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Styled context
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These are a matched, mirrored pair of large skull-shaped dangle earrings: a bright yellow skull body sitting on a hot-pink halftone-dot field, with cobalt-blue shadow blocks in the eye sockets, nose, and teeth, hung from gold-tone fish hook ear wires. The riso-poster look comes from that regular grid of pink dots reading as a print, not a hand-painted gradient. The drops are flat slabs, so the build is mostly clean graphic surface work on a thin even slab, then a careful mirrored cut and a light hanging assembly. Below you get a few proven ways to lay down the halftone graphic so you can pick what you already own, plus the shared finishing, finding, and bake steps.
A mirrored pair of large, flat skull-drop earrings in three-quarter view, one skull turned slightly left and the other slightly right. Each front shows a yellow skull body, a hot-pink halftone-dot pattern around the edges and cheeks, and deep cobalt-blue shadow blocks in the eye sockets, nasal cavity, and teeth. The matte surface keeps the graphic crisp and poster-like. Each drop hangs front-forward from a small gold bead and jump ring on a gold-tone fish hook ear wire, at lightweight statement scale.
Flat graphic-slab drop earrings. The front is the whole point: a halftone-dot print over a yellow skull on a pink field, with blue shadow accents. You can build that graphic by pulling a halftone silkscreen in acrylic paint, by debossing a dot-texture stamp and rubbing in color, or by cutting and applying clay shapes (a yellow skull over a pink halftone slab) so it is all clay. Whichever route, the constants are a thin even slab, a clean mirrored cut, a centered hole, a flat bake, smoothed edges, and a gold hook assembly.
Condition your clay and roll a thin, even slab on a pasta machine or between guide rails so the whole sheet is one thickness. For a clean back and a vibrant edge, layer a thin hot-pink slab over a thin white slab and roll them together gently so no air is trapped. A thin even slab is what keeps these big drops light on the ear and helps them bake without warping.
Pattern option A (silkscreen or stencil print): Lay a halftone skull silkscreen or stencil over the raw slab, squeegee a yellow layer for the skull body, then a cobalt-blue layer for the eye, nose, and teeth shadows, keeping the registration tight for the poster look. Peel the screen straight up and let the print dry fully before you cut, since a wet print drags and smears the dot edge.
Pattern option B (deboss the dots, then color): Dust a halftone-dot texture stamp or roller with cornstarch and press it straight down on the raw slab in one firm pass, no rocking, to emboss the dot grid. After baking, rub yellow and cobalt color into the recesses and wipe the high spots so the dots read. This is a good route if you want an all-physical surface instead of a flat print.
Pattern option C (all clay, cut-and-apply): Make a hot-pink halftone slab (press tiny yellow dots into a pink slab, or use a dot-pattern texture), then cut a yellow skull shape and lay it on top, brushing a thin film of liquid polymer clay under it so it fuses in the bake. Add small cobalt-blue clay shapes for the eye, nose, and teeth shadows. Roll lightly so everything sits flush before cutting the outline.
Make the mirrored pair: cut both skulls from the same slab with the same skull cutter so they match in size, then flip the second blank so the three-quarter view reflects the first, exactly like the photographed pair. Cutting from adjacent areas keeps the halftone field related across both earrings.
Pierce a clean hanging hole at the top center of each skull while the clay is still raw, keeping a generous margin of clay between the hole and the edge so it will not tear under the hook. Set both holes at the same height from the top so the finished pair hangs level, and confirm the mirror reads correctly before baking, since holes cannot be moved after curing.
Wipe any release powder off the raw blanks with a barely damp swab. Bake the skulls flat on a smooth ceramic tile lined with cardstock or parchment, following your clay brand's package temperature and time and checking the real oven temperature with a thermometer. The flat tile and paper keep the slabs from bowing and keep the backs matte. Let them cool fully before you touch them.
Once cool, wet-sand the cut edges through rising grits so they are rounded and do not feel sharp or catch hair. Keep the paper wet to hold the dust down and keep the edge moving so you round it rather than cutting a new flat. Cut clay edges are slightly sharp straight off the cutter, so this is what makes them comfortable to wear.
Choose your finish for the look you want and test it on baked scrap first. A thin water-based matte or satin coat keeps the riso-poster read and protects a printed or color-rubbed surface; a printed graphic especially benefits from a sealing coat so it does not rub. Build thin coats rather than one thick one; a water-based finish stays clear and is far less likely to go tacky than solvent or aerosol coats.
Attach the findings. For these light drops the most secure connection is a gold-tone jump ring through the pierced hole up to the fish hook. Open and close each jump ring by gripping it with two pliers and twisting the ends sideways past each other, never pulling them straight apart, which ovals the ring and leaves a gap the hook can slip through. If you ever choose a glued post instead of a pierced hook, score and alcohol-wipe the cured back and use a small amount of two-part epoxy or E6000, letting it reach full cure before wear.
Dry-fit the assembly and check that both skulls hang front-forward and level before you close the rings. Confirm the pair reads as a balanced mirror, then wear-test the hang briefly before relying on it for a full day.
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.
Before you buy, match the sizes and parts to the version you want to make.
The color stock and clay body choices that carry the visible design.
Matches the dominant hot-pink field behind the skull graphic.
Useful for the skull shapes and the brightest graphic contrast.
A firmer polymer clay ideal for crisp details, pixel grids, and canes to prevent distortion during slicing and assembly.
What you condition with and how you keep the slab even.
Stencils, blades, and cutters for cleaner outlines.
Hole placement, bake surface, and oven check tools.
Posts, jump rings, chain, and connectors that finish the piece.
Covers the blue shadow blocks that give the design its poster-like depth.
Matches the gold-tone hook read in the lifestyle image.
Needed for a clean hanging connection if you keep the plaques as separate drops.
Useful if you want the finished skulls to stay graphic and poster-like instead of glassy.
Needed for opening and closing jump rings cleanly during jewelry assembly.
Adhesives and attachment choices when the build needs them.
Optional surface products if you want to shift sheen, sand, or coat.
A lightweight clay with a cohesive suede finish that holds fine textures without sticky residue.
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.
Graphic skulls and other bold printed slabs stay cleaner when the clay slab is even, the screen seals tightly, and the silhouette gets cut only after the printed surface dries.
Your slab cracked at the edge, your cutter dragged, or one color distorted more than the rest. Condition until every color folds the same way, then do the fold test 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.
