The pictures began as AI-assisted concept images and are here for inspiration. The steps are a guide to making your own version, so change the colours, size or details as you like. Clay brands, ovens, glues, finishes and hardware behave differently, so follow their product instructions and bake a scrap before a batch. Some product links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check listing details, dimensions, materials, and fit before you buy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosures
These are a matched pair of flat pixel-heart dangles: a bright acid-yellow stepped heart with a hot-pink stepped heart layered on top, hanging from a silver ball-post stud on a short cable chain. The look lives in the crisp stair-step corners and the two clean color layers, so the build is really about cutting both hearts the same and keeping the pink centered. Cut the left and right from one slab so they match, flip one for a true mirror, and set both hanging holes at the same height before baking. Bake flat so the thin plaques stay flat, round the edges, then add a light gloss on the pink to get that wet sprite shine.
A mirrored pair of flat, game-sprite hearts. Each one is a bright acid-yellow stepped outer heart with an even border, and a hot-pink stepped heart inset on top so a thin yellow frame shows all the way around. The pink center carries a high-gloss wet shine while the yellow border reads slightly softer. Both hang front-facing from a small silver ball-post stud, linked by a short silver cable chain and a jump ring through a hole at the top notch of the heart. Thin flat plaques, crisp stair-step corners, no doming.
Lookbook view
This is a two-layer pixel (stepped color-block) slab earring: a hot-pink stepped heart applied to a yellow stepped heart base. The pixel sprite shape can be made several ways, a stepped heart cutter, a hand-cut cardstock template traced with a blade, or a built pixel tile slab. Either way you bond pink to yellow with a thin film of liquid clay, cut both earrings from one evenly rolled slab and flip one for a mirror, bake flat, smooth the edges, gloss the pink, then hang from a ball-post stud on a short cable chain.
Condition the yellow and the hot-pink clay separately until smooth, using one brand for both so they roll and bake the same. FIMO Professional keeps the stair-step corners crisp, or chill a Sculpey Premo slab briefly before cutting.
Roll one even yellow slab between slab-height guide rails so the whole slab is one thickness, and roll a slightly thinner pink slab the same way. Keep both thin so the finished pair stays light on the ear.
Cut the yellow stepped hearts. Pattern option A - press a stepped pixel-heart cutter straight down and lift clean. Pattern option B - lay a cardstock heart template on the slab (dust it with cornstarch so it releases) and trace the stair-step outline with a tissue blade or craft knife. Pattern option C - build a pixel tile slab from small uniform yellow squares, roll it flush, then cut the heart from it.
Make a matched mirrored pair: cut both yellow hearts with the same cutter or template from adjacent areas of the one slab so they are the same size, then flip the second heart over so the pair reflects. Cut the two smaller pink hearts the same way.
Brush a very thin film of clear liquid polymer clay onto the back of each pink heart, center it on a yellow base leaving an even yellow frame all around, and press gently so it seats flush. Keep the layer thin so the plaque stays light and the foot does not lift.
Mark the hanging holes before baking. With a needle tool, pierce a clean hole at the top notch of each heart at the same distance from the top edge on both, keeping a generous clay margin between the hole and the edge so it will not tear. Confirm the pair reads as a balanced mirror, since holes cannot move after curing.
Bake the hearts flat on a smooth ceramic tile lined with parchment, at your clay brand's package temperature and time, with an oven thermometer to confirm the real temperature. The flat bed and a paper layer keep the thin plaques from warping and the backs matte.
Let the hearts cool fully, then wet-sand the edges through rising grits, keeping the paper wet, and keep the edge moving so you round it rather than cutting a new flat. Rounded edges feel comfortable against the neck and will not catch hair.
Test your gloss on a baked scrap of the same clay first to confirm it dries clear and not tacky. Then brush a few thin coats of a water-based gloss over the pink (and the whole front if you want) to get the wet sprite shine. Several thin coats stay crisper on the stepped edge than one thick one.
Attach the hardware the most secure way for a dangle: open a small jump ring sideways with two pliers (twist one end toward you and one away, never pull straight apart), thread it through the heart's top hole, add the short cable chain, and connect the chain to the loop on the ball-post stud. Twist the rings closed until the ends sit flush.
Dry-fit both earrings hanging from the studs and check that the hearts sit front-facing and level before you close every ring. If one tilts, the hole height or the ring run is off.
Metal findings like posts, hooks, and jump rings may contain nickel or other allergens. If your wearer has sensitive skin, choose surgical steel or titanium findings and test any sealant or coating on a small spot before wearing.
What you will need
Before you buy, match the sizes and parts to the version you want to make.
Matches the inner heart color that does most of the visual work.
Useful for the full stepped border and the top hanging tab.
A firm clay for the yellow and pink stepped hearts, so the stair-step corners stay crisp when you cut and layer them.
Matches the silver stud tops visible in both images.
Lets you recreate the short connector run between the stud and the heart.
Needed for opening and closing jump rings cleanly during jewelry assembly.
Useful when the reference uses short chain runs between the stud, charm, or drop section.
Tick what you already have, then get only what is missing.
Helps you roll one even sheet before cutting both hearts from the same setup.
Roll every sheet to the same calibrated thickness with the ClayBake slab height guides.
Use it on the stepped border and the small top notch.
Makes it easier to pierce the top hole before baking without tearing the tab.
A lightweight clay with a cohesive suede finish that holds fine textures without sticky residue.
Optional extras for a different finish, size or fix.
Useful for checking the real shelf temperature before baking detailed or supported polymer clay pieces.
Gives flat pieces and small sculpted parts a stable baking surface so they cure without twisting.
A polymer-clay-compatible glaze option for a glossy finish. Test it on baked scrap before using it on the finished piece.
Each one walks through a technique used in this piece, in full detail.
Your cutters shape each piece, but you place every colour layer by hand. Lift thin layers on a flat blade, line each one up before any pressure, then press the stack lightly through parchment.
Choose the top connection from the front view first, then keep the attachment short and balanced. Compare visible loop-tops, flat pads, short ring paths, and balance-line marks on a sample before you make the final pair.
Get every clay colour to the same softness, roll each layer to its measured thickness on a tile, and let warm clay firm up before you cut.
Custom range
Ask for a build pack to make it yourself (the cutter or tool files, a supply list, and a plan), or ask the studio to make the finished pieces for you.
More pieces with a related form, finish, or making path.
Pin it to a board, copy the link, or keep it saved here while you make your own version.
Tag Clay Bake Studio on Instagram or TikTok so we can see how you adapted it.
