Gingerbread Santa and Candy Cane - Sculpey Clay Projects

December - Gingerbread Santa and Candy Canes
Design by Amy Koranek

Some Basic Information:

Sculpey III, Bake & Bend, and Amazing Eraser Clay should be conditioned before using. To condition, roll and squeeze each color in your hands until the clay becomes soft and pliable and an even consistency.

It's important to bake projects for the right amount of time and at the right temperature. Once your project is complete, follow these baking instructions for each type of clay:

Sculpey III bakes in your home oven for 15 minutes at 275 Degrees F (130 Degrees C).
Bake & Bend bakes in your home oven for 20 minutes at 285 Degrees F (130 Degrees C).
Amazing Eraser Clay bakes in your home oven for 10 minutes at 250 Degrees F (130 Degrees C).

Line your baking sheets with aluminum foil or index cards when using them to cure (bake) polymer clay projects.

Always assist children during the baking process and never touch a clay project until it is completely cool. You should use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven temperature is accurate. Overheating polymer clay can cause it to become discolored. In the case of Amazing Eraser Clay, the eraser may not erase well if it's over baked.

Good working surfaces include a large piece of glass, wax paper, marble, or an old baking sheet. It is important that you not place unbaked polymer clay on any good furniture surface. Do not use everyday cooking utensils with clay if you are going to continue using them for preparing food.

Shapes:

All of the projects in this series can be made from the following shapes:

Ball - Take a lump of clay and roll it in your palms until it's smooth.

Teardrop - Start with a ball of clay and then taper it on one end with your fingers.

Coil - Roll a lump of clay until it¹s long and skinny.

Gingerbread Guy

What you'll need:

2 oz. of Sculpey III Copper
1 oz. White, Emerald, Red Hot Red and Yellow Sculpey
Clay tool or a toothpick

Instructions:

1. Shape Copper into five equal teardrops. Position them in a circle with the points in the middle. Flatten them until all the sides touch.

2. Decorate the arms and legs with coils of white. Zig zag them back and forth to look like icing.

3. Poke two little eye holes. Put a tiny Red Hot Red nose under the eyes. Score a smile under the nose. Place two flat circles of Red Hot Red for big cheeks.

4. Make a bow tie out of Emerald with two teardrops and a tiny ball. Push the bow tie on under the mouth.

5. Shape Red Hot Red into little coils. Roll up the coil to make a little circle button. Put it under the bow tie. Put another coil button under the first.

6. Shape Yellow into a little coil. Cut it about 1-1/2" long. Roll up each end and position it on the top of the head for icing hair. If you'd like to attach a string or hook for a Christmas ornament, poke a hole in the top of the head before baking.

7. Bake the Gingerbread Guy in your home oven at 275 Degrees F (130 Degrees C) for 15 minutes. Wait until it is completely cool before handling.

Candy Cane

What you'll Need:

Sculpey III - 2 ounce bars White Red Green

Instructions:

1. Roll a coil of White clay.

2. Roll two very thin coils, one each of Green and Red.

3. Wrap the green and red coils around the white coil. Trim the ends.

4. Gently roll the wrapped coil on your work surface.

5. Trim the ends and bend into a candy cane shape.

6. Bake for 10 minutes at 275 Degrees F (130 Degrees C). Wait until completely cool before handling.