These are simple (hopefully) instructions on how to make a polymer clay dragon pendant. They are simple but do require some fine motor skills for some parts. Making this does require baking and sharp instruments so take care.

Step 1: Ingredients

These are simple (hopefully) instructions on how to make a polymer clay dragon pendants. They are simple but do require some fine motor skills for some parts. Making this does require baking and sharp instruments so take care.

Make to learn youth contest questions

What did you make?

I made polymer clay dragon pendants. I used Polymer clay (Sculpey), wire, tin foil, wire cutters, tissue blade, tooth picks, an oven. I had made these a while ago and found them in my room and I thought I would make them again. I have made these for my family and friends as presents and for myself the wear as well.

How did you make it?

I got the idea for this by reading a book my mom had gotten me on how to make these. I had found the instructions difficult so I made my own way to make them. When I first made them I had my mom help me but this time I did it on my own. My ideas did not change much going through I just had new ideas for what designs to use.

Where did you make it?

I made these at home. This project connects to other parts of my life because I do lots of crafts and art anyway. Both me and my mom do crafts for fun.

What did you learn?

I did not learn much making these a second time. I learned more from making an instructable on how to make them. It made me realize how many steps there are in making such a small product. If I made these again I work try to find a way to make them stronger because I keep having the ears break off.

Step 2: Body

Start with working the clay into a ball the size of the quarter. You may have to kneed it for a while to get it soft. Start to roll the ball into a cylinder. Roll it out so it is about 15 cm long with one end bigger and the other really small. Next, use your finger to make a grove around the larger end the distance from the end that you want your head to be. The last thing in this step is to form the head. There are many styles try a few out to find the one you like. Make two small indents where the eyes will go.

Step 3: Face

The face is the part of the dragon that gives it the personality so take lots of time making it right. The eyes can sometimes be hard to get right because they are small and you need to make two that look the same. If you don't want to deal with making eyes you can get around it with using glass seed beads. But back to making eyes, the first thing is to get small pieces of white and smaller pieces of black. The best way to do this is to roll out black and white and then use the tissue blade to cut it. Roll these pieces into balls and squish them together. You can make eyes with different colors or inverse them. Lightly place them in the head to find where they will go. The next thing is to make the eyebrows. Make two small cylinders and tapper the ends. Place these above the eyes. Mess around with them for a while because they give your dragon more emotion. The next feature in this step is to make the nose. This is very simple to do, just use a tooth pick to make two holes. The mouth is the last thing to do in this step. Simply roll a tooth pick across the front of the head to form a groove. Add any features like teeth or tongues.

Step 4: Ears and Position

Now to do the other head features. The ears are a little hard so make a few and see which ones match. follow the steps below to make them. When attaching the ears put a small piece of wire in them so they don't break as easily. If you add horns put wire in them as well. Now curl your dragon into a position you like. Try out a few before deciding.

Step 5: Hands and Loop

These next few things are not needed but make your dragon look better. Follow the steps below to make hands. To attach use a wire about 2 cm. You don't need to use wire if the hands wrap around something. Now is your chance to add any other features that you want like spine patterns. Make a double loop out of wire and stick into your dragon. If you don't like how the loop looks you can flatten out some clay and lay it over. Another way to hide it is to make wings and place them over. You can even get away with no loop if you use wings and attach well at the top. If you make smaller dragons you can make them into earrings. Just before baking use a tooth pick and make sure every thing it attached. The back does not have to look nice no one will see it. Now bake following the instructions on the package of clay. I have found it bakes better if you but it on a ceramic tile and tin foil. To make sure it is done smell it and it should not smell like the fresh clay. Make sure not to over cook because it will discolor.

Step 6: Finished

Now you are finished bask in the glory of your dragon. Now that you know how to make dragon pendants you can make them for you friends and family. I hope you have found this helpful. Please post pics of your dragons.