Make a Polymer Clay Autumn Brooch with Canva

In this tutorial, we’ll turn an oak leaf and acorn graphic into a layered, textured polymer clay autumn brooch using techniques like mica shift and mokume gane.

I’ll be honest with you, my sketching skills leave much to be desired. I rarely sketch designs beforehand because I get frustrated with not being able to set down on paper what I have in mind. So in the spirit of making things easier on myself, I’ll often head over to Canva for a little help and inspiration. I use the graphics library for shape templates, the photos library for my color recipes inspiration, and even browse patterns when I’m dreaming up new cane designs.

This time around I grabbed an acorn graphic and paired it with an oak leaf graphic to create a whimsical fall-inspired brooch. If you’re craving an easy, low-stress project to lean into the autumn vibes, this one’s for you. Zero sketching required.

What Makes This Polymer Clay Autumn Brooch Unique

• Digital templates FTW: No stressing over unsatisfactory sketches, just smart use of Canva’s graphics. Whether you’re going for something seasonal or something you can wear all year, Canva’s free graphics are full of ideas. (And if you’ve got a paid account, your inspiration pool just got even bigger.)
• Two textures, one tool: I love my texture sheets and rollers, but this time I reached for a coarse texture sponge instead, and wow, it brought both the mica shift and mokume gane to life. One tool, two gorgeous effects.
• Custom color recipes: This brooch features the Harvest Moon Bounty palette. If you’re looking to switch it up try Autumn Brew for a classic autumn vibe or select a few shades from Shadowroot Garden for some moody elegance.

Tools & Materials

• Non-porous work surface — I work on either glazed tile or glass
• 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 bit more elbow grease
• Polymer clay — I’ve used four colors from the Harvest Moon Bounty palette + a little Cernit Gold Metallic clay for the mica shift acorn
• Texture sponges — I use this set
• Sharp blade — grab your sharpest blade for shaving off a thin layer of clay for both mica shift and mokume gane
• Parchment paper and burnishing tool
• Paper template — grab my template here
• Craft knife
• Glazed tile for baking
• Liquid polymer clay
• Needle tool
• Sculpting tool (optional)
• Brooch pin
• Super glue
• Wet/dry sandpaper

How to Make a Polymer Clay Autumn Brooch

Step 1 – Create the Mica Shift Acorn

Condition some metallic gold clay well and sheet it on the thickest setting (No. 0). Run the clay, along with a coarse texture sponge, through the pasta machine on setting No. 2.

Shave off a thin layer from the top of the clay. Cover it with a sheet of parchment paper and burnish. Run the sheet through the pasta machine on setting No. 2, give it a quarter turn, and run it through again on setting No. 3.

At this point, I found I still had small holes in the sheet from the deep texture. To make it completely smooth, I added a backing sheet of gold clay rolled out on setting No. 5, then ran the clay through the pasta machine starting on the thickest setting and going down to setting No. 3, turning the clay a quarter turn each time.

Lightly burnish the mica shift veneer onto a glazed tile. Use the acorn template and a craft knife to cut out the acorn shape.

Step 2 – Make the Mokume Gane Oak Leaf

Sheet the Apple Blossom Cream, Cider Blush, and Butternut Gold clays on setting No. 3. Cut out a square (I used a 1 ¼-inch cutter) from each sheet and stack them together.

Run the stack through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Cut the sheet in half, stack the halves together, and run it through again. Repeat one more time.

As with the gold clay, run the sheet along with a coarse sponge through the pasta machine on setting No. 2, shave off a thin layer, burnish, and run it through the pasta machine again to setting No. 3.

Again, my clay wasn’t completely smooth, it still had small holes left from the sponge texture. Just as I did with the mica shift sheet, I backed this one with gold clay rolled out on setting No. 5 and ran the two sheets through the pasta machine from setting No. 0 to No. 3. Skip this step if your sheet is already large enough for your leaf. If you have any small holes left, they’ll blend in with the texture sponge marks in the next step anyway.

Run the sheet through the pasta machine one last time on setting No. 3 with a finer texture sponge.

Place the mokume gane sheet on a glazed tile alongside the acorn and cut out an oak leaf.

Note: I made two brooches at the same time. You only need one acorn and one leaf to make this polymer clay autumn brooch.

Bake for 45 minutes at the recommended temperature for your brand of clay.

I find it’s easier to sand the acorn at this point, rather than as a last step, so do that now if you prefer.

Step 3 – Add Details: Leaf Veins and Acorn Cap

Roll out thin snakes of Cellar Twilight clay and attach vein details with a little liquid clay. I found it helpful to lightly sketch the placement on the leaf with a pencil beforehand.

Roll out a piece of Cellar Twilight on setting No. 3 and cut out an acorn cap using the template. Attach the cap to the acorn with a thin layer of liquid clay.

Add texture to the acorn cap using a sculpting tool. If you don’t have one, a craft knife or needle tool works too.

After texturing the cap, check the back of the acorn to see if it needs trimming. If so, carefully trim the excess with a craft knife.

Step 4 – Assemble the Brooch Front

Sheet a piece of the Cellar Twilight clay on setting No. 3 and burnish onto a glazed tile.

Place the leaf on the clay and use a needle tool to trace the outline of the leaf. Remove the leaf, cut along the traced line with a craft knife, and remove the clay the leaf had been sitting on.

Put the leaf back on the tile and snug it up to the clay. 

Position the acorn how you’d like it and use the needle tool to trace an outline again. Cut along the line with a craft knife.

Smear a thin layer of liquid clay on the back of the acorn and set it back in place, pressing gently.

Bake again for 45 minutes.

Step 5 – Add the Backing and Finishing Touches

Glue a brooch pin to the back of the brooch.

Sheet a piece of Cellar Twilight clay on setting No. 6 and press the brooch pin into the clay to mark the length. Use a blade or craft knife to make cuts in the clay for placing over the pin.

Smear a thin layer of liquid clay over the back of the brooch and cover with the sheet of Cellar Twilight clay. Use a texture sponge to texture the entire back of the brooch, making sure the clay is well adhered and the seam is invisible.

Now, you’ve got some options for the final finishing touch.

Option 1 – dab a little liquid clay around the edges of the brooch and wrap the backing clay around. You’ll have to make cuts in several places to fit the clay and get all the edges wrapped. Trim the excess with a craft knife.

Option 2 – Trim the backing clay flush with edges by running around the brooch. Cut strips of Cellar Twilight, rolled out on setting No. 6 or 7 to match the depth of the brooch sides. Dab the edges of the brooch with liquid clay and add the clay strips keeping them carefully aligned with the front of the brooch. Use the texture sponge to blend the edging strips into the backing clay. This option is slightly more fiddly than the first but I preferred the result as it looks cleaner since no clay sticks to the leaf texture.

Option 3 – forgo the edging and simply trim the backing clay flush with the edges. This is the easiest and quickest option, however, it’s missing the final detail of the outline. I really like the outline detail but if you think it doesn’t need it then definitely go for this option. Two and three will test your patience.

Bake a final time for 45 minutes. I used a clean kitchen sponge to rest my brooch on, face-down, while it was in the oven but setting it on a sheet of paper will work too.

After baking, add a little Renaissance Wax to the acorn, if you’ve got it, and buff to a shine.

Make It Yours – Variations and Ideas

• Shrink the template and make a pair of earrings.
• Add an extra leaf or acorn to your brooch.
• Sneak a layer of gold clay into your mokume gane stack for extra shimmer. Skip the second sponge texture, sand, and buff to make that shimmer pop.
• Browse my collection of color recipes for alternative color combinations or create your own palette.
• Experiment with different textures for the mica shift and mokume gane layers.
• Head over to Canva and design your own unique version using their graphics library.

Conclusion

Whether your drawing skills peaked at stick figures or you’re just short on time, this polymer clay autumn brooch proves that creativity doesn’t need a pencil. A little digital help and some seasonal flair will do just fine.

So go ahead and raid your clay stash, grab that coarse sponge, and give this brooch a go. I’d love to see your versions, so don’t forget to tag me over on Instagram @bysandracallander.