Image transfers are fun, relatively easy and have a lot of scope for making different pretty things with it. There are various techniques you can use while making jewellery, in this tutorial we are going to make a pendant using the liquid polymer image transfer technique.

In case you don’t have a design to use, I’ve also included a free PDF you can download. Don’t worry, they are photos taken and edited by me, so copyright infringement is not a problem.  You are free to use the image in this PDF for jewellery you make for yourself or sell. 

Materials

• Liquid polymer clay - I used the Fimo brand
• Colour pencils
• A block of clay - I used some spare green clay that I had lying around
• Gold glitter (optional)
• Some metal wire for pendant hook - I used sterling silver d-shaped wire
• Varnish (Varathane, Johnson’s Klear or something similar)
• Gold or silver leaf (technically this is optional, but it makes a big difference to the final product)
• Wood glue or similar white craft glue that becomes transparent when it dries*

*You’ll only use the glue if you include silver or gold leaf 

Tools and equipment

• Oven to bake your clay in
• A sharp stiff blade
• A printer or images (inkjet prints work best)
• A roller or pasta machine
• A piece of glass to work on
• Round nosed pliers
• Flat nosed pliers
• Cutters
• Scissors

Method

Cut out the images you want to use. Pick up those pencils and start colouring the image in. It is important to fill up the whole image when you colour in because the liquid polymer clay will pick it up when you bake it as well as the top layer of the ink on the paper [image 1].   

I usually put some polymer clay on my glass sheet as well as on the image that I want to transfer [image 2]. It is quite a finicky process, the layer of liquid clay can’t be too thick, because then you won’t see the image and you can’t make it too thin otherwise it will break up when you remove it from the glass. 

When you place your image, printed and coloured side facing down, on top of the liquid polymer clay. Start at a corner and gently smooth the image onto the clay. Make sure that you don’t have any air bubbles. Air bubbles have ruined a great many of my pieces in the past. At this stage you can smooth the clay to get a thinner layer, but again, be careful not to overdo it. 

You also have to be sure that the liquid clay goes beyond the edge of the image. We will cut it to size later. 

If you’re happy that you don’t have any air bubbles pop it in the oven and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Be careful. Liquid clay burns very easily so keep an eye on it. 

When you take it out of the oven the liquid clay should have solidified. Wait for it to cool down. Gently pull the edge of the paper off, being careful not to tear the clay and try and avoid touching the transfer with your fingers - sometimes it makes dull spots if you do. I’ve read that people use a few drops of water to gently rub the paper away if it does not peel off. Whenever I’ve tried this I ruined the piece, but it is worth a go if you get stuck. Just don’t be over zealous. 

Stand back and admire your transfer. 

Roll out a thin layer of clay. I used setting 3 (1 being the thinnest on mine). Gently rub on some gold or silver foil onto the clay [image 3]. Burnish it with your finger. Smear a little bit of white glue on top of the gold leaf. While you are waiting for it to try, cut the image transfer to size. I just use a pair of scissors; I have not had much luck with my scalpel when doing this. If you cut a little skew - don’t worry too much, when we assemble the pendant the edge should be hidden.

If the glue has dried properly, we’re ready to put the transfer on top of the gold leaf. Hold the transfer ready in your hands, and breathe gently onto the gold leaf covered with glue. Your breath will make the glue moist giving it an extra sheen when you put the transfer on. (Unfortunately I cannot remember where I read about this tip because I would have liked to refer that person, because it is one of the neatest tricks I’ve read about.) Right.  Breathe on the gold leaf again for luck and put the transfer on top of it. If everything went according to plan, you should be really excited on how pretty the design looks by now.  Use your blade to cut the clay underneath your transfer to size. Pop into the oven and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When you take it out don’t touch your design while it is warm. Your fingers will leave dull spots [image 4].

Next we have to make the base for the pendant. I wanted the backing for this pendant to have a glimmer of gold to echo the gold leaf on the front of the design.  Condition some clay and add a bit of gold glitter to it [image 5]. Mix the clay some more so that the glitter is distributed uniformly through it. Roll out your clay. It needs to be pretty thick, say around 1cm (0.4 inches) so that the clay can take the pendant hook. Cut the piece of clay to size, making it a bit bigger than your image transfer [image 6]. 

Cut a piece of the d-shaped wire to make the pendant hook. At least 3 cm (1.2 inches). Take your round nosed pliers and gently twist the wire to make a hook. Take your flat nosed pliers to twist the ends of the hook up. This will prevent the pendant from falling off the hook. Gently press the hook into your clay base. This step will deform your pendant a bit [image 7]. So use your stiff blade to press against all the edges to make them flat. Don’t get finger prints on the piece. 

Now we ready to put the image transfer disc on the pendant. Put a little bit of liquid clay on the top and spread it with your finger, then position the image transfer disc centred on the pendant. If you want a pendant with a matte backing but shiny design, you should varnish the design now. If you varnish the front wait for it to dry.

Smooth it onto the clay. Use your fingers to smooth the clay onto the edge of the front of the design. (Wear latex gloves if you don’t want fingerprints.) If the clay is uneven on the front use your blade to keep a straight edge. We’re good to go. Pop it into the oven and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Squirt a bit of liquid clay into the area around the hook. This is an extra precaution to prevent it from falling off later. You could also use glue after you baked it if you prefer.See image 8 for the finished pendant. 

Varnish, sand or polish as you see fit and string it onto a piece of leather cord.