Sculpting A Crone by Marj Franke

Disclaimer from Sunni: Somewhere in 1999 I contacted Marj Franke thanking her for her tutorial and asking her if I could glean it for my personal use. She gave me her blessing. I had, from time to time, cruised back to her site to see if there was anything new going on in her life. In December of 2001, I went to visit and the website was gone without a trace and I was unable to find her on the internet. So I placed her Crone Tutorial on my own website hoping she would stumble across it one day and tell me it's okay. In April of 2003, my wish came true and Marj found her crones alive and well loved. She has given me her blessing to maintain this tutorial, so go forth and enjoy. This is a fun tutorial.

Part 1

Safety First

• Remember that polymer clay is not a food item. It can be toxic.
• The fumes from baking can cause headaches, etc. Keep the baking area well ventilated. Do not overbake. Follow baking instructions on the package.
• Utensils used for polymer clay should not be used again for food preparation. This includes pasta makers, knives, baking sheets, rolling pins.

Supplies

• One pound box of Super Sculpey polymer clay (One box will make more than one crone.)
• Hair-colored Sculpey. You may want to blend more than one color of clay to create a more realistic hair color. Another alternative is to use wool fiber pressed into the scalp. I haven't tried that yet, but it sounds intriguing, doesn't it?
• Black Sculpey for eyes
• White Sculpey for teeth
• Plastic Easter egg
• Baking sheet
• Rolling pin
• Work surface - A piece of formica or plexiglass works well as a work surface that will protect your kitchen table. Plexiglass is available at the hardware store in the window section. I purchased some leftover pieces that were inexpensively priced rather than have them custom cut.
• Spray bottle of water. - Spray water and rub to smooth rough spots as you work on your project

Tools

• Sculpting tools can be bought at a craft store or art supply store.
• Create your own out of found objects.
• Make a Sculpey handle and insert a large darning needle. Or insert the pointed end of the needle into the handle and using wire cutters, cut the half of the eye of the needle. This leaves a two pronged tool to scratch hair into yhour figure or you can use it to push wool hair into the head.
• Dental tools. They let you create fine detail and come in a variety of shapes. Ask your dentist what he does with his old or broken tools. My dentist had a whole drawer full of them and let me choose what I wanted.
• Clay press. A clay press is like a garlic press for squeezing out strands of clay. It's useful for making hair. Available at craft stores.
• Pasta maker (optional), rolling pin, knife or other kitchen utensils. Any kitchen tools should be clearly marked so they don't go back to food preparation.

Preparation

• Before you start, make sure your work area is clean. Wash your hands and scrub your fingernails. Keep food out of the area. Dirt, dust, crumbs and any other debris will work into the clay making it dirty. When you go from working one color clay to another, be sure to clean your surface. Little particles of colored clay embedded in the flesh tone clay can be particularly annoying.
• Before you begin to form your figure, polymer clays must be worked for several minutes to warm and condition the clay. Because the clay is quite stiff when I first start, I often ut a chunk in a zip lock bag and immerse it in warm water (not hot). This warms the clay slightly making it easier to work.

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Copyright Colleen D. Bergeron.
Last revised: June 03, 2005.