One of the popular materials for creativity is polymer clay. It is used to create jewelry, souvenirs, toys, etc. In order to master the technique of working with polymer clay, you need to consider the advice of experienced craftsmen. There are many subtleties and nuances, knowledge of which will help to avoid serious mistakes. Next, we will consider which masters give advice to beginners and how to work with polymer clay.
Material Features
What is polymer clay and how to work with it? This material was invented only half a century ago. Today it is used for both home and professional creativity. Today, plastic can be purchased at almost any art store. Polymer clay is a plastic mass, which is used for sculpting decorative figures, jewelry. It is used to create souvenirs, dolls, jewelry. From plastic, spectacular floral arrangements, sculptures and more are obtained.
There are two main types of plastic: baked and self-hardening polymer clay. How to work with it is indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. Self-hardening compounds become durable within a few hours (or even days) upon contact with air. The curing rate depends on the size of the product. This material is kept in sealed packaging.
Self-hardening clays are divided into heavy and light. The first of these varieties in consistency resembles ordinary clay. It gets dirty when it is wet. If you dry the heavy clay, it will crumble. Products from such plastic look like pottery. They have a matte surface, rough to the touch. If desired, it can be sanded, painted and varnished.
One of the most popular modeling materials is light polymer clay. How to work with her? By consistency, this material resembles marshmallows. Clay can be rolled into the thinnest layers. Therefore, it is often used to create floral and natural compositions. Products made of such material after hardening are very light.
Self-hardening cold porcelain stands out as a separate group. It is intended solely for the manufacture of flowers. They are very naturalistic and flexible.
Baked formulations
Baked polymer clay is very popular. How to work with her? First, different figures are created from the material. Then they are baked at a temperature of 110-130 º. To do this, use a conventional oven or microwave with grill function. You can also weld the workpiece in clean water.
Baked plastics are made on the basis of PVC. Plasticity of the material is given by special additives. They evaporate completely when the composition is heated. In work, thermoplastic is similar to plasticine. Clay at first easily kneads in hands. Then various figures are created from it.
When working with baked varieties of plastics, it is advisable to be in a warm room. If it is cold, it will take effort to stretch the polymer clay. If you work with the material for too long, it will become less elastic. In this case, it will crumble, it is difficult to soften. Keep the presented variety of plastics away from the stove or battery. Clay is wrapped in polyethylene if the packaging was opened.
Sometimes, special formulations are used to soften. This can be a special liquid plastic or vegetable oil (for example, almond, which is sold in a pharmacy).
What are the rules for working with polymer clay? Beginners should know that durable products are made from baked plastic. If you roll a very thin layer, then the material after heat treatment will be very flexible. So, for example, a sheet of clay, which was rolled out very thinly (0.8 mm), can be almost completely bent. When the product straightens, it will retain its original shape, there will be no damage on it.
The polymer clay of this variety is divided into several types:
- Plain. On sale is presented in the form of bars of different colors. After heating, it does not change color, has a matte surface.
- Liquid. Sold as a colorless or white gel.
- Translucent. Colorless or tinted. The second type of material after firing takes on a more saturated shade.
- With fillers. Imitates metal, stone, may have a glitter structure.
You can mix different types of clay. It is better to use materials from the same manufacturer for this.
Overview of plastic manufacturers for beginners
How to start working with polymer clay? You need to choose the plastic of a well-known manufacturer. It is not recommended to use Chinese-made materials purchased over the Internet. Their quality does not meet the established requirements. The most popular, well-known manufacturers are:
- Fimo. German manufacturer. Almost every experienced craftsman knows how to work with Fimo polymer clay. This is one of the most popular and one of the best polymer clays that are today available for sale. A wide palette of shades, the presence of materials with different effects and ease of use make this plastic popular. For beginners, Fimo Soft is suitable. The Professional and Kids series can create certain difficulties at work. A professional series may seem too coarse, and a childish series, on the contrary, may be too soft.
- Sculpey, Premo. US manufacturers are also known for their high quality. They have a rich palette, bright, saturated colors. In the plastic work of these manufacturers does not cause difficulties. The disadvantage is a slight change in color after heat treatment.
- Cernit. Belgian polymer clay is ductile, after baking strong. But under the influence of high temperature, the material may change color.
- “Sonnet”, “Artifact”. Domestic manufacturers produce the best plastic for beginners. The cost of materials is low, and the palette is rich. You can purchase sets that include several specially selected colors.
- Darwi, Fimo Air, ClayCraft. It is a polymer clay that hardens under the influence of air. Such materials are not intended to create thin, small parts.
Additional materials
What is needed to work with polymer clay? In addition to the plastic itself, you will need to purchase a number of additional materials. The main ones are:
- Liquid softeners. Novice master such compositions are not required. But over time, you can experiment. Softeners help to glue some parts before processing with high temperature, to make clay more pliable, up to a creamy texture. In this case, the shade of the material is preserved.
- Baked hot melt adhesive. Allows you to connect different parts. When using softeners it may not be necessary at all.
- Lacquer. It is used during the finishing of the workpiece. Buying it is optional. Need to purchase polymer clay varnish. Acrylic compounds in this case will not work. Over time, they will begin to stick, and the product will be damaged.
- Tinting composition. Some polymer clay techniques involve the use of such formulations. This, for example, may be a dry pastel of a suitable color.
- Acrylic paint. Allows to tint material.
Experienced craftsmen recommend the use of several varieties of colored clay. The mistake of beginners is the purchase of white or transparent plastic, which is subsequently painted with acrylic paints. The result may be unsatisfactory. Over time, the paint will begin to stick, stripes and bristles from the brush remain on it. You also need a special varnish. Acrylic colors tint the composition, but do not cover the surface of the product after baking.
Instruments
Before you begin, you need to purchase tools for working with polymer clay. A set of tools can be very different. You can purchase special art tools that are used for modeling. Also available tools to create a variety of forms and textures are also quite suitable. It can be needles, toothpicks, tools from a manicure set, etc.
It is worth noting a few main devices that are recommended to be acquired by a beginner at the initial stage:
- scalpel knife;
- universal stack with two ends (ball and thick awl);
- a set of silicone brushes (optional).
The rest of the necessary tools for work can be done independently. You can show imagination and make them out of a variety of things that are at hand. Experts do not recommend the use of plastic tools during operation, since they are practically useless.
Considering recommendations on how to work with polymer clay correctly, it is worth noting that in addition to the basic improvised tools, various auxiliary devices will be needed. To roll out layers of material, you can use a regular metal spray can from deodorant or hairspray.
You need to prepare the surface for creativity. It should be smooth and hard, not absorbing the polymer composition. Molds (special silicone molds) can be used to create different shapes. With the help of boats, various figures are cut out, as when using cookie cutters. It is better to work with gloves, and you need to have wet wipes on hand.
Some tips from professionals
Experienced craftsmen give some tips for beginners on how to work with polymer clay. It is worth considering that on packages with similar compositions may not have an expiration date. But for some reason, plastic may still become unusable. For example, it should not be transported at low temperatures, the packaging should not be depressurized. In order not to be disappointed in your purchase, you need to take the material from the counter into your hands, squeezing it with two fingers. It should not be hard if the store is warm. It is also unacceptable that there should be cracks on the plastic.
Parquet varnishes are well suited to coat the finished product from polymer clay. They are produced on a water basis, so they do not have an unpleasant odor. But when using varnish it is impossible to achieve a perfectly matte texture. Any similar composition has a small amount of gloss.
Clay has a chemical composition, so when baked, it can emit an unpleasant odor. The material is not recommended for children under 8 years of age. Dishes, tools that came into contact with plastic, even after washing, can not be used to store food.
Considering the technique of working with polymer clay, it is worth noting that it is not worth mixing the compositions of different grades with each other. The result may be unpredictable. To tint clay with acrylic, you need silicone brushes, and for pastels - natural soft ones.
Do not lower the baking temperature of plastics. In this case, the product will be fragile. To get a perfectly white color without impurities, you need to work with gloves, rolling the material on glass. At the same time, there should be no pile on clothes.
How to work with plastic?
To create the desired product, you need to consider the technique. How to work with polymer clay? For beginners, any nuance is important, so read and remember! First, the material is kneaded in the hands. It is better that they are warm, and the room was not cold. This procedure must be performed efficiently, otherwise bubbles will be emitted from the plastic during baking, it will be fragile.
If the polymer clay is hard, it can be softened with a special composition. One of the most effective options is Moldmaker plasticizer. You can also simply mix soft and hard plastic, kneading it well. But it is important to maintain a proportion in which the clay will not stick to your hands.
If the material is too soft, you need to leave a small amount in the air for 1.5-2 hours. It is laid out on white paper. When the sheet becomes oily under plastic, it can be used for modeling. This means that excess plasticizer has come out of the material.
Studying the basic recommendations on how to work with polymer clay, a beginner, you need to pay attention to the fact that it can be mixed. In this case, it turns out to set not only the consistency, but also the shade of the material. When the product is created, it is placed in a preheated oven. To avoid the spread of unpleasant odors in the apartment, include a hood, and the workpiece is placed in a sleeve.
Kane
One of the interesting techniques for working with plastic is the creation of keyes. Consider their manufacture on the example of blanks in the form of orange slices. To do this, prepare orange, yellow and white polymer clay. She is kneading and making sausages of two colors. The yellow and orange plastic are folded together and again rolled out in the form of sausages. Its size along the entire length should be the same. In the center there will be a yellow spot, which will bend around orange plastic from almost all sides.
White clay is rolled out in a thin layer. An orange-yellow blank is wrapped with such a sheet. The sausage is bent, creating an acute angle on one side. You should get 8 identical long blanks, which are folded together in a circle (an acute angle to the center). Then they are wrapped again with a white sheet of plastic. An orange layer is rolled out a little thicker. They also wrap the workpiece on top. Having formed an even cylinder with the same section size along the entire length, it is cut with a knife. The result is circles that resemble an orange in a section. They can be cut in half or left in this form.
Molda
One of the popular techniques is the use of special silicone molds. They are called molds. They allow you to create bulk workpieces. How to work with molds for polymer clay? You need to acquire a form with which you can create the desired product.
For example, it could be a cupcake. The form has two compartments. In the first, the base of the cake is created, and in the second - a creamy top. For the manufacture you need two corresponding shades of plastic. This is a broad and relatively shallow form. It is necessary to compact the clay well. The excess from above is cut with a knife so that the material is exactly flush with the mold. Then the silicone mold is bent and the workpiece is laid on a hard surface. You can tint the ribbed edge of the base of the cake with dry pastel.
If the form is deep, clay cannot be removed from it before baking. Inside the material is stacked gradually, from pieces. Only after heat treatment can it be removed from the mold.
Polishing
To give the surface of the finished product shine, it can be polished. The procedure is carried out under water. You can polish the product directly under the flowing stream of the tap. You can also draw water into the basin and dilute a little soap in it. If the bumps are significant, you need sandpaper size No. 220. If there are small scratches or fingerprints on the surface, size 400 is suitable. Small bumps are sanded with sandpaper No. 800-1000. You can then varnish the product.