to mute the color.

4. • Bake at 250 degrees F. for 15 minutes to set the color. Allow to cool. (If using acrylic paint, skip this step.)

5. • Color instructions step 2. Paint the eye lashes, eyebrows, and lips. • Bake again. Allow to cool.

6. • Headdress: Mold the Swag of Sweetbrier Studio Mold #1010 using the conditioned black clay using a 5/8” ball of clay. • Roll the clay into a rope shape similar to the opening in the mold. • Press the clay to fill the mold, being sure that the beaded edge and ends are completely filled.

7. • Flex the mold from corner to corner gently to loosen the ends of the swag. • When the ends of the swag are loose, flex across the swag and gently lift it from the mold.

8. • Make two holes as shown with red lines and circles in the decorative ends of the swag. • Place the swag onto a ceramic tile or other smooth baking surface.

9. • Pull the decorative ends together, forming an arch of the inner edge that will go over the forehead of the face.

10. • Slide the face under the arch and over the inner parts of the decorative ends of the swag. • With the face up, press the back of the head gently down onto the decorative ends of the swag.

11. • Press the swag down to touch the forehead.

12. • If the swag is too stiff to touch the forehead or distorts when you try to press it down, remove the face and put a small amount of clay under the head to raise it up until the forehead touches the arch of clay swag.

13. • To secure the face to the headdress, use a drop of liquid sculpey on the forehead and on the decorative ends of the swag. • Wipe any excess liquid sculpey from the face.

14. Note, the tabs on the swag go under the face and are flattened slightly by pressing down on the face.

15. • If you do not wish to use liquid sculpey, you can use a drop of cyanoacrylate glue instead to secure the face to the headdress.

16. • Using a small brush, pick up a small amount of red mica powder. Brush the flower lightly. If using black clay, the flower may be purple.

17. • With clean brush, pick up a tiny bit of green mica powder. Lightly brush the leaves with the green.

18. • With a clean brush, pick up the antique silver powder and cover the entire headdress, paying close attention to the beaded edges and decorative ends. • The places with red and green powder on them should resist the bronze silver powder, leaving green and purplish areas.

19. • Brush any excess powder from the face before baking.

20. • Bake the face with the headdress in a 260 degree F. preheated oven for 20 minutes.

21. • Allow to cool completely before handling.

22. • Handle the parts with the mica powder on it with care to prevent the mica powders from being rubbed off.

23. • Turn the part over and place on a soft cloth. • You will need to fill the back with either the black clay or the flesh colored clay to create a surface on which to glue a pin back. Smooth the clay to create a level place for the pin back.

24. • Turn the pin over, face up, and place on a baking surface.

25. • Bake with the flattened part down in a 260 degree F. preheated oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

26. • You can put a varnish over the mica powder to secure it if you like.

27. • Glue an eye pin into each hole in the headdress in step 8. • Use a generous amount of cyanoacrylate glue to secure the eye pins. Allow to dry.

28. • Link the 1/2” mother of pearl disks to the eye pins using jump rings. (You can substitute the disks using large open hoops for earrings.)