Fimo toadstool tutorial.

Hi all :)

I know there are many crafters out there who have spare Fimo polymer clay hanging around the craft room. A real easy little project is a Fimo toadstool, these can be used for displays, or as a great addition to a fairy garden for the kids. So i have done a basic tutorial with some pics to get you there.

First you need some Fimo, i used the Fimo Classic here....this was a light flesh colour, but any of the lighter colours will do.....



Cut off 1/4th of it, that's all you need for a toadstool of this size...

.

You now need to make two balls of equal size. To do this, just cut your piece in two before you start rolling the balls......cheers for that tip Maddy! :)



Then roll the two balls......one will be your stem, and the other your top.



Take the first ball, and roll it into a sausage shape.....



Then taking an end in each hand between the fingers, twist it alternating ways (one end forwards whilst the other twists backwards......apologies if that sounds like i'm teaching anyone to suck eggs, believe me when i say i need to make it clear so that I can remember it!!! :)

Now you have your twisted stem. You don't have to have a twist in it, in fact i'm not sure that real toadstools do at all.....i just like it!



So that's your stem done. Put it to one side and take your second ball of clay. Flatten it with the pad of your finger/thumb until it's quite flat, about 3 or 4 mm.



Now to mark the underside with the toadstools gills....i just marked a dot in the middle as a guide, then pressed with the blade of a craft knife to get the markings. Tip, if you find it hard spacing the lines out properly, mark a cross, then half the segments in that, then half the segments again......and so on. It doesn't have to be perfect though......have you ever seen a toadstool that was?



Turn it over, then for added effect, i cut small chips into the edge of the toadstool...



Next take the toadstool roof, and press the edges slightly to thin out the rounded edges. You can use two hands for this, one to hold, one to press. I just couldn't as i had to take a piccy!



That's the roof done......now push the stem up into the centre of the roof. Do this firmly enough to make it stick, but gentle enough not to go through the top. Hey presto....one Fimo toadstool!!!



Please do not fret if you think it looks rubbish at this stage, once it's gone hard and you have added some colour later, it looks so much better! Really brings out the realism to it.

Now go and stick it in the oven. I did mine for 30 mins at Gas Mark half, or 110 degrees F/240 degrees C. Once done, let it cool thoroughly.

Time to give it some colour. Below are the colours i used. A Dark Moss and charcoal Colourbox ink, and a Fired Brick and Tea Dye Distress ink pad. These were applied with a standard 1/2in paint brush i found in my shed. Oh yes...only the best tools for Calv! :)



First off, i applied the Dark Moss to the stem. I just jabbed the brush into the ink pad, then flicked the brush around the stem rather than "painted it. This ensured any little nooks and cranny's were coloured.



Then i turned it over and did the underside in Charcoal ink...



I just gave the edge a little ink too......



Lastly, colour the top. I used two layers of colour on this one, Tea Dye first then after a quick dry with a heat gun, i brushed it with Fired Brick to give it a reddish hint.
So there you go.......one finished toadstool!



The underside......



Thanks for taking a look at this, it is on my blog here too. It really is a simple piece to make, even my ten year old made one to this standard with only verbal input from me. I would love it if you could pass this method on to anyone who is new to Fimo, and if that someone was a little one, it would make it all the more special. :)