Then I pulled out the U-shaped micro-carving tool from Dockyard and started playing. The first plate got mostly doodles, but the second plate got a bird-on-a-branch scene. The polymer clay carves like butter.

Since I had bronze out and handy, I pressed it into the plate to see how well the detail came out. I need to carve a bit deeper in some areas, but mostly I'm thrilled with this first attempt. I'm thinking it will probably turn into the lid for a box or a plate for the front of a book. And I'm thinking I need the different size tools as well!
