If you’re looking for the perfect retro gift for the gamer in your life, this tutorial will show you how to make a set of Tetris magnets with polymer clay!
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Whether you’re stuck on a gift, or just looking for a creative outlet, sometimes you need a quick, inexpensive DIY. This DIY Tetris magnets project, made with polymer clay, is just the project!
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of all things retro, have fond memories of playing Tetris on old gaming systems and arcade machines, or simply need a gift for a gamer, you’re going to have fun making these magnets. I did!
So, without further ado, let’s get into the tutorial!
To make a set of Tetris magnets you’ll need:
- Polymer clay: I prefer to work with Sculpey Premo. There are lots of clay types and brands available to you, so if you have a brand or type you prefer to work with, go ahead! You’ll want a variety of colors. This Sculpey Premo pack on Amazon has all the colors you’d need—and then some!
- A way to mark the lines: You can use these grid cutters for polymer clay or clay cutters meant to cut straight lines like these from Amazon or like these from Michaels. I’m using the ones from Michaels in this example.
- Glaze/Gloss (optional): I will often coat my clay projects with something like this Sculpey gloss glaze. This is totally optional though, and I didn’t end up glazing my Tetris magnets this time around.
- Magnets: You’ll either want small magnets like this or magnet sheets with a sticky backing like this. You can also find magnet sheets with a sticky backing at Dollar Tree!
- Other Helpful Tools: To make working with the polymer clay a bit easier, I’d recommend a clay roller like this Sculpey conditioning machine, some acrylic clay rollers, and clay depth guides.
Money-Saving Tips: If you’re looking to make this project as budget-friendly as possible, you can get away with just polymer clay and magnet sheets, both of which can (occasionally) be found at Dollar Tree. You can make the lines with cardboard (cut up an old cereal box?) or a kitchen knife. If you don’t want to use polymer clay, you can use air-dry clay if you’re not in a hurry, or make some classic flour-water-salt dough and let it dry.
Directions
Step 1
Assemble your materials and decide what colors your Tetris magnets will be. You can go with the classic colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) or mix up a color palette you like better. If you’re making these to gift to a Tetris fan, I recommend going with the classic colors!
If you’re not familiar with the standard Tetris piece shapes, here’s a little image that shows you what sort of shapes you should try.
Step 2
If you want the finished magnets to all fit neatly together on the fridge, you’ll want to map out which pieces you’re going to make and in which color. This is how I’m going to lay out my magnets; feel free to do the same! You can make the pieces in any color, or you can make them in the colors I suggested as well.
Step 3
I recommend working with one color at a time. Take the first color you’re going to work with, and condition it until it’s soft and easy to work with. Then roll it out to your desired thickness. I’m rolling it out to the thickest setting on my clay rolling machine, but this isn’t very thick. If you want thicker pieces, you can roll it out with an acrylic clay roller and measure the thickness with clay thickness guides.
Step 4
To make the squares, you can either use a grid cutter, a line cutter or freehand the lines. I’m using a line cutter. I put down the lines once, then turn the cutter 90 degrees and apply the cutter again. This way I get a bunch of perfect little squares.
The lines on my line cutter are about 0.4” wide. A Tetris piece that is four squares long will be just shy of 1.15” long.
TIP: I don’t recommend pushing your cutter all the way through the clay. You essentially just want to make deep marks but keep the bottom intact. It makes it easier to work with the pieces.
Step 5
Now, take a look at your template. Which pieces are you going to make with that color? Use a little blade, knife, or really any small flat surface to cut out the pieces.
Step 6
Once you have all the pieces you need in that color, move on to the next color and do the same. Do this with all your colors.
I prefer to bake my clay on ceramic tiles. I find this is the best way to get an even bake with no burning on the bottom. You can also make them on the tile and then place that tile on a baking sheet. It minimizes how much you have to move the pieces before they’re baked solid.
Step 7
Bake your clay pieces according to the directions on the packaging.
Step 8
Take them out of the oven when they’re ready and give them time to cool. Then, remove them from the tiles (if you baked them on tiles like I did). If they stick a little, just slide a blade under them. They’ll pop right off!
Line them up to make sure they all fit together nicely. They should, but if they’re a little off in size, grab some sandpaper and sand them down to fit. Note – if you’re sanding them, you might rough them up. I’d recommend only sanding if you intend to glaze them, as that’ll bring back the shine.
Step 9
If you’ve sanded them down, you’ll probably have a lot of dust on them. Give them a nice little soak in some warm water and soap, wipe them, and rinse them off. Dry them, and then you’re ready to proceed.
Step 10
If you’re going to glaze them, this is the time to do so. You can also use UV resin if you prefer that look. Just do the fronts, you don’t need to do the sides and you shouldn’t do the backs. For this example, I chose not to glaze my Tetris pieces.
Step 11
Once the glaze or resin is 100% dry, you can attach your magnets. If you’re using magnet sheets, stick them onto the sheet (applying extra glue if you think they won’t stick well) and then use a craft knife to cut around the sides.
If you’re using little magnets, apply a little drop of glue and stick them on the backs.
Step 12
If you’re going to put them on your own fridge, you’re all done! If you intend to package them and give them as a gift, stick them onto some sort of backing card.
Step 13
This isn’t really a step—this is just to celebrate the fact that you’re done! Look at those adorable magnets!
Will you make these Tetris magnets out of polymer clay?
These little magnets are such a simple project—but they turn out amazing! They’re great for adorning your fridge, of course, but they’re also awesome gifts for the gamers in your life. Because they’re small and simple to make, you can make several sets without it taking that much more time than just making one set.
If you make them, I’d love to see them! Show them off on Instagram using hashtags #theserialcreative #DIYtetrismagnets #tetrisDIY
Are you looking for more fun projects? Check out my free projects archive. There are lots of tutorials and sewing patterns there for you to try out!
