Dayle Doroshow: International Inspirations in Polymer Clay - China

Dayle Doroshow shows you how to make almost anything using your hands, polymer clay (Fimo) and a few simple supplies. 

Journey to ancient China with polymer clay artist Dayle Doroshow to make more beautiful gifts, jewelry and accessories. In this second volume in Dayle's International Inspirations series, you'll discover the secrets of imitative jade. This intriguing mixture, based on translucent clay, introduces limitless possibilities for molding gorgeous projects with a historic feel.

Dayle shares her unique process for mixing and conditioning her translucent green base. Using small amounts of color, Dayle mixes four variations, each imitating an authentic flavor of natural jade. She combines the colors to create a variegated plank, ensuring beautiful figuring and texture in her final product.

As a finishing touch, she flecks unconditioned black clay to add imperfections to her artifacts. With the bulk of the clay, Dayle shapes the cover for a personalized journal. She imprints calligraphic designs with an unmounted rubber stamp then cuts the outside shape for the journal. Dayle uses an existing cover as a template, but she demonstrates methods for creating gentle, freeform curves using her tissue blade.

Dayle salvages the remaining jade to cover a ballpoint pen. You'll learn to create a perfect seal around the pen without using adhesives. Dayle adds a figured tip and more calligraphy to complete the matching journal set. Leaving no waste from her workshop, Dayle squeezes the last scraps of jade into decorative beads. She combines a mold and her stamp to press double-sided patterns. Dayle antiques her projects with bold acrylics. She highlights the imprinted designs with red oxide and and splashes copper across the book cover to emulate faded gilding. She treats the beads with gold to create striking contrast. Dayle coats her work with FIMO varnish, adding the familiar shine of polished jade. The variation, figuring and subtle colors in your finished jade will make your projects feel like small pieces of history.

In this instructional video, International Inspirations in Polymer Clay, Vol 2: China, Dayle outlines the basics of shaping, cutting and blending clay and introduces you to her tools. She explains the necessary precautions to ensure success.

Dayle Doroshow introduces you to motifs from ancient China, shows you how to use polymer clay to imitate natural looking jade and the limitless possibilities for shaping and molding gorgeous projects with a historic feel.

She makes a pen and a small personalized journal, complete with the proper paper folding and gluing technique for a very professional finish. She includes an antiquing procedure, jade bead imprinting, and a method to make an invisible seam when rolling polymer clay around a pen.

There is an additional gallery of Dayle's work for those interested in more advanced projects.

BONUS CLIP
In this bonus clip mixed media artist Dayle Doroshow teaches a fun technique for recycling scraps of clay. You learn to bunch your scraps into a square log then cut and roll your log into a complicated, spontaneous design. Dayle suggests uses for the front and back sides of the resulting piece so you can make the best of whichever pattern you like best.

About Dayle Doroshow
Dayle Doroshow is a Mixed media/ Polymer clay artist and owner of design studio Zingaro, stamp of distinction in California. She trained in traditional ceramics at Riverside Bell Tower Pottery program and the Columbia University Extension program in New York City and sold her pottery in Greenwich Village shops.
Her jewelry, home decor, ethnic figures and handcrafted books can be seen at art shows and galleries on the West Coast. Dayle enjoys teaching and sharing her techniques in workshops across the United States and in France.