Polymer clay is one of the most versatile crafting mediums available, and is super easy even for beginners.

　　Supplies:

　　Red, gray, white, and tan polymer clay.

　　Porcelain tile (to work and bake on)

　　Baby wipe or damp paper towel

　　Needle tool or toothpick

　　Always start by making sure your clay is conditioned. You can do this by kneading and rolling it between your palms until it’s soft and pliable, and will roll into a ball without wooden crafts wholesale. Especially because we’re working with red and white clay, make sure to wipe your hands between each color when conditioning AND when sculpting. Red clay is notorious for leaving dye marks all over your hands that will easily transfer to the white. Don’t worry, the dye won’t transfer once the clay is baked.

　　Let’s start building our gnome! Take a chunk of your red clay, and roll it into a ball, Gently shape the ball into a rounded pear shape, so it tapers a bit at the top and has a flat bottom that sits securely on your tile. This will be the body of your gnome. Now, go ahead and make sure to wipe your hands really, really clean of all that red clay.

　　Next we’re going to grab a bit of white clay, and press it into a flat, rounded triangle shape very much like a guitar pick. Check it against your gnome body, and if it’s the right size, press it gently onto the body. The point should almost be touching the tile, and the top should be flush with the top of the body.

　　Now your gnome has a beard! Use your fingertip to press an indent into the center top of the beard, so the nose will have a place to rest in the next step.

　　Take a small piece of tan clay, and roll it into a ball. Gently press it into the indent on the beard, and the gnome has a nose now! Next, let’s make the gnome’s hat. So, we need a big chunk of gray clay. Work it into a ball, and then into a tall cone shape. Use your knuckle, and press an indent into the big end of of the cone. Thin the edges out slightly, and if they’re a little wonky, that’s even better.

　　Check to make sure the size is correct, and then press your hat onto your gnome! The hat should fold over the top of the nose and down the sides, covering where the beard is attached to the top of the body. Grab a small ball of white clay and press it onto the top of the cone. We need to make this ball look fluffy, so take your needle tool and gently poke and pull at the clay with the tool to create a fluffy texture.

　　Isn’t that cool? Now let’s make the gnome’s beard look more realistic. Take your needle tool and start at the top edges of the beard, pulling the tool all the way down the beard. Repeat this over and over until the beard starts to look like hair. I just love how such a simple technique can make the biggest difference.

　　Set your gnome back down on the tile, and smooth our any fingerprints or rough areas. Make sure you’re happy with your gnome, and now it’s time to bake! Preheat your oven, and bake your gnome according to the directions on your clay packaging. I used Sculpey III, so I baked mine at 275 F for 30 minutes. When it’s done, take your gnome out of the oven and let it cool on the tile for at least 30 minutes before picking it up.

　　As you can see, the top of my gnome’s hat browned a little bit. This is normal when you’re baking clay with a point or different thicknesses. There are different methods to avoid this, but I actually liked the effect because it reminded me of a toasty marshmallow! If you don’t like it, you can easily touch it up with a bit of white acrylic craft paint. Yep, you can paint baked clay too.

　　And here’s your finished gnome! I think these just turn out so cute. I’m keeping mine as part of my office holiday decorations, but these can go anywhere in your house. Plus, you don’t have to use red and gray! You can use any colors that go with your decorations.

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