Are you ready to begin today’s awesome polymer clay tutorial?

Blow the whistles, pull out the sparkling beverages, throw the confetti … it’s FRIESEN FRIDAY! Let me first apologize to each of you for not having this tutorial posted 12 hours ago, I have been away and clumsy (or forgetful) me left my book at home. *insert audible gasp here* Today’s project has two pieces, each smaller than last week’s turtles, most likely.

As with all the tutorials in the Friesen Project, please remember that these tutorials are done in an abbreviated format, with Christi Friesen’s expressed permission.  These tutorials are written and designed to be used in conjunction with the Beyond Sculptures Book 3, Under the Sea.

LAST WEEKS TUTORIAL SHOWCASE:
By Rian Sanderse

[hr /]I love all the turtles that were made this week. As with Dragon’s however, turtle are addictive to create, as you can tell by Patti & Rian’s work for the Friesen Project this week.  They’ve been busy!

STARFISH POLYMER CLAY TUTORIAL

Up first this week for the project are these cute little sea creatures: the star fish.  Unlike their turtle counterparts, these are not quite as fun to make, however, they do take only about 10 minutes a piece to make!  So, this is a fun, little, enjoyable project.

1. Pick your clay & color palette
2. Condition your clay
3. Roll your clay into a ball
4. Gently flatten to a softened ball shape
5. Pinch out 5 “spikes” from the ball – this will be the starfishes “arms”
6. Decorate as you wish with clay or beaded accents
7. Bake according to manufacturer’s instructions
8. Add an antique finish
9. Varnish your item
10. Bake for another 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees in your dedicated clay oven to set the varnish.

Find the complete tutorial in Christi’ book “Under the Sea” on pages 24-25.

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SEAHORSE POLYMER CLAY TUTORIAL

As I was making my way through this book last month to bring you all these tutorials, this project reminded me so much of the first projects that we did using Christi’s “Dragons” book. Take your knowledge of dragons inspired by Christi Friesen and use that knowledge to help you with your seahorse!

1. Pick your clay & color palette
2. Condition your clay
3. Make your seahorse’s basic shape (similar to the Dragon if you are unsure)
4. Roll & curl that shape into something that resembles a seahorse
5. Add a jewel, gemstone, or beads where you want your eye to be
6. Add embellishments & textures with clay & beads
7. Bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions
8. Add a patina
9. Varnish your seahorse
10. Bake for another 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees in your dedicated clay oven to set the varnish.

As you are growing in your knowledge of polymer clay and the Christi Friesen style, you may notice that the tutorials are more generalizations to guide you as opposed to absolute specifics.  When all else fails and you are running out of ideas, go back to the beginning … to Christi’ “Dragons” book.  In this book she lays out some of her best ideas, along with design ideas, embellishments, and ideas on how to make your item come to life.

Find the complete tutorial in Christi’ book “Under the Sea” on pages 26-30.

What else can you do with seahorses & starfish?

This is the perfect project for someone with a beach themed home or room in their house.  Simply make up a pile of cute but similar color starfish and a few eye-catching seahorses, and place them in a glass bowl like this one with sand in the bottom, a whole bunch of sea shells, and add your starfish & seahorses inside. There you have it – wahla! A beautiful gift that they are sure to cherish.

YOUR HOMEWORK

Your homework for this week is to get into your studio! That’s not an option, it’s a MUST DO.  Put it on your calendar, schedule the time, and get involved in your clay work!  Once your in your studio play around with starfish. Christi’s book features an entire family of starfish, now wouldn’t that be fun to create? I think so!  Or make lots of cute seahorses … they travel in packs, right?!  Don’t forget to sign up to get the email notifications so that you don’t miss any polymer clay news or updates.

The Friesen Project

The Friesen Project is done in conjunction with Christi Friesen. All tutorials are retaught here with her expressed permission. Please make sure to read about the project and get answers to the most common FAQS here.

See you next Friesen Friday,
Until then, Happy Claying,