Polymer Clay Mokume Gane | A Step-by-Step Guide for Stunning Creations

This step-by-step polymer clay mokume gane tutorial will show you one of the numerous ways to approach this popular technique.

The day my initial order of polymer clay arrived the first technique I tried was mokume gane. I was hooked immediately and have been exploring different approaches ever since.

Polymer clay mokume gane has its roots in a Japanese metalworking technique of the same name. Translated from Japanese, the words mean ‘wood grain metal’ and the technique involves manipulating laminated sheets of metal.

The different approaches to polymer clay mokume gane are almost as varied as the patterns that are revealed. With polymer clay, rather than sheets of metal, we use sheets of polymer clay. The method used to then manipulate the clay is where the many variations come into play.

In this tutorial I’ll be using a more controlled technique by using a texture roller rather than applying texture randomly with a mix of tools. Even though the reveal isn’t as much of a surprise, it’s still fun to shave off the layers and expose the pattern underneath.

This technique requires a steady hand when shaving off thin layers of clay. If this is new to you, I suggest trying a hand at mica shift first. Unlike this technique, mica shift uses a single color so its a good one to practice on while you get a feel for how much clay to shave off. If you mess up you can just smoosh the clay back together and try again.

RELATED POST: HOW TO MAKE TEXTURE ROLLERS WITH SCRAP POLYMER CLAY

RELATED POST: HOW TO MAKE MICA SHIFT POLYMER CLAY TECHNIQUE

Tools & Materials

• Non-porous work surface—I work on either glazed tile or glass
• Polymer clay—I’m using five different colors for this tutorial. See notes for which ones I’m using 
• Pasta machine dedicated to polymer clay use—I use an Atlas 180 and will refer to the settings I use on my machine. If you don’t have a pasta machine an acrylic roller and some playing cards will do in a pinch, it’ll just take a little more work
• Something to texture the clay with—I’m using a DIY polymer clay texture roller. Many texture mats work well for this technique as do rubber stamps
• Polymer clay blade—for this technique it’s important your blade be very sharp and flexible
• Parchment paper
• Acrylic rod

Directions for Polymer Clay Mokume Gane

Begin by conditioning all of your polymer clay colors individually through the pasta machine. Finish by sheeting your four main colors on the thickest setting (no.0 on my Atlas.) Sheet the fifth color on a medium thin setting (no.5)

Cut squares from the four main colors. My squares were 2” and my finished veneer was approximately 5” x 6”. Cut your squares according to how much veneer you would like to end up with.

Back each of those squares with a sheet of the fifth color, leaving a little excess around all the edges as shown. This excess ensures the thicker sheet will still be completely covered by the thinner one once it’s been passed through the pasta machine. 

Pass each square individually through the pasta machine on a thick setting (no.0) Now you can trim away the excess from the backing clay.

Pair the sheets together making two different stacks. Pass them through the pasta machine again on the thickest setting.

Next, stack the two sheets together and pass them through the machine on the thickest setting.

Cut the layered sheet in half, stack the two halves together, and pass it through the machine again on the thickest setting.

Pass the sheet through the pasta machine one last time, this time on a medium thick setting (no.2)

Place your layered sheet of clay on your work surface and gently roll over it to make it stick. Lightly dust the surface of the clay with cornstarch so it doesn’t stick to the texture tool.

Texture the sheet of clay with your chosen texture tool. I used a DIY texture roller and added some more textural interest with a ball stylus tool.

Starting at the top and slicing towards you, carefully shave off the raised parts from the textured sheet of clay. Keep your blade slightly flexed so you’re only taking a small bit off at a time. Wipe the blade off between slices with a baby wipe if you find the clay is sticking.

If you catch yourself starting to go too deep back the blade out, gently press the clay back in place, and try again. For the best results take your time—don’t try rush the process.

Keep a piece of paper nearby to catch the shavings. Place on a fresh sheet of clay and roll flat for another decorative veneer.

When it looks like you’ve got all the raised areas shaved off run a finger over the surface to make sure. Once you’ve got them all, cover the sheet with a piece of parchment paper and burnish (I like to use a stainless steel soap or espresso tamper for burnishing but an acrylic rod will do as well.)

I put the sheet through my pasta machine again at this point. First I use the no.2 setting four times, giving the clay a quarter turn each time. I then repeat the same process on the no.3 setting.

You can also just gently roll over the clay with an acrylic rod to smooth the surface. That way there is no worry about the image distorting in the pasta machine.

Your polymer clay mokume gane veneer is now ready for use. 

Notes

If you’d like a thinner veneer simply pass it through your pasta machine again on a thinner setting. The pattern will be stretched a little but if you pass it through several times with a quarter turn each time distortion will be minimized.

Need a thicker sheet? Place your veneer on another sheet of clay and pass them through your machine together on your desired thickness.

When picking your colors save the darkest one for the thin layer that’s used to back the other four

Clay colors I used for this tutorial: Cernit Metallic Copper, Rich Gold, Rust, Champagne, and Antique Bronze mixed with Black

You now know how to do one of the many approaches to the polymer clay mokume gane technique!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, I’m happy to hear from you.