Polymer Clay Pangolin Charm

Pangolins are really cool animals, so I made a pendant of one! However, they are also unfortunately one of the most trafficked animals in the world. Check out savepangolins.org if you want to learn more about them!

• glass marble
• black polymer clay
• gold acrylic paint
• jewelry wire
• ribbon

• blade (or other sharp straightedge)
• toothpick
• aluminum foil
• polyester fiberfill
• oven
• file or sandpaper
• black permanent marker
• tissue
• needle nose pliers

Roll a ball of the polymer clay that is about as large in diameter as the marble. Then, roll it out into a log that tapers at both ends, with one end being much thinner than the other. The thinner end will be the tail, and the large end will be the head. Wrap the tapered log around the marble, curling the tail end into a small loop.

Shape a small piece of clay into a slightly flattened teardrop. Using the blade (or other sharp straightedge), mark four lines on one of the long sides, making five toes. Repeat three times so you get four feet in total. Position two of the feet on each side of the body so that they hold the marble in place, and use the toothpick to lightly scratch/ smear the feet onto the body to attach them. The joint area between the feet and the body will be covered later, so it doesn't have to look that nice. Use the toothpick to poke a hole on each side of the pangolin's head for eyes.

Make a container out of aluminum foil and fill in with polyester fiberfill to nest the pendant in. This prevents it from getting misshapen in the oven. You might also want to put some aluminum foil over the top to prevent burning. Bake at about 275°F for 10 minutes.

Make very tiny balls of clay for the scales. Starting at the tail end, carefully press the balls onto the tail. This area will be wrapped in wire later, so it doesn't have to look perfect. Continue down the tail, making the scales slightly larger as you go. Once you reach about halfway down the tail, as you press each ball of clay on, lightly smear the side that is closer to the pangolin's head. This will create more of a layered scale appearance.

When you reach the feet, press some small scales partway onto the foot before continuing the layered scales so that the joint will be smoothly covered. As you reach the pangolin's head, start decreasing the size of the scales until you reach the nose.

Place the pendant back in the polyester fiberfill nest and bake at 275°F for 5-10 minutes.

If any parts of your pendant get blistered (like mine unfortunately did because I put it too close to the heat source), you can carefully sand it down with the file or sandpaper and color over the sanded area with a marker.

Use the tissue to pick up a very thin layer of gold paint, and lightly apply it to the clay part of the pendant. Avoid getting paint in any of the crevasses. This keeps some of the black clay exposed, making the details to stand out and giving the pendant the antique metallic effect.

Cut about 3 inches of wire and twist a loop in the very center. Position the loop in the middle of the loop made by the pangolin's tail, and wrap the two ends of the wire around the tail on each side of the wire loop. Use the needle nose pliers to help if needed. Thread the pendant onto a ribbon and you're done!