Psychologists say that working with natural or artificial clay helps relieve stress and soothes the nervous system. In addition, modeling can be an interesting hobby and help organize useful joint activities with children. For example, you can try to make vegetables from polymer clay with your own hands. How to do this, our article will tell.
What is polymer clay, and how does it differ from ordinary
If earlier sculptors could use only plasticine and moistened powder of kaolin minerals, today they are using modern synthetic materials. Among them is polymer clay (GH). In its properties, it resembles plasticine, however, depending on the type, it hardens upon prolonged contact with air or during firing.
The main difference between polymer clay and ordinary clay is its composition, in which there is a PVC base and plasticizer. It provides increased ductility of this material and the beauty of the resulting products. In addition, cracks do not form on polymer clay when dried, and individual parts hold better due to the small weight of the GHG.
Brands PG
Today you can buy polymer clay from a dozen manufacturers. However, the most “delicious” remains clay FIMO. Viva DECOR Pardo, Cernit, Kato Polyclay, Sonnet, ClayColor and others also produce high-quality GHGs. For crafts with children, it is recommended to purchase inexpensive polymer clay of domestic production “Tsvetik”, “Art Hobby” and “Artifact”, which will become a worthy alternative to plasticine .
Polymer clay vegetables: what you need
To make such figures from a material based on PVC, you will need:
- polymer clay of green, yellow, red, brown, white (opaque and translucent), orange and white shades;
- stationery knife or blade;
- rolling pin;
- toothpick;
- cotton pads;
- small scissors;
- brush;
- brown acrylic paint;
- crepe paper;
- varnish (quick-drying);
- white sewing threads;
- stack with a ball;
- special varnish for polymer clay.
Carrot
If you are going to make polymer clay vegetables for the first time, then start with the simplest options. For example, for starters, you can make carrots. For this:
- from an orange PG, an oblong drop 3-4 cm long is molded;
- in the rounded part of the workpiece, make a wide hole with a toothpick;
- a drop of 0.7 cm long is formed from green polymer clay;
- from the side of its rounded part, several cuts are made with scissors to make a “tops”;
- insert the green part into the hole on the carrot;
- Shallow notches are made with a needle over the entire surface of the vegetable so that the carrot looks more natural.
Squash
Polymer clay vegetables are very natural looking. The main thing is to choose the right shade of the material or get it by mixing. For example, if you are going to make a zucchini, then the GHGs of white and green are mixed in a ratio of 5: 1. Then:
- in the resulting homogeneous pale green mass add a little brown polymer clay (from the head of the match);
- knead;
- form an oblong, fairly thick drop 3-4 cm long;
- take green PG;
- make an oblong drop of a smaller size and diameter from it;
- attached from the narrowed side of the zucchini billet;
- cut off the excess with scissors;
- from the side of the green ponytail, a toothpick makes several small, shallow dents on the vegetable marrow;
- a tiny ball is formed from light yellow PG;
- flatten it with fingers;
- impose in the middle of the rounded end of the zucchini.
Pumpkin
If you are interested in what vegetables and fruits from polymer clay are most often made, then the palm belongs to the symbol of Halloween. Pumpkins with characteristic slots can be made only by experienced craftsmen. However, a regular vegetable will be obtained by anyone who carefully reads the following instructions. So, you need:
- form a ball with a diameter of 2 cm from an orange PG;
- push a small depression in the upper part of the stack with a ball;
- make longitudinal grooves with a needle over the entire surface of a slightly flattened pumpkin blank;
- make a small ball of green PG;
- flatten it with your fingers;
- attach in the middle part of the surface of the main workpiece a green GH procession;
- to lay a process in a pumpkin deepening;
- to form a thin strip from green GH;
- wrap it around the needle to make a mustache;
- remove it from the needle and lay it next to the green process;
- press the mustache to the side of the pumpkin.
Potatoes
Those who are interested in how to make vegetables from polymer clay should know that in order to get a good result, you first need to learn how to choose and mix shades of clay correctly. In particular, for the manufacture of potatoes, you need to thoroughly mix the light brown and light yellow GHGs. Further it is necessary:
- form an oblong oval of 3 cm length from the resulting PG mixture;
- a blunt object to make rare indentations across the surface of the potato.
A tomato
Modeling vegetables made of polymer clay will really please your children. To make sure of this, you can make a tomato. For this:
- a red ball of clay is made into a 2 cm diameter ball;
- the end of the brush push clay through from the center of the top of the tomato workpiece;
- make indentations;
- from green GH make small thin droplets;
- form a ball from the same clay;
- flatten it with fingers;
- stack small droplets along the edge of a flattened ball;
- create a slight bend up at their ends;
- stack the green stalk in the center of the top of the tomato, in the place where the shallow recesses are located.
Corn
Now that you know how to sculpt vegetables from polymer clay of a simple type, you can begin to create more complex figures. Consider how you can make an ear of corn. To do this:
- from yellow PG to form an elongated cane with a length of 3.5 cm and a thickness of 0.5 cm;
- many small balls of different sizes are rolled from the same material;
- stack them in even rows along the surface of the "corn" billet, with increasing diameter;
- a droplet is formed from green PG;
- flatten her fingers;
- apply strokes on the surface of the leaf with a needle;
- stack it on the wide tip of the cob;
- sculpt a small process.
Cucumber
Such a simple at first glance figure will have a natural look, only if you achieve the right color. For this:
- from polymer clay green and yellow, taken in the same amount, using a rolling pin, a layer with a smooth transition of color is made;
- choose a place on it with a clear border for the transition of color;
- form an oblong oval shape;
- take crepe paper;
- they wrap the body of a cucumber with it;
- give the texture of the surface of the vegetable.
- a green branch is molded from green PG;
- stick it on the rounded side of the cucumber.
Tinting
To make the vegetables look more natural, they take acrylic paints, a napkin and a thin brush. They are used for tinting products from GHGs.
Brown acrylic paint is painted over with a brush of a notch on the surface of carrots, zucchini and potatoes. Give her to dry and remove the rest with a napkin or cotton pad.
Now you know how to make vegetables from polymer clay. Inserting tiny magnets into them, you can get original souvenirs, and with the help of earrings - children's earrings, which will bring a lot of joy to your daughter.