Here’s a fun fall project for you without anything ghoulish or gory, just cuteness!

I’ve always been fascinated by silhouette designs and thought it would be fun to create a candle holder with the silhouettes as the primary focus.

For the candle holder I used a stemless wine glass. You could also reuse one of those jar candles, or even make a small version on a votive holder.

My favorite thing about this piece is how the cut-out eyes glow in the candlelight. Later I may add a dab of yellow or orange alcohol ink inside the eyes to make them really stand out.

In the video I show how to use basic Kemper cutter shapes to create more complex shapes. If your clay is being difficult to cut, you might want to flatten and shape your heads, then let the clay sit for a while. It will be easier to cut after a rest of an hour or so.

I also show how you can create texture using unexpected tools like those for leather, wax or dentistry.

Keep in mind that you can certainly use colored clay, the silhouettes will still be there when the candle is lit. I’m toying with the idea of accenting my textures with some Gilders paste. If I do, I’ll be sure to share a photo.

Don’t be afraid of the long list of tools, once you have them you’ll find many different uses!

Tools & Materials:

• 1 block black clay
• 1/2 block silver clay
• stemless wine glass or glass candle holder
• Kemper cutter circle set
• Kemper cutter mini set
• Sculpey cutter set
• craft knife
• clay blade
• sculpting tool set
• pick/probe set
• leather stamping set

Enjoy the video and happy creating!

Watch the Autumn Silhouettes Candle Holder-Polymer Clay Video Tutorial at YouTube.

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