More Faux Techniques – Faux Enamel with Lumiere Metallic Acrylic Paints [Polymer Clay Video Tutorial]

Hello dear friends!

Someone asked me recently if it was possible to achieve a Faux Enamel effect using metallic acrylic paints and this got me thinking about how to do it. This tutorial is the result of my experimenting with Lumiere metallic acrylic paints. They are wonderful paints to work with and if you mix them with Triple Thick Glossy Glaze, you’ve got a wonderful mixture to color your beautiful polymer clay pieces with. I am working also with copper gilding foil and I think  that this color of foil has great potential and you should give it a try to see for yourself how you like it. I totally love it!

I aimed for a primitive look on my finished pendant and I wanted to achieve this look with the irregular free-hand cut shape, with the central design and also with the roughly textured back.

I am working with scrap clay. Sooner or later you’ll have to use your scrap clay. So this would be the perfect project to do so.

Material List

–          Polymer clay  ( I used scraps of  CERNIT black polymer clay)

–          Copper gilding foil

–          Copper Fimo metallic powder

–          A flexible blade and a rigid blade

–          Sculpey Etch ‘N Pearl

–          A needle tool

–          A small round ball tool

–          A craft knife

–          A toothbrush

–          Americana Triple Thick Gloss Glaze

–          A palette or a plastic lid

–          Lumiere metallic acrylic paints (I used Metallic Gold; Metallic Olive Green; Metallic Copper; Metallic Bronze, Pearlescent Violet; Pearlescent Blue)

–          Brushes

–          Baby wipes

–          Transparent varnish

–          Round nose pliers

–          Cutting pliers

–          24 gauge Copper wire

–          Copper chain

–          Coppers lobster clasp and jump rings

I am working with Cernit black polymer clay and I used in fact scrap clay from other projects. I conditioned the clay and then I passed it through a medium setting. I used copper gilding foil to decorate a sheet of polymer clay and then I cut out copper foil decorated polymer clay thin stripes.

I used the flexible blade to cut a freehand shape.

I used a small round ball tool to draw a freehand design on the pendant and I used the polymer clay stripes to recreate this design on top of the pendant.

I used the Etch ‘N Pearl to make little copper decorated round shapes (in two sizes) and then I used them to embellish the pendant.

I used copper metallic mica powder to color the edges and the back of the pendant. I poked a hole in the upper part of the piece and then I put it in the oven for 30 minutes at the temperature recommended by the polymer clay manufacturer (I am working with Cernit – for other brands, I would say to bake it for 45 minutes).

Then I started to color it using mixtures of Americana Triple Thick Glossy Glaze and Lumiere Paints (for the whole pendant I used bronze, copper, gold, blue, green and violet).

I was very careful not to put color on top of the copper decorated design. I did this while testing my idea on a trial piece and I wasn’t happy with the result.

And then I applied a thick coat of Americana Triple Thick Glossy Glaze. After waiting for it to dry completely, I used some wire, a copper chain, a copper lobster closure and jump rings to put together the finished design.

I hope you found this tutorial inspiring and I hope you’ll use these ideas and techniques in your work with polymer clay.

Happy claying! My best to you!

Mihaela

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