I love the idea of adding a touch of sparkle to polymer clay designs, but I wasn’t sure if it’s possible to add glitter to polymer clay, and if so, how it should be done.
There are two main ways to add glitter to polymer clay:
- Add heat resistant glitter to conditioned clay before baking it.
- Apply glitter to baked clay by glazing the clay, attaching glitter to the glaze and then applying one or two coats of glaze to seal it.
There is a third option, which is to buy glitter clay, but this can be more expensive than making your own, especially if you only require a small amount of glitter clay.
But, if you’re in a hurry and just want to buy some glitter polymer clay, then check out the huge selection of colours available here.
There are so many different options available for glitter and clay that it can be tricky to know where to start. That’s why I’ve tested a whole range of glitter and clay combinations to find out the quickest, easiest and cheapest way of adding glitter to polymer clay, without compromising results.
Below I test and break down the types of glitter and techniques you can try.
What Types Of Glitter Can You Add To Polymer Clay?
All of the glitters below can be used used with translucent or coloured polymer clay and liquid polymer clay:
- Glass glitter
- Craft glitter
- Bio glitter
- Body glitter
The glitters can be used with polymer clay in the following ways:
- Included in polymer clay before baking.
- Applied to the surface of polymer clay before baking.
- Applied to the surface of baked polymer clay.
There’s more information about these types of clay and techniques further down the page.
But for now, I’ve broken down the types of glitter and the results you can expect when including it in polymer clay:
| Type of glitter | What is it? | What results can you expect? | Where to buy |
| Glass glitter | Glass | Very fine so ideal for any project but some colours may tarnish as some types are coated in silver. Not suitable for children as individual pieces can often be sharp. | Check price |
| Large glitter flakes | Plastic | Large flakes of confetti glitter can protrude from clay so not ideal for miniature projects. Some types of polyester glitter may curl, peel off or melt when baked. | Check price |
| Craft glitter | Plastic | Very cheap craft glitter may curl or melt when baked, so experiment with small batches. | Check price |
| Bio glitter | Plant-based | Plant-based glitter bakes fine, but it does tend to have smaller flakes than plastic glitter so doesn’t have such a sparkly effect. | Check price |
| Body and nail glitter | Plastic | Glitter made for nail art is usually fine to bake in the oven but with body glitter, you’ll need to experiment. Some body glitter is plant-based so expect slightly duller results than with plastic glitter. | Check price |
| Glitter glue | Plastic | Glitter glue bubbles when baked and the glitter coverage is actually quite sparse so it’s best avoided. | Check price |
How To Use Glitter With Polymer Clay
Adding Glitter To Polymer Clay Before Baking
When it comes to adding glitter to polymer clay, as a general rule, the more glitter you use (and the bigger the particles), the more sparkles you’ll get. However, if you add too much glitter to polymer clay, it can be very difficult to get a smooth surface to your clay.
- To start, break off a section of polymer clay and condition it as normal.
- When it’s ready, roll out the clay, either through a machine or with a rolling pin.
- Spread glitter all over the surface of the clay.
- Fold the clay in half and roll it again, adding more glitter before every fold to get the level of sparkles you want.
- Do this several times until the glitter is spread evenly throughout the clay.
- Then mould the clay any way you want for your final design.
In the photo below, I used approx, 1.5 tea spoons of bio glitter and added this to a marble-sized chunk of clay. It’s quite hard to see in the image but the end result was a smooth piece of clay with a slight sparkle.
In this photo below, I added a 1.5 teaspoons of plastic glitter to a marble size ball of clay. The clay was definitely more sparkly, but it also felt much rougher to the touch.
I appreciate these images aren’t great, so I did a super short video to hopefully give you a better idea of the results…
I added confetti glitter to this piece of clay before baking it and as you can see, the results are not pretty!
Using glitter glue with polymer clay is also a bad idea, as you can see, it bubbled, expanded and looked pretty ugly by the time I took it out of the oven.
TOP TIP: To prevent the glitter from scratching your pasta machine (something which can happen with glass glitter in particular), put the clay in between two sheets of wax paper before rolling it. This will also prevent annoying flakes of glitter from sticking to the pasta machine.
Applying Glitter To The Surface Of Polymer Clay Before Baking
Applying glitter to the surface of polymer clay tends to create a more striking effect in terms of sparkle intensity than when it’s included in the clay.
If you prefer to add glitter to the surface of the clay then simply sprinkle on the glitter to the area, or apply it with a brush to where you want sparkles. It’s easier to do this after moulding your clay to the design you want.
If you want all-over coverage, then simply roll or press your design into the glitter before baking it.
However you choose to apply your glitter, it can be very messy. So to minimise mess and waste, apply glitter to your polymer clay in a small box or even a muffin case so you can catch any glitter and stop it going everywhere.
Once your clay is baked, leave it to harden and then add a thin layer of glaze to two to seal any stray flakes of glitter and to guard against wear and tear.
Here is the result of add bio glitter and plastic glitter to polymer clay after baking and then sealing the clay with Sculpey Glaze Glossy.
Bio glitter on polymer clay.
Plastic glitter on polymer clay.
Applying Glitter To Polymer Clay After Baking
You can of course add glitter to your polymer clay after baking it.
To do this, once the clay is cool, add glaze to the area of the clay you want to sparkle and then immediately apply glitter to the glazed area, either with a brush or by pressing or rolling the clay in glitter.
Let the glitter dry for at least a couple of hours and then remove any excess glitter by gently shaking your model. Then apply a second coat of glaze. If you apply the second coat of glaze too quickly, you can end up moving the glitter around the surface of your model and creating an uneven finish.
If you don’t want the colour of the polymer clay to show through the glitter then make sure you colour match the glitter and clay as closely as possible.
This video shows an excellent walk through of how to add glitter to polymer clay once it’s been baked.
How Do You Seal Glitter On Polymer Clay?
If you’ve used glitter on any craft project before then you’ll know that if it’s not sealed properly it will shed and create a horrendous mess.
To prevent this from happening, use a glaze to seal the glitter on your polymer clay. If you’ve added the glitter into to the clay, you’ll probably only need to add one layer of glaze after the clay has cooled.
If you’ve added glitter on top of the clay then you’ll probably need more than one layer of glaze to fully seal the glitter.
Apply a thin coat of glaze to your glitter once it’s cooled down. After at least two hours, shake off any excess glitter and then add a second coat of glaze, and then wait another two hours before adding a third coat.
The same approach applies if you’ve added glitter after baking your polymer clay, glaze your model three times, removing excess glitter and leaving at least two hours between each coat of glaze.
Conclusion
After testing a variety of option, for me, bio glitter or craft glitter are the best options for using with polymer clay.
Both glitter and plastic craft glitter are affordable and safe to bake in the oven and offer similar results. The only caveat is that bio glitter can look less sparkly than plastic glitter when added to clay and used on top of clay.
Bio glitter is more eco friendly than plastic glitter, but as we’re adding it to plastic based clay, this is a bit of a moot point. However, bio glitter is safer for the environment if it ends up either down your sink or in the bin.
Further Questions
Can You Buy Polymer Clay With Glitter Already In It?
Yes, if you want to avoid the mess of adding glitter to polymer clay, you can by pre-glittered clay, such as products in the Fimo Effects range. These are priced at around £2.70 per 56g block and are a good choice if you want guaranteed even coverage for your glitter. However, they don’t give you the flexibility of colour and sparkle intensity that adding your own glitter can.
Can You Paint Onto Glitter Polymer Clay?
You can, but don’t paint directly onto glitter before glazing it as the surface will be uneven. Instead, wait until you’ve applied at least two layers of glaze before painting.
Another option for a super-neat finish is to create the features you want to paint onto the clay, out of clay and attach them with superglue. For example, adding a smily face to a design.