It started with an instructable for creating polymer clay bears to decorate jars of honey (Polymer Clay Bear Honey Jar Holder Gifts), and then expanded to even more gifts - Christmas Ornaments and a bookend. I asked some of my friends for their favorite Superhero and attempted to recreate them.

List of Bears in this Instructable

Ornament Bear 1: Captain America
Ornament Bear 2: Batman
Ornament Bear 3: Superman
Ornament Bear 4: Wonder Woman
Ornament Bear 5: Hulk
Ornament Bear 6: Mystic
Ornament Bear 7: Spiderman

Created Green Lantern, Flash, and Raven later.

Materials

Fimo Polymer Clay - I used white, tan/brown, green, fluorescent (for glow in the dark effect), red, translucent yellow, black and various other colors. From Joanne's (on sale for $1 each)

clay machine (or rolling pin) - From Joanne's (on sale for $9)

Acrylic paint - very small amount for painting after baking. From Hobby Lobby

Clay tools - I mostly use the one with the tapered ends and the needle point tools. From Hobby Lobby.

Ball tools - large ones bought from Michaels. Smaller ones are dotting tools used for nails and bought from amazon.

Varthane Polyurethane High Gloss - From Amazon

Wire - to create hanging pins for ornaments. From Joanne's. An eye pin would have worked better but I didn't have any on hand.

Step 1: Captain America Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions to create the basic bear but don't add the ears, eyes, or arms yet.
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Create Mask -

Roll a piece of blue clay through the clay machine on a thin setting.

Taking a circular cutter, cut a small round piece of the clay.

Trim a small rectangular piece from the circle of blue clay and add it to the head.
The cut out rectangular piece should sit around the muzzle.

Take small pieces of the blue clay and cover the entire head. Smooth the clay with your thumbs.

Using a small ball tool, create two small holes for the eyes through the blue mask. Add the ears and the eyes to the bear head.

Roll a very small piece of white clay and cut into 3 long pieces. Use the three pieces to shape an A and add it to the front of the helmet.

Body -

Cut a thin rectangular piece of blue clay and add it to the top of the body only. Blend the seams with your thumb.

Run a piece of white clay and then a piece of red clay through the clay machine on a fairly thin setting.

Cut the white clay into a rectangular piece to fit the bottom half of the body but don't add it to the body yet.

Cut the red clay into thin rectangular pieces and add it the the retangular white clay to make stripes. Trim overhanging edges.

Add the striped piece to the bottom half of the body.

Arms and feet -

Roll a small piece of blue clay into a cylinder. Roll small piece of red clay and add it to one end fo the blue cylinder piece.
Roll the two pieces gently to connect the hand to the arm.

Using an exacto knife, add fingers to the red hands. Add the arms to the body.

Roll 2 pieces of blue clay into a ball. Flatten one side of the ball to make feet and add it to the body. Taking an exacto knife, cut 2 lines to make the toes.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.

Step 2: Batman Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions to create the basic bear but don't add the ears, eyes, arms, feet, or legs yet.

Mask-

Run a piece of black clay through the clay machine on a thin setting.

Using a round cutter, cut a small round piece of the black clay. Wrap the round piece around the head, exposing only the muzzle.

Take small piece of black clay strips to cover the other exposed parts of the head and blend with your thumbs.

Using a small ball tool, create 2 holes for the eyes in the black mask.

Because the mask is black, use a different color for the eyes. Roll 2 very small pieces of green clay into a ball and insert it into the eye hole. Roll 2 smaller pieces of black clay into a ball for the pupils and add it to the green clay.

Roll a piece of black clay into a conical shape (slightly taped on one end) to make ears. Take the tapered clay tool and insert it lengthwise ontly the cylinder and roll it slightly to make the openings of the ears. Add the ears to the black mask.

Body -
Take a piece of the flattened black clay and cover the body. Taking an exacto knife, cut lines into the body to create 'abs'.

Take a small piece of yellow clay and roll into a ball. Flatten the yellow clay.
Roll a small piece of black clay and cut into 2 pieces. Bend both pieces of the black clay in half and add it to the yellow flattened clay to shape into a bat. Add the piece created to the body.

Arms -
Roll a piece of black clay into a thick cylinder and shape into hands and arms. Add to the body.

Cape -

Cut a piece of the flattened black clay into a rectangle.
Pleat one end of the cape (refer to picture) and add to the body.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.

Step 3: Superman Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions to create the basic bear.

Clothes -

Run a blue piece of clay through the clay machine using a thin setting.

Cut a rectangular piece of clay to cover the top half of the body. Cut small rectangular pieces to cover the arms.

Run a red piece of clay through the clay machine using a thin setting.

Cut a rectangular piece of clay to cover the top bottom of the body.

Cut a triangle out of a piece of flattened yellow clay. Roll a small piece of red clay into a sausage and shape into an S. Add the piece created to the bear's chest.

Cape -

Cut a larger rectangular piece of red clay to create the cape. Pleat the ends of one part of the cape (refer to picture) and add it to the body.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.

Step 4: Wonder Woman Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for creating a basic bear except do not add arms and feet yet.

Headband-

Run a piece of yellow clay through the clay machine on a thin setting.

Cut a small headband (refer to picture).

Roll a piece of red clay into long, thin sausage and cut into 5 very small pieces. Add the 5 pieces of clay to the headband in the shape of a star.

Add the headband to the head.

Body -

Run a piece of red clay through the clay machine on a thin setting. Cut a very thin strip and add it to the middle of the bear to create the bustier.

Run a piece of blue clay through the clay machine on a thin setting. Cut a very thin strip and add it to the bottom of the bear to create the pants.

Run a piece of yellow clay through the clay machine on a thin setting. Cut a very thin strip and add it between the red and blue clay to make a belt.

Roll a very small piece of yellow clay into a thin sausage and add it to the top (refer to picture). Use the Wonder Woman picture as a reference.

Hair -

Roll several long pieces of black clay into sausage shape. Attach to the head and blend using a ball tool. Continue add long rolled pieces of black clay for the hair. Use a needle clay tool to create striations in the hair and add texture.

Arms and feet -

Roll cylinderical pieces for the arms and attach it to the body above the red bustier.

Roll 2 small round pieces for the feet and attach to the body.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.

Step 5: Hulk Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions to create the basic bear except use green clay.
For the muzzle, use a small piece of white clay to mix in with the green clay to create a lighter shade.

Head-

Take the taper end tool and create a deep indentation for the mouth on the muzzle.

Roll a very small piece of translucent clay and add a strip to the top and bottom of the mouth for teeth.

Roll 2 small sausage pieces of black clay for the eyebrows and add it to the head.

Roll sausages of black clay to create tufts of hair and add to the head.

Pants -

Run a piece of black clay through the clay machine on a thin setting. Cut into a rectangular piece and add it to the bottom of the body for pants. Take a ball tool and create a line through the middle to create pant legs.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.

Step 6: Mystic Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions to create the basic bear except use blue clay and yellow for the eyes.

Using a lino cutter (bought from Hobby Lobby), create indentation in the clay on the face and body for scales.
Use the Mystic picture as a reference for creating the texture.

Roll long red pieces of clay and add to the head for hair. Smooth with a ball tool and create striations in the hair using a needle tool.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.

Step 7: Spiderman Bear

Follow Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions to create the basic bear except use red clay and don't add the arms yet.

Cut a thin, flat piece of blue clay and add it to the sides of the body. Follow the Spider Man picture as reference.

For the arms, take a small round piece of blue clay and sandwich it between to small pieces of red clay.
Roll it into a cylinder and shape the hands.

Attach arms to the body.

Roll 2 round pieces of red clay for the feet, flatten one side, and attach to the body. Cut 2 lines on the feet to create the toes.

Taking an exacto knife, cut lines of 'web' on the head and body. These will painted in later with black acrylic paint after baking.

Pin -

Take a piece of wire and create a loop at one end (if you don't have an eye pin). Insert the wire through the entire body and bend the tip at the bototm of the body (so the wire does not pull out).

Bake and Glaze. Refer to Step 1: Basic Bear Instructions for notes on baking and glazing.