How to make a nose using polymer clay

Is the following situation familiar to you? You have an image of your toy in your mind. You have the right yarn and the right tools. The only thing that bothers you is that you don't have a suitable nose in your stash to make the image of your softie complete and to fulfil the idea. Don't panic. Let’s make the nose using polymer clay! You will be able to shape it the way your pattern asks. And you don't have to search for the nearest craft shop and its working hours!

The tutorial below describes the nose that one of our designers, Tatiana Chirkova, makes for her realistic dogs.

Welsh teriier crochet pattern LiitleOwlsHut by Chirkova

However, you can always adapt this type of nose to any animal you’d happen to make, be it a bear or a raccoon.

Raccoon crochet pattern LittleOwlsHut by Ogol

We discussed that polymer clay has some safety guidelines on how to work with it.

Remember that each brand has its characteristics, so make sure you read all the instructions carefully before you start.

Let’s go back to making the nose.

First of all, you need:

black polymer clay
varnish
a metal loop for sewing the nose (you can make it out of a piece of wire or use an eye-hook pin or an eye-hook screw) or a glass eye with a loop for sewing (if needed)
a sewing pin, wooden skewer or a toothpick

As an option:

sandpaper (to remove any fingerprints or to make a texture)
acrylic paints (if you decide to change the color of the nose or to paint some areas with another color).

Let’s begin!

1. This step is optional. If you are not sure about the size and the shape of the nose your toy needs, make a template using a piece of paper or a piece of felt. This step is not very important. However, it can be really benificial to get the idea of approximate measurements and the final image of the toy.

2. Take a piece of polymer clay and carefully roll it into a ball. Check with your template if you use it.

3. Shape a triangle with rounded angles.

4. Take a metal loop if needed (or any material you use instead of it). Push it into the center back of the nose. If you are using an eye, make sure you carefully cover the pupil with polymer clay to seal it into the nose. The backside should be rather flat. If you plan to glue the nose, skip this step.

5. Make two nostrils with blunt end of a pin. You can use a wooden skewer or a toothpick instead. It depends on what you have at hand and the size of the nose.

6. Carefully tear the sides with sharp end of a pin.

7. Smooth the edges, so they don’t look too sharp.

8. Draw a vertical line down the center of the nose with the sharp end of a pin.

9. Make pores on the topside of the nose using a sharp end of a pin.

10. Make sure you read the instructions for your polymer clay. Our designers bake the nose in the oven at 130 ºC for up to 5 minutes. Let it cool.

11. Sometimes there are our fingerprints or some fibers on the polymer clay items. Don’t worry. You can use a fine sandpaper to remove it. Some designers use a rough sandpaper to add some texture to the nose. Wash the piece after that and let it dry. If you are not happy with the color or you have changed your mind while baking, you can paint the nose with any color you like. We recommend that you use acrylic paints.

12. When the nose gets dry, varnish it and put aside.

Now it’s time to attach the nose. If the muzzle of your toy is fluffy, brush up the tip of the muzzle in different directions.