Dragon Ornament

Welcome to my Instructable on polymer clay and glass ornaments! You can take the instructions I am writing down here and make any kind of design on your ornament you'd like, from unicorns to flowers to whatever sparks your fancy. Have fun!

Glass ornaments (no plastic, since the ornament will be going into the oven)

Polymer clay (I prefer to use Premo or SculpeyIII)

Pasta machine

Clay tools

Paint brushes

Acrylic paint

Tinsel or other filler for your ornament

To begin, I usually gather up the scraps from other sculpts and canes and roll them in the pasta machine. You can start with a fresh block of clay too. Next, pass the clay through the pasta machine til you get a uniform strip that will cover the middle of your ornament, all the way around. Make sure to cut the clay to so you can smooth down the seam with no overlapping edges. Smooth the clay gently to fit securely on the ornament.

Next you will use a sculpting tool to gently draw your design on the face of your ornament. Once you're happy with your work, use a hobby knife to cut away excess clay from your design. Make sure you don't cut your design away from the clay on the back of the ornament as that is what will help secure your design to the glass.

Now that you have cut away the excess clay it is time to start smoothing the edges and pressing the detail in. You don't need to press hard as the clay will be indented easily by your tools. I use a piece of cut metal tube to make the scales (you can find the metal tubes at your local hobby store and cut them to the length you need with a Dremel tool)

On to baking! You can set your ornament on some cotton balls or cotton batting to protect the design on the back, I usually do this, but it isn't a necessary step if you haven't designed the back.

I always cook my clay projects on ceramic tiles set on a cookie sheet, because I believe it helps the clay cook evenly. I have no scientific proof of this, but I've been sculpting for years and it does seem to cook better that way, at least to me :)

Oven temp: 275 degrees

Cook time: 20 min

I suggest turning the oven off after 20 min, and letting the clay and glass cool naturally as the oven cools.

Painting!! I use acrylic paint and I like to dry brush layers of colors, starting with a dark shade and working toward light. Don't worry, you can be messy!! Any paint that gets on the glass can be removed with a damp brush. After you finish painting you will stuff the inside with whatever filler you like and put the cap on.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and thank you for looking!