In this tutorial, I'll explain step by step how to create vibrantly colored sea glass using translucent polymer clay and alcohol ink. Sea glass is translucent and has a soft color. You can use organic shapes (with rounded corners), or press beads from rolls or clay balls flat by hand or with a bead roller for a true sea glass effect. Get inspired!
Requirements:
- Various colors of alcohol ink
- Translucent polymer clay we use for this tutorial Cernit Translucent
- Organic cutters (and possibly a bead roller )
- A small acrylic plate (if you want to make flat balls, otherwise it is not necessary)
- Your normal clay supplies
Step 1
Roll out the translucent clay evenly and cut it into strips so you can create different colors of sea glass. Drop a few drops of alcohol ink onto the clay (see photo). Some colors require slightly more drops than others to achieve the desired effect (this depends on the amount of pigment, so experiment with this). Let it dry briefly to make it easier to work with.
Step 2
Knead all your pieces until you achieve an even color. We'll roll some colors into irregular balls, and for others, we'll use small organic stud cutters. We'll also make beads. We'll flatten the irregular balls with a piece of acrylic sheet to create a fun piece of sea glass.
TIP! If you get any dust on your clay, you can gently rub it away with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
Step 3
Once all your "sea glass" is finished, it can go into the kiln. Translucent clay tends to develop small gas bubbles when heated too quickly, creating a kind of "moon" effect (small white half-moons in the clay) after firing. While this effect can be quite beautiful when making quartz stone, we prefer to avoid it for sea glass.
Tips to prevent this include heating your sea glass at the same time as your kiln, or firing it for a shorter time at a lower temperature. We're going for the former and sticking to Cernit's recommended time and temperature (130 degrees Celsius, approximately 30 minutes).
Step 4
After baking, let your creations cool and they're ready to be crafted into beautiful translucent earrings! That "sea glass" is so beautiful!
Watch a short instruction video here