Many people have asked me for a basic guide to working with polymer clay and more importantly, how to get started with polymer clay. I wrote this tutorial in 2009 and give it to all my beginner students. It is also available on my website but I thought I would post it here for everyone to read also. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
ALL ABOUT POLYMER CLAY!
What is Polymer Clay??
Polymer clay (PC) is a versatile, exciting medium. It is basically a manmade, plastic material and consists of PVC particles and pigments suspended in a plasticizer. This gives the clay is maleable consistency. Baking the clay evaporates the plasticizer and causes the particles to fuse together into a stable material (clay hardens). Polymer clay is fantastic as it doesn’t air dry like other clays (it must be baked) so it allow for much more flexibility. You can achieve things so many things with polymer clay that are not possible with other mediums. Be warned polymer clay is very addictive!!
What Clay to Choose??
There are many different brands of PC on the market and each has slightly different properties. Experiment to find one that suits your needs. Remember, no matter what brand you use, always wash your hands after using clay and don’t eat or drink whilst using the clay.
Studio by Sculpey – Studio by Sculpey is a relatively new oven bake clay. It is is easy to condition by hand and very durable after baking. Softer than Premo and Kato but still good for cane work. There is a fantastic range of colours available in this range;
Premo Sculpey – Premo, although firmer than Fimo Soft, is still quite easy to condition. It is very durable and is a great ‘all-round’ clay. It is great for caning, sculpting and lots more. Fingerprints will not show quite as much;
Kato – Developed in conjunction (and named after) clay artist Donna Kato. Kato is harder to condition than the other clays but is extremely durable and colours stay the same after baking (any change is minimal). Kato does not get sticky when being handled;
Fimo Soft – Fimo Soft is easy to condition than a lot of clays. It is very durable when baked. Because it is soft, it is not recommended for complex caning as lines are not as crisp. Fingerprints will also show up more. Fantastic range of colours available;
Fimo Classic – Firm clay that is good for caning. Harder to condition than Fimo Soft and Premo. The formula of this clay has recently been changed and clayers have apparently not liked the change to the clay, so therefore, there are not a lot of retailers currently stocking Fimo Classic.
Sculpey III – Sculpey III is the softest of all the clays and tends to be quite brittle once baked. It is not a durable clay. Many people regard this clay as a ‘children’s clay’.
There are other brands of clay on the market at the moment such as Pardo Clay, Pluffy and Living Doll by Sculpey, but the ones above are the most popular ones used. This is by no means an extensive list and the descriptions are based on my experiences or that of friends/other artists. Use it as a guideline only.
What Tools to Get?
There are many different tools you can buy to use with your PC, but the basic equipment needed for starting out is relatively simple and inexpensive. You will need to start with;
** a smooth work surface – is essential. I use glass boards as they are smooth, heavy weighted and easy to clean;
** cutting tools – some sort of blade to cut your clay;
** a pasta machine is a great tool to have but you can use a roller if you don’t want to spend the money to start with. Keep in mind though it will take a lot longer to achieve certain effects without one.
** Needle tool for piercing your beads.
** Oven for baking beads.
Other tools you may need (or want!) later on include different blades, sculpting tools, texture sheets, cutters, etc. The list goes on and on!! You may be able to find things around the house to use for tools – PVC piping for a roller, knitting needles, toothpicks, anything that can make textures on clay, egg rings etc. Your kitchen can be a great place for finding polymer clay tools but remember – whatever you use with clay cannot be used for food again.
Conditioning Polymer Clay
‘Conditioning’ polymer clay is a vital part of working with clay. ‘Conditioning’ essentially means making the clay softer, pliable and easy to work with, by working the clay until the plasticisers are even distributed. We need to condition clay in order to make it workable and to also increase the strength and durability of the finished clay piece. The amount of conditioning required may vary between different brands of clay ie. Fimo Soft is generally quite pliable straight out of the package, whereas Kato Polymer Clay will be harder. This variation in pliability can even vary between different packages of the same brand of clay. Even if your clay is quite soft, in my opinion you should still condition it and then let it rest a little before using it.
How to condition your polymer clay:
There is no set way you ‘must’ condition your clay – you can use your hands and a roller or a pasta machine.
Hand conditioning:
The warmth from your hands will start to soften the clay up and make it pliable. Roll the clay between your palms to form a log/snake and then roll back into a ball. The friction of this technique combined with the warmth of your hands will speed up the conditioning process. Conditioning large amounts of clay can be hard on the hands. You can break/cut your clay into smaller sections as these will be easier to work with rather than large blocks. You can also use an acrylic roller to continue the conditioning process.
Pasta Machine Conditioning:
Cut your 56g pack of clay into four slices (with each slice being around twice the thickness of the thickest setting on the pasta machine. Feed each piece through the rollers, then place two thicknesses together and roll through till you have one sheet. Fold this sheet in half and fold first roll through. Repeat this about 10 times.
The important thing to remember is never force clay through the pasta machine. It needs to be flat enough to go through easily – you do not want to put too much pressure on the rollers or your machine will break.
Continue conditioning using whichever method you choose, until clay can be readily worked without crumbling.
It is hard to say how long this process will take as it will vary between different brands of clay. As you gain more experience you will be able to judge how much conditioning is ‘enough’. Usually your clay will need at least 2-3 minutes of conditioning.
If you suffer from arthritis (or similar) you may need to purchase a softer brand of clay that will condition more easily. You can also put your block of clay on a hot water bottle or heat pack or sit on it (yes, sit on it!) to start the conditioning process. DO NOT put your clay in the microwave!
What if my clay won’t soften up?
Sometimes you may come across a pack of polymer clay that will not soften up no matter what you do with it. It stays crumbly and is not workable at all. Unfortunately if this happens there is nothing you can do with it. It has been exposed to excessive heat or ultraviolet light and will not soften up like fresh clay should. This is why you should always store your clay according to manufacturer’s directions. Don’t throw it away though. You may be able to use it for other purposes ie. inclusions.
Baking Polymer Clay
To bake your polymer clay pieces you will need an oven and an oven thermometer. If you are not doing a lot of baking, you may choose to use your home oven. However, if you do a lot of polymer clay baking, I strongly recommend using a small oven, such as a toaster oven, that will be dedicated to clay work. This because a build up of plasticiser can occur in the oven and whilst polymer clay is said to be non-toxic, it is best to avoid this if possible. An oven thermometer is also essential because the baking temperature needs to be accurate and ovens quite often, are not accurate. The temperature you bake your beads at will vary according to the clay you are using. Always follow the manufacturers directions. If you bake the clay at a higher temperature the clay will burn and discolour and you will be left with a horrid smell!! Generally, the amount of time you bake your pieces for will be 30 minutes per ¼” thickness. You need to make sure that you bake your pieces for the correct amount of time to maximum the clay’s strength and durability. Items can be re-baked without any harm being caused to the piece. Some pieces may need to be baked in stages if they are more complex. When baking your pieces, you can place them on an oven tray or in a roasting dish. You may also wish to suspend your beads on skewers whilst baking to avoid any flat/shiny spots – you can also bake your beads on a layer of polyester quilt batting to avoid this. If you are baking clay pieces in your home oven, it can be a good idea to make a ‘tent’ from aluminium foil to cover the tray/roasting dish to reduce the residue that can build up on the walls.
Finishing Your Work
Once your polymer clay pieces have been baked it is now up to you to decide how you will finish them off. Depending on the look you are trying to achieve will depend on what technique you will use.
Matte: If you want a matte look, leave your work as it is – straight out of the oven or you can just give it a quick polish on a rough cloth.
Subtle Polish: For a subtle polished look, you can buff your piece with ‘Armorall’ or a ‘Renaissance Wax’ and a soft cloth.
Varnish: There are a number of varnishes on the market that are made specifically for polymer clays, providing either a gloss or satin finish. Experiment until you find one you like. You may also like to give your work a quick sand before applying varnish to make it nice and smooth.
Sanding & Buffing: These two techniques have an amazing effect on PC when done correctly. Sanding and polishing PC produces a smooth, glass-like shine. Sanding by hand will always produce the best results but if desired you can use a rotary tumbler for some pieces. It is best to wet-sand PC as this prevents the sandpaper becoming clogged with dust and also prevents you breathing in the clay dust. I use 3M brand wet/dry sandpaper which I find works perfectly. Start at 400 grit and move through to 600, 800 and finally 1200 grit sandpaper. You can re-use your sandpaper a few times – just wash it and allow it to dry.
PC can be buffed to a high natural gloss after sanding. The faster the buffing material is used, the higher the shine will be on the clay. You can use an old towel or a piece of old denim and rub the clay back and forth to achieve a nice shine but using a rotary tool, such as a dremel with a felt/denim rotary wheel will bring the sanded clay to a high gloss. However, if you want a shiny finish but you do not own a dremel you can sand your beads additional grits (1500 & 2000) before buffing on an old towel or piece of denim. You will not get the same look that you would with the dremel but the finish will certainly be shinier/glassier.
Tip: Keep in mind that the smoother your piece is when it goes into the oven for baking the easier if will be to sand and buff. It is worth taking the extra time to smooth your piece before it is baked.
Remember, the possibilities when working with clay are endless and you are only limited by your imagination. The information you have just read is really only just the very basic you need to get started. The more you ‘play’ with your clay the more you will learn.
© The Whimsical Bead 2009 This tutorial is intended for personal use by the reader only. No part may be reproduced, distributed or re-sold without written permission from the author.
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