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 flat, glossy yellow pixel cat-face dangle earrings: each face has stair-step pointed ears with hot-pink inner ears, hot-pink sparkle pixels at the outer eye corners, closed black crescent eyes, a small pink nose and mouth, and one white forehead highlight pixel. They hang front-forward from a silver ball-stud post by a short jump ring through a centered hole in the yellow above the face. Treat them as placed pixel slabs, not sculpted heads. Build the yellow base first so the grid lines up, cut both faces as a mirrored pair, add the color blocks while the slab is flat, pierce the hole before baking, and assemble the hardware after the clay cools.
A matched mirrored pair of flat, glossy yellow cat-face drops with stair-step pixel edges. Each face shows two pointed ears with hot-pink stair-step inner ears, a hot-pink sparkle pixel at each outer eye corner, closed black crescent eyes, a small pink nose with a short pink-and-black happy mouth, and a single white forehead highlight pixel. A wide stepped jaw finishes the base. Both hang front-forward from a silver ball-stud post through a single short silver jump ring at a centered top hole. Pure flat color blocks, no glitter or mica.
Lookbook view
A placed pixel color-block slab on a yellow base face. You can build the pattern three proven ways: lay cut pixel tiles onto a yellow backing slab (most forgiving at this scale), cut and apply flat color fields freehand from a printed cat-face map, or build a pixel cat-face cane, slice it, and back it with yellow. All three end the same way: cut both faces as a mirror, keep the slab flat, save the black mouth pixel for last, pierce a reinforced top hole before baking, bake flat, round the edges, and hang from a silver ball stud with a jump ring through the pierced hole.
Condition the yellow, hot-pink, black, and white clay separately, all from one brand at the same firmness so they roll and fuse evenly. Roll an even yellow slab on a pasta machine or between guide rails; a thin, even slab keeps the pair light on the ear and bakes without warping.
Cut the matched pair from that one yellow slab so the sizes match. Cut the first cat-face blank with two stair-step pointed ears and a wide stepped jaw, then cut the second and flip it over so the design mirrors the first. Cutting both from the same slab and flipping one is what turns two shapes into a true left-and-right pair.
Pattern option A (placed pixel tiles, most forgiving): roll thin pink, black, and white slabs, cut small uniform square pixels on a gridded mat, and lay them edge to edge onto each yellow face for the inner ears, the eye-corner sparkles, the eyes, the nose, and the highlight. Press them level and roll lightly so the seams close and the surface stays flat.
Pattern option B (cut-and-applied color fields): from a printed cat-face map, cut the pink inner-ear, sparkle, and nose shapes and the black eye and mouth shapes freehand with a craft knife, then seat each flush onto the yellow face. Dust the blade or template lightly with cornstarch so it releases cleanly and does not drag the edges.
Pattern option C (pixel cane): stack and reduce a small cat-face cane, rest it a day so it firms, chill it a few minutes, then slice thin even sections with a sharp blade and back each slice with a thin yellow slab. Roll lightly to fuse before cutting the final silhouette. This repeats the exact pattern on both earrings.
Whichever option you used, wipe the raw contact surfaces with a damp cotton swab to clear dust or release powder, then press the parts together. Save the short black mouth pixel and the tiny white forehead highlight for last and press each one level with the yellow so the face stays flat and crisp.
Refine the stepped silhouette with a sharp blade so the corners stay square. Pierce one hanging hole at the top center, in the yellow above the face rather than through an ear, leaving a generous wall of clay between the hole and the edge so it will not tear out under wear. Set the hole at the same height on both blanks before baking, since cured holes cannot be moved.
Bake the pair flat on a ceramic tile lined with cardstock or parchment, at your clay brand's package temperature and time, with an oven thermometer to confirm the real temperature. Let the pieces cool fully on the tile so they set flat.
Once cool, wet-sand the edges through rising grits (around 400, then 600, then 800 to 1000), keeping the paper wet and the edge moving so you round it rather than cutting a new flat. A rounded edge will not feel sharp or catch hair. Buff to a soft sheen, or brush a thin water-based polyurethane glaze in a couple of light coats if you want more shine.
Finding option 1 (jump ring through the pierced hole, the match for this dangle): clean the silver ball-stud loop and jump ring, open the ring by twisting the ends sideways with two pliers, thread it through the pierced top hole and the front-facing stud loop, then twist it closed until the ends meet flush. Opening sideways keeps the ring round and strong.
Finding option 2 (embed a wire loop before baking): if you prefer no drilled hole, trim an eye pin, kink or curl the buried end so the clay grips it, sink that end into a slit at the top center of the raw face, snug the clay around it, and bake. The exposed loop then takes the jump ring to the stud.
Finding option 3 (glue a flat-pad post for a stud version): for a stud rather than a dangle, bake the face, let it cool, sand a small spot of the cured back to bare clay and lightly roughen the metal pad, wipe both with 99% isopropyl alcohol, then press a flat-pad post on with a small dot of gel super glue and wait the full label cure time before wear. A small dot grips better than too much.
Dry-fit the assembled pair and confirm both faces hang front-forward and level, with the holes at matching height, before treating them as ready to wear.
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.
Covers almost the entire cat face and sets the overall sprite shape.
Needed for the ears, cheeks, and nose blocks.
Useful for the eyes and mouth pixels that make the expression work.
Only a small amount is needed for the forehead highlight square.
A firm clay for the yellow cat faces and the pink ears and cheeks, so the stair-step ears stay crisp. It also slices clean if you build the face as a small cane.
Matches the silver stud tops visible in the product and lifestyle images.
Lets you recreate the short drop connection above each cat face.
Tick what you already have, then get only what is missing.
Helps you keep the yellow face blank even before you add the tiny feature blocks.
Roll every sheet to the same calibrated thickness with the ClayBake slab height guides.
Makes it easier to trim the stepped cheeks, ears, and jaw without softening the corners.
Helpful for piercing the top hole before cure and nudging the tiny face details into place.
A lightweight clay with a cohesive suede finish that holds fine textures without sticky residue.
Optional extras for a different finish, size or fix.
Gives flat pieces and small sculpted parts a stable baking surface so they cure without twisting.
Useful for a softer satin sheen after sanding without burying small details under a heavy coating.
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.
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.
