POLYMER CLAY TUTORIAL MASTERPOST

Hello, you guys! It makes me so happy to see so many new polymer clay artists popping up on this sub! I’ve been doing polymer clay for at least a decade now, and since I have some experience, I’d love to share some tips with you! First, I’ll start with mistakes I made when I first started out-

-Use a bake-able working mat and wipe it clean before using it. I like the Sculpey work and bake mat. Keep in mind not to push your blades too hard, though, because it will cut the mat.

-Wash your hands thoroughly before you use clay, when you change colours, when you touch uncleaned surfaces, and before glazing. Basically, any time your hands will meet clay. This will keep dust and dirt out of your clay and will keep dyes from other colours mixing together.

-You don’t need a bunch of tools, and metal or wooden tools are better than plastic ones. The tools I use most often are an ex-acto knife, ball-tipped metal tools, a needle tool, and an acrylic rolling pin. Don’t invest in super expensive tools, either. You can use toothpicks in place of needle tools and ball-tipped tools can be bought in the nail art section of amazon and other online stores for cheap.

-You don’t need to buy loads of clay, either. Depending on the size of your projects, a little goes a long way. Start with a couple colours and buy more as you need it.

-Speaking of clay itself, when buying clay at the store, press your fingernail into the packet to make sure it’s soft. My favourite brands are Sculpey (for soft clay) and premo (for harder clay). It’s worth investing in the more expensive brands; it’s like working with an entirely different medium.

-Follow the baking instructions! I’ve never burned clay myself but it’d be tragic if you spent hours or days working on a project only for it to burn and be ruined. Remember, you can always put the clay in for longer if it’s not ready, but once it’s burned, it’s ruined.

-It’s worth learning how to use headpins instead of eyepins. Eyepins fall out easily and generally aren’t as secure as headpins. Here are some tips I learned later on-

-You’re not gonna be very good at it when you first start. Polymer clay, as with other crafts, takes a long time to learn how to do well. Even doing it for as long as I have, I’m not nearly at where I could be in a few years or another decade. The trick is to do it all the time until you improve and improve.

-Sculpey, fimo, etc. brand glazes SUCK. Don’t use them. My favourite brand is DuraClear gloss varnish, but I’ve also heard of people using UV resin. Duralear comes in a huge bottle and is wayyy better for your money.

-When using glaze, it’ll take several layers. Start by practicing on something you wouldn’t care about if it got ruined. Start with thin layers of glaze using a soft brush, allow the layer to dry, and repeat until your figure is glossy. (after the clay is baked, of course!)

-Invest in a bead baking rack even if you don’t make beads- you can use them for glazing. They act as a perfect way to suspend your charms and things while glazing. Totally worth it.

-Invest in a pasta machine, and a nice one, preferably made for clay. They speed up the rolling process so much and make your clay evenly flattened. They’re also a must for skinner blends (colour gradients).

-Clay starts out tough and sometimes crumbly. You have to condition it to soften it by using a roller, a pasta machine, or your hands.

-Translucent liquid Sculpey is super versatile. You can mix it with chalk pastels to change its colour and keep it liquidy-looking. You can also mash it together with certain amounts of clay to make it more of a frosting texture. It can also be used as a glue to keep small parts attached.

-Micro-marbles are perfect for imitating sprinkles. They won’t stick to clay on its own, though, so use translucent liquid Sculpey or something else to fasten it to your project.

-You can use rubber/metal stamps to create texture and fill them in with paint after baking to imitate ceramics.

-If you get a little dust in your clay, you can wet your finger and carefully wipe it away. After baking, you can do the same, and if it’s super stubborn, use a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. However, the best way to avoid dust is by washing your hands, especially before using light-coloured clay.

-Watch polymer clay “charm updates” or “charm collection” videos on youtube for inspiration. They sometimes talk about the process for their various creations and it can be super helpful for learning new skills.

-If you’re making a set, make sure you’re cutting the same amount of clay for each part of the set, so they come out the same size. It kind of goes without saying, but I didn’t for awhile and ended up with wildly different sizes.

-Clay shrinks slightly when it’s baked because the fluid evaporates. If you’re making beads, make sure you keep a headpin or a toothpick through the bead for baking, so the hole doesn’t shrink up. Also, keep this in mind when making size-specific things, like gauge jewelry.

-Don’t throw out the plastic wrapping after your clay is opened! Fold it back over your clay and tape it shut. This keeps dust and dirt out. Also, store your clay somewhere enclosed, like a plastic Tupperware container or a special drawer in your craft desk.

-Other places you can store your clay is in beading containers, tackleboxes, and anywhere with a lot of separating compartments.

-Don’t throw out your clay that’s gone hard! Use clay softener. I think Sculpey have some.

-Since you can bake polymer clay more than once, you can make sprinkles and other small things and use them without deforming/squishing.

This is all I can think of for now, but if you have any ideas please make sure to comment them, and I will also try my best to answer any questions!

Submitted August 02, 2018 at 11:13PM by _blue_morpho_ https://ift.tt/2AAJp1v