Unfortunately, in some territories of the post-Soviet space, many types of needlework and craftsmanship were lost, in addition, the significance of primordially female occupations was almost completely lost. However, at present, in our country there is a positive trend for an increase in the number of needlewomen and craftswomen. Today, a hobby is not only an opportunity to usefully spend several hours of leisure time, but also a chance to stand out in a team with exclusive handmade jewelry, as well as earn some money. One of the most popular areas of female creativity has been working with thermoplastics, or, as it is also called, polymer clay. Let's see what it is and how to work with it.
What is polymer clay?
This is a product of the modern chemical industry, combining the properties of plasticine and plastic. Clay clay is an ideal substance for modeling all kinds of products: it can be either jewelry (bracelets, pendants, earrings, necklaces or hair pins), and figurines. Lately modeling dolls from this plastic mass is gaining great popularity. As you can see, a lot of space gives such a material as clay! The price of conventional packaging weighing 56 g varies in the region of 120-150 rubles. In general, the cost of the material depends on the manufacturer.
Types of clay
Polymer clay can be divided into two main classes: baked and self-hardening. The first category is the most common. Its main drawback is the need to bake finished products in the oven to harden the material. However, it is more than compensated by the ability to redo an unlimited number of times to remake elements or details that have not liked the master.
Self-hardening clay for modeling in this regard gives less space, and at first it is better not to use it.
In addition to this classification, clay can be divided by producers. In this article, we will consider the most popular clay types in the world produced under the Fimo brand:
- Fimo classic is a fairly solid type of thermoplastics, difficult to work, but perseverance and work will allow you to create a rich range of combined patterns.
- Fimo soft - on the contrary, is a very soft material, suitable for creativity with children and for beginners.
The dangers of working with clay
Starting to work with new material, each person must understand for himself certain nuances. Since clay for modeling is a product of the chemical industry, it is foolish to believe that it is completely safe for humans, as some unscrupulous manufacturers claim. In the case of using baked clay, the release of substances hazardous to humans occurs during heat treatment. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize their effect on the body, if the following simple rules are observed:
- First, you need to bake in an oven that is not used for cooking.
- Secondly, the room should be thoroughly ventilated during the heat treatment of products.
Things are much sadder with self-hardening material. The release of vinyl chloride occurs in the process of working with clay. It is possible to minimize damage to the body by using gloves, working in a ventilated area and drying the finished product for a week and a half in the open air.
Core tools
So, having understood the safety rules for working with this material, it is also necessary to find out what tools are needed for full-fledged creativity.
- Tools for rolling. It can be either a rolling pin made of special acrylic or a rather expensive paste machine.
- Cutting tools: knives with a smooth and wavy blade.
- Surface for work. In principle, any smooth surface is suitable, be it a sheet of parchment paper or ceramic tiles, but it is best to purchase a glass cutting board in the household goods department.
Remember the important rule: all of the above tools must not be used for cooking!
In order to heat-treat, clay figures will need to be baked. To assemble the finished products you will need accessories, pliers, round-nose pliers and wire cutters. You won’t be able to create without this minimum set.
Auxiliary tools
- Forms . They are sold in ready-made kits and individually, used to make the polymer clay for sculpting cut in the same way.
- Stamps are devices for giving texture to blanks.
- Molds are devices for creating texture of leaves and flowers.
In addition, you may need to:
- acrylic paints;
- ink;
- potal (to create elements "under the gold");
- powder;
- varnish and much more.
Polymer clay. Beginner Modeling
So, the workplace is ready, all the necessary tools are in plain sight, which means that you can start sculpting. It’s worth starting the development of the material with the simplest elements. Beautiful and symmetrical clay figures are unlikely to work out without training and mistakes.
Let's start with the beads. Thermoplastics gives us the opportunity to make amazing jewelry with our own hands - a little imagination and the most ordinary beads will become your business card. In order to mold the beads of the same size, it is necessary to cut off an equal amount of plastic. This can be done by uniformly rolling the layer and cutting out pieces of it with any factory form.
Striped beads
To work, you need clay for sculpting several colors (four colors on strips and black as a base).
Roll out a certain amount of plastic with a rolling pin, fold the resulting plates and cut them in half. Roll out the resulting “towers” with a rolling pin and cut into pieces. Next, you need to fold all the parts in a column, laying them in black. Gently squeeze only so that excess air comes out and the edges join. Finished poles need to be cut into thin slices. Pull each plate along the picture and twist a little. The resulting petals must be wound in a spiral black bead - the base. Roll in the hands. With a toothpick, make holes for the thread.
At first, when making crafts using materials such as polymer clay, keep a photo of the finished product taken as a sample in front of you.
Thermoplastic Crafts
Having mastered the basic elements, you can begin to conquer more complex forms and models. When engaging in this kind of creativity, never forget that the best is the enemy of the good, and do not overload the product with small details once again. Experimenting with various patterns and textures, you can create a bright decoration from a very banal form. So, for example, a pendant made of transparent plastic with the addition of colored material will look better in the water of a rhombus or circle.
Finally
As you can see, it is very exciting and interesting to create masterpieces from such a malleable and pleasant material, such as polymer clay. Photos of finished products can be displayed on special sites for sale. And it is entirely possible that your hobby, in addition to aesthetic pleasure, will also give you the opportunity to improve your financial situation - both through the sale of works, and due to the lack of the need to buy gifts for loved ones.