Here is a quick tutorial on the Mokume Gane that I made in the Sculpey Live Video event the end of August.
Here is the set of clays, available ONLY from Sculpey.com
So let’s look at the mokume gane I created step by step:
These are #3 (medium thin) layers stacked together of all 3 colors. I have the yellow in the middle for this particular one. Roll the stack back through on the #3 setting again to create the strip on the right (there are 2, but you only need 1). Cut that stack in half across the middle and stack back together.
I got these tools at a Japanese food market. I think they are for decorative hard boiled eggs? But you can use any cutter to do this. I’ve cut the stack and just inverted one piece before putting it back into the stack.
Yep, go nuts. Don’t worry if a Blue piece is next to a Blue piece.
Press the pieces GENTLY together and then lightly roll with the acrylic roller to further seal them.
Transfer the stack to a smooth surface like a tile if you aren’t working on one already.
Hold your blade in both hands and slightly curve the blade. Now start making small, thin slices across the surface. We are NOT aiming for one long slice across or an even surface from the smaller cuts. You want to expose DIFFERENT layers with each cut if you can.
See what I mean? Just keep making your little slices. Once you are satisfied with what you are seeing, use the acrylic roller to level the surface GENTLY.
NOT ON THE VIDEO! Prepare a sheet of WHITE or IGLOO clay and as you remove those slices from the stack, collage them onto the sheet of white! Yeah…you end up with TWO sheets of MG.
I like to cover the top with deli sheet and use my cutters on the original slab. This deli sheet helps round the edges of the cut pieces.
Ready for the oven!
NOW SEE THE GREEN AREAS?
An interesting thing about these clays..if you mix them together too much or create in too thin a layers you WILL get a green shift when the clay is baked. Let me show you..
The clay on the right is equal portions of all three colors mixed together.
The clay on the left is the SAME clay after baking. It’s a beautiful sage green than when you change the angle of viewing you get flashes of blue and red. BUT BE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE – it is NOT your oven. (I spent a day and a half retesting my oven before I found out that it’s a property of the clay).
The clay on the left is a mica shift slice that is absolutely flat. LOOK at the dimension in that! (and I usually SUCK at this technique).
More mica shift. These pieces are ALL flat on top, no texture.
To do this, put the sheet on a smooth surface, emboss your texture into the sheet of clay, then start slicing the top portions of the texture off the sheet. Go slow, patience. An acrylic roller at the end to smooth the piece out. (That center green is a mix of the blue and a LITTLE yellow).
Yes you CAN mix these colors to create other colors. Here is a Skinner blend of the 3 colors (with Gold Premo at either end to fill the pasta machine).
As always, I have almost more fun with scrap than the real stuff. The hearts are twisted colors with Premo Pearl. Then rolled out into a sheet. The twists, well they ARE twists!
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