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 taiyaki fish charms hung sideways in profile from gold fish-hook ear wires, facing forward on a short run of jump rings. Each fish has an acid-yellow body, a white belly strip, hot-pink fins and a fan tail in low relief, small pink lips, and a black-and-white eye. A diamond crosshatch waffle grid is pressed across the yellow body and the white belly, while the head stays smooth. The build is slab work: cut a left and a right blank from one slab, texture the waffle, add the belly and fins, pierce a centered top hole, bake flat, then hang. Light gloss to brighten the read.
A matched pair of flat fish-shaped drop earrings in acid yellow, shown in side profile facing forward. Each fish has a white belly strip along the lower edge, a diamond crosshatch waffle grid pressed across the yellow body and the belly, a smooth head, hot-pink ribbed pectoral and pelvic fins, a hot-pink fan tail and dorsal fin layered in low relief, small pink lips, and a round black-on-white eye. Each fish hangs from a short chain of gold jump rings on a coiled gold fish-hook ear wire, with a light gloss surface.
Lookbook view
Shaped-slab construction with layered low-relief applique and a pressed crosshatch texture. The waffle grid can be made several ways: press a waffle or mesh texture into the slab, or roll a crosshatch texture roller across it, or score it freehand with a needle tool. The pink fins and tail are thin applique shapes bonded to the yellow body with a film of liquid clay; the eye is a stacked black-on-white dot. Cut the left and right blanks from one slab so they match, flip one for a true mirror, place the top holes at the same height, pierce while raw, bake flat on a tile, smooth the edges, then hang from gold fish hooks with jump rings.
Condition your yellow, pink, white, and black clay until smooth, and mix enough yellow and pink for both fish at once so the pair matches. FIMO Professional keeps the waffle grid crisp, and a short chill helps Sculpey Premo hold it too; Sculpey Souffle gives a lighter, velvety body if you want less weight on the ear.
Roll one even yellow slab and one even white slab on a thin setting so the finished charms stay light. Cut both fish blanks from the same yellow slab with one template or cutter so they are the same size, then flip the second blank over for a true mirrored pair. Cut a matching curved white belly strip for each and join it to the lower edge, smoothing the seam on the back.
Texture the waffle grid. Pattern option A: dust a waffle or fine kitchen-mesh texture with cornstarch and press it straight down across the yellow body and the white belly for a clean diamond grid. Pattern option B: roll a crosshatch texture roller across the slab in one even pass. Pattern option C: score the diamonds freehand with a needle tool. Leave the head area smooth, and keep the texture shallow so the body does not weaken near the top hole.
Cut the pink tail, dorsal fin, pectoral side fin, pelvic fin, and small lips. Press parallel ribbed lines into the fins and tail with a needle tool so they match the photo. Cut the same set, mirrored, for the second fish.
Brush a thin film of liquid clay onto the back foot of each pink piece, set the fins, tail, and lips on the body, and blend only the contact foot so the raised edge stays crisp and casts a shadow. Build the eye by stacking a small black dot on a slightly larger white circle and press it onto the smooth head.
Mark the top hanging hole at the same height on both fish, on the visual centerline near the head, with a generous wall of clay between the hole and the edge so it will not tear. Pierce both holes cleanly with a needle tool while the clay is raw, and confirm the two fish read as a balanced mirrored pair before baking.
Bake flat. Set each fish on a smooth ceramic tile lined with parchment or cardstock so the underside stays matte, and cure at your clay brand's package temperature and time using an oven thermometer to confirm the real oven reading. Let the fish cool fully on the tile before handling.
After cooling, wet-sand the cut edges through rising grits, keeping the paper wet, so the edges are rounded and do not catch hair or feel sharp. Rinse between grits and round the edge rather than cutting a new flat.
Open each jump ring by twisting the ends sideways with two pliers, never pulling them straight apart. Link a short chain of jump rings from the pierced clay hole to the loop of the gold fish hook so the fish faces forward when worn, then twist each ring closed until the ends meet flush.
Hang both finished earrings side by side to check they sit at the same height and face the same way. For a heavier statement version, build the body from a lightweight clay and keep the slab thin so the pair wears comfortably all 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.
What you will need
Before you buy, match the sizes and parts to the version you want to make.
Matches the bright fish body from the image pair.
Useful for the fins, tail, and lips.
Needed for the belly strip and the eye surround.
Useful for bonding raw-on-raw applique, layered details, and small joins without crushing the shape.
A firm clay for the yellow fish bodies, so the waffle grid you press into them stays crisp.
Matches the visible hook style from the product and lifestyle images.
Needed when the finished piece hangs from connectors rather than a single solid clay body.
Needed for opening and closing jump rings cleanly during jewelry assembly.
Tick what you already have, then get only what is missing.
Helps you keep both fish blanks even before you add the belly and fins.
For cutting the curved white belly strips and the pink fins and tail.
Helps you score the crosshatch fish texture and marking the top hole cleanly.
Keeps the fish bodies flat while the scored texture cures.
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 the eye pupil if you want to keep that detail in clay instead of paint.
Optional gloss finish to test on baked scrap when the reference needs brighter shine.
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.
Miniature food pieces usually look clearer when the base shape, topping scale, and hardware choice are planned before the details go on. This guide covers shallow bowls, flat fish charms, noodle coils, egg slices, and keeping small food builds lighter.
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.
