DIY tiny polymer clay doll beads practical advice - I experimented so you don't have to!

Ever since I started making jewelry I really enjoyed making book inspired pieces. I always had an idea to start making characters from my favorite books and fairy tales as little doll beads, but never quite committed to that, and I think it is about time to give it a try. 

My first task - Snow White and the seven dwarfs.

Most important thing to keep in mind when you make a tiny doll is an amount of details you should include - too much details on a tiny surface can be overwhelming, so the greater picture gets lost, and too little might not make it obvious which character is it. So I decided to keep it as simple as possible, and use color of the clothes for each dwarf.

First thing was to decide which material would be the best to use for making the dolls itself, and after a lot of trial-and-errors, FIMO polymer clay was the best choice. Other polymer clay brands turned out to be too dry and too hard to knead for me, so they required adding some oil, but I could never quite hit the right amount and usually ended up with clay which is way too soft for making pieces with small details. I never throw it away though, it is great for making round beads, so it was not a total loss (I am yet to decide what to do with so many basic round beads - stay tuned).  Natural clay is fine, but I would not advise it for such small pieces, since it often cracks when it dries (which can last up to four days) and it is really frustrating when cracks appear after a few days and you just have to start over. 

Two good advices for anybody who would like to try making something like this: use skin colored polymer clay and make a bead hole using a hand drill after the clay is baked. With skin colored base it is easier to erase mistakes when you start painting (peel them off with gentle sand paper and just continue painting) and drilling hard piece eliminates any deformities that can occur if the clay is unbaked. This is also why I loved FIMO the most, after baking it still has some degree of elasticity, which eliminates tiny cracks that can appear around the hole.

My previous experience with painting polymer clay was that any kind of acrylic color is always better than expensive "polymer clay only pants", since they usually end up to be just that - fancy named regular acrylic paint. One important lesson I learned while working with jewelry is to always read the ingredients list: you can detect harmful substances, and discover when you are being scammed. I have tried all kinds of acrylic paint and medium priced ones are just fine - the cheapest tend to dry to quickly and the more expensive ones tend to be too concentrated and in my experience peel off easier from the dried beads.

First one up was Snow White. It was easier to start with a "larger" bead to get some practice and it went surprisingly well.

The only thing I would have done differently, which would save me some time in the long run, is to be a bit more patient and not paint second layer of acrylic color until the first one is completely dry (it take 20 minutes or so) and to paint two thin layers rather than just one thick layer.

When I started making dwarfs, I was able to paint even some small details on their faces, which brought me to another important conclusion - invest in a good very thin brush for this kind of work, it makes a huge difference! 

Also, have some toothpicks near, they can be useful for some of the delicate details, like eyes, and are also handy as holders when you paint "larger" surfaces or while the beads are drying.

Each new dwarf took me less time than the previous, so like anything, making this beads is also a matter of practice. And patience - I had to start over a few times when the brush slipped or I was not satisfied with the end result.

Crucial step in making these beads wearable was deciding on the varnish; the polymer clay one would probably not be good for acrylic paint, and the acrylic varnish might damage the polymer clay parts and make them sticky. I did a little test on a piece of painted baked clay (which is always a good idea when you try something new) and, surprisingly, both varnishes act the same - they protect the acrylic layer from peeling and the unpainted polymer clay part is not sticky after drying.

After about 5 hours of work (and a very sore back despite the breaks) I have painted the whole set! 

It took me additional hour to apply varnish and I left the beads one whole day to make sure the varnish is completely dry. In the meantime, I scratch-tested previously mentioned test-piece and was very pleased that beads are very resilient and wearing them won't damage them. As I expected they are also water-proof.  I have to add, even though I always make sure that the jewelry I make is the highest quality possible, if you don't take proper care, some damage can occur - you should always make sure to keep them away from water and chemicals (cosmetics, perfume, ...).

And lastly, this is the end result - a truly unique necklace made with porcelain white separator beads and stainless steel wire and chain. I also managed to sneak in another little detail: a little apple made of porcelain bead with a tiny precious emerald bead. I hope you like the end result and stay tuned for more!