Polymer Clay Techniques | Textured Faux Raku Beads for Jewelry

Create Texture On Your Polymer Clay Beads Using Drywall Sandpaper Mesh:

When making polymer clay beads for jewelry, a nice way to add some dimension to them is to give the surface a bit of texture. Adding this texture effect is also a great way to disguise flaws and cover up fingerprints.

One way to give your beads texture is to press a sheet of drywall sandpaper mesh into the surface of the raw clay. The square shaped open grid of the paper leaves a unique texture that looks especially good with the faux raku technique.

In order to get the look on the bead pictured above, first shape a log of terra cotta colored polymer clay into an S bend. Then using my faux raku technique, dip the bead into various colors of alcohol ink and powdered pigments.

Now flatten out the bead and add the texture by sandwiching it between two pieces of drywall sandpaper mesh.

Adding texture is an especially good thing to do with faux raku beads since the smooth raku version of this bead is prone to showing fingerprints that can't be sanded out. Texturing hides everything.

There are many different items all around your house that can be used for creating unique textures on your polymer clay beads. Below are some links to previous posts written about polymer clay textures, that will give you some ideas:

• How To Think Creatively About Polymer Clay Bead Surfaces
  
• Clay Texture Sheets and Other Cool Tools for Polymer Clay
  
• 40 Texture Ideas for Polymer Clay Bead Making Projects