Steampunk journal cover

The live broadcast tutorial on how to make a steampunk journal cover was made into several parts, as I can't sit on a chair for longer than 1 1/2 hours without getting in really bad pain.

I have put together a list of materials that I either used during the tutorial or can be used instead if you don't have those specific materials.

1. Polymer clay - it's up to you what brand you use. I used plain Premo black clay

2. The antiquing for faux copper:

For the oxidized part, you can use either:

a. Franco Garcia Artisan Powders in Marquise Blue and/or Trianon Patina. You can find them either at Polyclayplay or on my Amazon Influencer Store in the Powders and Pigments board.

b. Chalk Pastels found either on Polyclayplay or on my Amazon Influencer Store in the Powders and Pigments Board.

c. PanPastels in turquoise-ish hues  found either on Polyclayplay or on my Amazon Influencer Store in the Powders and Pigments Board.

d. Regular cheapo acrylic paint in a wash (that means the paint is very diluted, and you apply several layers to obtain a proper effect). I suggest you get those wherever you find them the cheapest. I usually get my acrylic paints at Walmart, and get whatever is on sale for under $1 a bottle. But you can also check my Amazon Influencer store in the Paints section. Use any turquoise-is color, there are many depending on the brand (and the brand doesn't really matter either). But I strongly advise you to also look for the DecoArt Peacock Pearl in the Dazzling Metallics line.

For the "metal" part:

a. The ArtAlchemy waxes - for copper, the Rich Copper from the Metallique line or the Fire Ruby/Red Amber of the Antique Brilliance line; for German silver look, the Vintage Gold from the Metallique line; for the Iron look, Brushed Iron from the Metallique line. They can be found at Polyclayplay or in my amazon Influencer store in the Waxes section.

b. Mica powders - I recommend using Perfect Pearls as you won't have to seal them, they bond with the clay during baking. You can find them on Polyclayplay or in my Amazon Influencer store in the Mica Powders section.

 c. Simple cheapo Acrylic paints. Advice as for the oxidized part. I personally prefer to use either colors from the Dazzling Metallics of DecoArt or the Extreme Sheen of DecoArt.

For a more detailed tutorial  you can watch my Youtube video on how to obtain super realistic oxidized metal (metal patina) using just acrylic paint here:

As for charms, embellishments and anything else used in the broadcasts, please check my Amazon Influencer Store. I have it organized nicely in sections so it shouldn't be hard to find what you're looking for.

Polymer clay painting miniseries

I started yesterday a miniseries on painting with polymer clay. I am using journals to begin with.

We did get a bit distracted on making the back of one journal nicely antiqued, which will become a steampunk journal cover, but next time we'll get back to the painting one.

The creation of the background sky and water skinner blend is a bit difficult, but I show all the steps.

When is it not required to condition polymer clay?

If for regular projects, conditioning polymer clay is an absolute must - that is, if you want pieces that are at the same time hardy and flexible and don't break or crumble at the slightest stress, there are cases in which conditioning your clay is not required - actually, it's not even desired.

Whenever you want to make crystal points, use Pardo translucent right out of the box. Cut your long "crystal" wands then do a few oblique cuts at the ends to create the "point".
The other case, if you want to make druzy-type small "crystals, you can use any hardened translucent. Simply chop it finely, bake it on a piece of paper then use liquid clay to get it to stick on a base. Of course, bake again.