Polymer Clay Fish Sculpture Tutorial

Step 1:
Make Skinner blend sheets at the thickest setting on your pasta machine or cut slices from skinner blend blocks.  These are small sheets.  Just 1.5" X 1.5".  You will need two sheets of each color.  This you tube video shows how to make these block blends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtxXtbd2vaw

Step 2:
Layer the sheets so that the dark and light ends are together.

Step 3:
Make two jelly roll canes.  One cane will start rolling with the solid colors.  The other cane will start the roll along the blends.

Step 4:
Form a fish body.  For this one I used a ball of clay 1.6" in diameter.

Step 5:
Use the jelly roll with the color gradient to layer slices on the body like scales.  Start at the tail and work towards the head.

Step 6:
Flatten the other jelly roll cane.  Slice it in half.  Sack the layers and repeat until you have a very short block cane with as many layers as you want.

Step 7:
Cut slices from the layered cane.  Gather and squish one end of each slice to make the fins and tail.

Step 8:
Cut slits into the body of the fish to insert the fins.  I learned this trick from a fellow member of the Tucson Polymer Clay Guild.  If there is someone else I need to cite please let me know!

Step 9:
Add eyes and a mouth.

Here are some variations.