Techniques
Polymer Clay Crackle Compendium
Because polymer clay is flexible, you can stretch it, and you can color it with a huge array of art materials, it’s a natural match for making crackle effects. While crackle in the natural world usually is connected with age or deterioration, you’ll find that crackle can also be refined, contemporary, or sophisticated. This tutorial takes you through the 7 major ways to create crackle effects and explains the materials and processes that you can use.
This is not, however, a step-by-step project tutorial. There are no finished items to create. I thought a long time about the best way to convey this information to you and I finally settled on the enclosed format. Most crackle processes are just variations on a theme, and to step-out dozens of variations would just be annoying and tedious to read. I didn’t want to limit this tutorial to just 8 or ten crackle recipes. As with all my tutorials, my goal is to teach you to understand the materials and the way they work so that you can apply the information and techniques to your own preferred type and style of project. I’ve tried to give enough information to serve as a jumping-off point for your explorations. Note there is a Crackle Gallery that gives a quick overview of how I made each crackle sheet or item.
There is also a user gallery where you can upload your crackle photos (and what you made with them). If you have any questions, there is a private Questions and Discussions section where you can get help from me or other owners of this tutorial.
Note: If you prefer a PDF download, you can find the button for that in the Crackle Resources section.
Below is a table with each of the sections and topics listed. You can navigate from here, or you can use the navigation panel at the right (or below if you’re on mobile). At the end of each topic and section will also be buttons to help you get around. Thanks for joining me here. Now let’s get cracking! (Sorry…Dad joke…I had to.)
Faux Lampwork Tutorial
Welcome! This is the “front page” of the Faux Lampwork Tutorial Class. I’m glad you’re here.
The tutorial itself is a downloadable PDF, but that’s only part of the fun. There are more features included in your purchase and you can access them all in the pages below.
Scroll down a bit and you’ll see a list. Tap or click on each one to be taken to that page. That’s where you can download your PDF tutorial, get a quick look at the materials for the tutorial, see examples of this technique, upload a photo of your own, and get answers to your questions. Once you’ve visited each page, its box will display a green checkmark.
You can go to the next page by clicking on the “Next Section” button on the bottom. You can also find another list of the “Class Content” and a navigation menu on the right of your screen if you’re on desktop, or further down the page if you’re on mobile.
I know you’re eager to get started, so click or tap on the first block in the Class Content below, “Download Your Tutorial”. Enjoy!
Holo Effect Tutorial
Welcome! This is the “front page” of the Holo Effect Tutorial Class. I’m glad you’re here.
The tutorial itself is a downloadable PDF, but that’s only part of the fun. There are more features included in your purchase and you can access them all in the pages below.
Scroll down a bit and you’ll see a list. Tap or click on each one to be taken to that page. That’s where you can download your PDF tutorial, get a quick look at the materials for the tutorial, see examples of this technique, upload a photo of your own, and get answers to your questions. Once you’ve visited each page, its box will display a green checkmark.
You can go to the next page by clicking on the “Next Section” button on the bottom. You can also find another list of the “Class Content” and a navigation menu on the right of your screen if you’re on desktop, or further down the page if you’re on mobile.
I know you’re eager to get started, so click or tap on the first block in the Class Content below, “Download Your Tutorial”. Enjoy!