Anna

I found there’s a big difference between “passive” and “active” swirling. It’s a little hard to describe, but you can roll your lentil under the clear slab in a fairly passive manner, and not much happens.

If, on the other hand, you’re actively applying pressure inward, the swirl happens more easily. Think of “pulling” the outside of the clay inward….if you’re “tugging” the clay toward the center, evenly as you rotate (takes a bit of a practiced hand, but not bad) you’ll have a nice spiral and pleasing shape. The trick is to keep the work level, of course. The bigger your rotation, the steeper your bicone will be…tiny circles equals a flat bead. While working, it should be medium-steep for better control.

I picked up a couple thick plex pieces made for clear mount rubber stamps when they were half price at Hobby Lobby. Do be aware they have a grid printed on one side, and the clay will remove that paint, so use the other side on the bead.

I’m totally a beginner yet…still have to master color mixing and drilling with my little pin vise (can’t get the darn thing straight!) but I’m having lots of fun!

Coloured transfer foils (like the Jones Tones or Lisa Pavelka foils) look good too, but more subtle. I use bits of foil-covered clay leftover from other projects and use them to completely cover a ball of scrap clay. Roll to close up the cracks and then swirl as usual – you get a really pretty bead that way. Light colours of clay with bright foils work best for me.