How to cover a jar with Polymer clay

Hi again,
apologies for my tardyness but here I am again at last and I have got something to show you.
I have been covering honey jars with polymer clay to make paint brush/clay-tool/pen pots

This is Dark Jar :). It's mean and moody and lives in the jungle.

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How to cover a jar with Polymer clay

 

I took a round bristle hairbrush and removed the bristles to expose the holey metal drum (thanks for the idea Rebecca Thickbroom).  

I made simple bulls eye canes from black clay with one flourescent clay circle in each. I used flourescent pink, yellow and red

I bunched the canes together and then flattened the group with a roller until it went through the pasta machine at #1.

Then I cut the flattened piece in half across the width and stacked the pieces and rolled with a roller to stick the layers together.

The next step was to roll the metal drum of the mutilated hairbrush across the surface to get round bobbles raised on the surface which were then shaved off carefully with a sharp tissue blade.

I then flattened the stack gently with a rubber roller and took thin slices from the surface which were pieced onto a sheet of scrap clay to form the sheet which covered the jar.

I had previously cut the ends of the canes off after the initial squashing together with the roller and put this piece through the pasta machine and used it to fill in the gap where the sheet was not big enough to cover the jar, making the big circles you can see in pictures 2 and 3.

TIPS.
When covering your jar first remove all paper labels and wash and dry thoroughly.
Leave the bottom of the jar uncovered so you can easily find small objects at the bottom during use.
Carefully apply the polymer clay sheet to the surface trying to exclude air bubbles where possible. Prick any remaining air bubbles with a sharp pin and tap around the hole gently to force out the air. you can then 'heal' the hole with the warmth of your hand.

Roll the covered jar gently between your palms to flatten the surface as much as you can before firing. Be careful not to thin the clay too much in one place as this will weaken the surface.
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Fire the jar on a flat piece of card and do NOT fire it with the lid on or it may explode.