How to Make a Marbled Clay Ring Dish

How to Make a Marbled Clay Ring Dish Pop Shop America

Huge thanks to Shasie Turner from Live Life in Style for Sharing Many of these Photos

Polymer clay, otherwise known as oven bake clay, has so many fun uses! It’s perfect for making a moon phase wall hanging like this. And it also makes great Geometric Clay Earrings like this. Marbling clay is a super cool way to blend colors and make something ordinary become absolutely modern and extraordinary. Just check out these marbled clay earrings.

Notice those really cool color swirls? That’s a marbled clay bead. The best way to begin marbling clay and learn how to make anything and everything with it is to start with a simple and classic marbled clay ring dish. Once you learn the technique, it’s easy to create all kinds of cool crafts like those earrings, a moon phase wall hanging, planters like these, and so much more!

So let’s do this!

supplies for making marbled clay

Supplies:

Oven Bake Clay (We used Sculpey but you can use Fimo if you want to get fancy)
White Clay
2 or More Colors of Clay
Clay Roller (or DIY it with a Simple Pint Glass)
X-Acto Knife
Fine Grain Sand Paper

A Flat Smooth Surface
Oven or Toaster Oven

First, pick up to 3 or 4 different colors. White should always be your dominant color so you can see the marbling effect. Otherwise, the colors will not be as vivid and will end up more murky. You can pick just 2 colors (one being white) if you are looking for something more minimal.

When picking your colors, consider how they will all look together. And consider where you want to put the Marbled Clay Ring Dish when you are finished. Do you want to add it to your nightstand or perhaps in your bathroom? What colors do you use there.

separate the clay - marbled clay diy

Keeping the colors separate, roll all of your individual colors into snakes. The snakes should be around the same length but they don’t have to be perfect. If you want your colors to be even, you will want your snakes to be the same thickness. If you make very thin snakes, it will give the finished dish just a tiny pop of that color. Overall, your clay snakes should be a few inches long and around 1/3 of an inch thick.

Clay sticks to everything! So be sure that you are working on a clean surface with no debris. As you work, continue to pick up the clay and set it back down to keep it from sticking to your surface. If you want your clay to be smooth, you will need a surface with no texture.

combine the snakes - marbled clay diy

Arrange the snakes in alternating colors such as: white, color, white, color, white… or something like that. That will help the colors distribute to a marbled pattern faster.

Now combine them all into one big meta snake and holding on to both ends, begin to twist them around in a spiral like a piece of marshmallow taffy. Your clay snake should still be a few inches but now a little thicker.

twist the clay make marbled clay diy pop shop america

Once you have your clay twisted into a spiral, fold it in half and twist it like taffy, by holding on to each end of the snake and making a spiral.

Now gently roll all of your clay until a ball.

roll clay into a ball - marbled diy pop shop america

Use your roller to flatten the clay to around 1/4 inch thick. As you flatten, continue to pick up the clay and set it back down to prevent it from sticking to your table.

It doesn’t have to be perfectly 1/4 inch thick – It can be from 1/3 an inch to slightly thinner than 1/4 inch. But there are several things that are important. 1: All of your clay should be even across the entire surface. If it’s 1/3 inch thick on one end, you need it to be the same on the other end. The clay needs to be level and flat. 2: You do not want it to be much thinner than 1/4 inch because it will lose its sturdiness.

flatten the clay - diy clay marbling

Once you have your clay flattened you can do a few different things. You can clean up any edges with your X-Acto knife, you can punch a cool shape with a cookie cutter, or you can gently fold up the edges by hand. Get creative! Just know that you will want your edges and surfaces to look pristine and professional. So be careful and use your fingers or an x-acto knife to smooth all of your surfaces.

Now it’s time to bake! Bake your clay for 15 minutes at 275ºF. You may see instructions that recommend 300° – Which to that I say NO! And I do mean NO! I’ve seen clay burn at this temperature so decreasing the temperature is a great way to keep your handmade creations safe. You can place

There are 2 ways to know that the clay is done and can be taken out of the oven or toaster oven. 1: Wet clay is shiny; hardened clay is matte. -When you pull the clay out of the oven, look for a matte finish (less reflection of light) to know that the clay is ready to be taken out. 2: Wet clay is sticky; dry finished clay is not sticky. -When you pull the clay out of the oven, tap the surface of your ring dish. It will be hot so be careful! Wet clay is sticky but your finished object will be smooth.

fold up the edges marbled ring disy diy

Once your Marbled Clay Ring Dish is out of the oven, allow it to cool before use. And viola! You have a finished Ring Dish that’s perfect for all your tiny objects.

There are lots of little twists that you can add. First of all, after you bake, if you have uneven edges, use your sandpaper to smooth them out.

In the picture above, check out the ring dish with the cute gilded edges. This dish below is shaped with a large cookie cutter.

another finished marbled ring dish diy

These earrings are perfect little spheres.

marbled clay jewelry and marbled clay dishes

Now this is just something special! I wish I could take credit but this is someone that attended a Pop Shop America workshop!! So cool.

So what will you make with your Marbled Clay? Tell us in the comments!

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