polymer clay

Introduction

Polymer clay's history as an art media is only decades long, unlike many media that have been around for centuries and have long traditions. This newness means that there is a great deal of innovation by users of polymer clay. Often, ideas are born by borrowing from the traditions of some other materials, such as metalworking (mokume gane), ceramics, glass (millefiore), paper, etc.

Polymer clay hardens by curing at temperatures created in a typical home oven (generally at 265 to 275 °F (129 to 135 °C), for 15 minutes per 1/4" (6 mm) of thickness), and does not shrink or change texture during the process. When properly cured, most clays create items which won't break if dropped or normally stressed. It also comes in liquid form and in permanently flexible solid form. A piece may have additional layers or enhancments added to it, and re-cured with no ill effect. As long as the maximum curing temperature is not exceeded there is no limit to the number of times a piece can be re-cured.

Polymer clay is sold in craft, hobby, and art stores, and is used by artists, hobbyists, and children. Leading brands of polymer clay include Premo, FimoClassic and FimoSoft, Kato Polyclay, Sculpey (Sculpey, SuperSculpey, Sculpey III), Cernit, Formello, and Modello.

Few tools are essential for use with polymer clay, and these can often be found around the house. A pasta machine is often used to create evenly flat sheets, to mix colors, to condition the clay, and to create patterned sheets.

Polymer clay is available in many colors. Special-effect colors such as translucent, glow-in-the-dark, mica-containing "metallics," and "stone" colors are also available. Clays can be mixed together to create new colors, gradient blends, or other effects. Judith Skinner was credited with a technique to use the pasta machine to create a gradient blended sheet of color. This technique is used frequently in many other applications and is one of the early skills developed by hobbyists or artists in the media.

Polymer clay can be colored with other media. Paint, ink, colored pencil, chalk, metallic (mica-containing) powder, metallic leaf and foil, glitter, and embossing powder can be applied to the surface. The same materials also can be mixed in as inclusions; this is often done with translucent clay. When acrylic paint is cured onto the surface, it forms a permanent bond with the surface.

After it has cured, the clay surface can be left as it is, it can be sanded and buffed, or it can be finished with a varnish.

Uses and Techniques

Polymer clay can be used in many ways, a number of which have been generalized from other art or craft techniques. Some of the things which can be done with polymer clay include:

• Sculpting. Hand-shaped items can be any size from "miniatures" to quite large. Bas relief can also be created; clay clothing and accessories can be made for sculpted figures.

• Creating beads and jewelry of all kinds, such as pendants, earrings, barrettes, and buttons.

• Forming "canes," which are logs of clay with patterns running through their entire length, from which identical slices can be cut and used in various ways. The patterns created in canes can be simple, complex, or anything in between; they may be pictorial or simply geometric. Canes (and therefore their images) can be "reduced" so that they become quite small, and then combined to make multiple images. After molding the clay in your hands, it becomes much softer from the warmth of your hands. Before slicing the cane, let it cool; the image will be less prone to distortion.

• "Cover"ing items made from materials such as glass, metal, cardboard, terra cotta, and some plastics. Some popular items for covering are pens, eggshells, votive candle-holders, and switch-plates. Larger items, such as tables, can also be veneered.

• Creating vessels large and small. Jars, boxes, bowls, and container pendants can be created freestanding, over armatures, or over removable armatures.

• Impressing textures, lines or images into raw clay with rubber stamps, texture sheets, sandpaper, needle tools, or other items.

• Making molds with hardened clay, then pressing raw clay into the molds to create casts and to duplicate textures, shapes, whole faces. Molds made from metal, glass, and silicone can be used with clay as well.

• Using polyclay to accept "transfers" of black-and-white or color images from photographs, drawings, computer-created images or text. Images can be transferred onto freestanding liquid clay films or decals.

• Creating simulations or fauxs of many natural materials such as ivory, jade, turquoise, wood, granite, metal, leather, stained glass, or cloisonne.

• Carving or drilling polyclay after it has been cured (and backfilled, if desired).

• Inlaying tiles or chips to create mosaic.

• Onlaying clay or other materials to create collages. A "clay gun" can be used to extrude uniform rope shapes.

• Creating paintings with polymer pastes, and bas reliefs techs.

• Creating practical utility items, such as frames, games and game pieces, dioramas, toys, mini-books, notebook covers, greeting cards, and postcards.

• "Mokume-gane": shaving off thin slices from layered but distorted stacks of clays, powders, and inks.

• Using clay together with other media, such as wire, paper, beads, charms, stamps, and fabric.

External links

There are many online polymer clay groups open to all and polymer clay guilds or clubs in the US and in other countries.

Information and Message Boards

• Good site with lots of information
• Polymer Clay Forum Discuss polymer clay sculpting, tips, techniques.
• Fimoland Forum Very good Spanish forum with lots of technics, projects, galleries, etc.
• Glass Attic. "Encyclopedia" of polymer clay info, with 1600 pages, 90 categories of polymer techniques, lessons, and variations.
• Polymer Clay Central offers tips, information, contests, chat, and message boards.
• Polymer Clay FAQ
• PC Polyzine, an online polymer clay magazine with articles about artists, plus tutorials and instructions.
• Australian Polymer Clay Artists Group Aussie polymer clay artists exchange ideas and inspire each other.
• Humblebeads Polymer clay beadmaking tips.
• Polymer Clay WorkshopsOnline, international polymer clay class calendar.

More Online Groups

• GA Online Groups Page
• Yahoo! "polymer clay" search results

Guilds

• Guilds
• National Polymer Clay Guild

Books

• The Art of Jewelry: Polymer Clay / Katherine Duncan Aimone, ISBN 1-57990-616-8, 2006, Lark Books
• Celebrations With Polymer Clay, Sarajane Helm, Publisher Krause Pubns Inc, January 2003, ISBN 0-87349-521-7
• Create a polymer clay impression / Sarajane Helm. ISBN 0-87341-988-X (pbk.)
• Creating with polymer clay : designs, techniques, & projects / Steven Ford and Leslie Dierks. ISBN 0-937274-95-X (pbk.)
• The Polymer Clay Techniques Book / Sue Heaser, ISBN 1-58180-008-8
• Creating your own antique jewelry : taking inspiration from great museums around the world / Chris Dupouy ISBN 0-8109-9051-2 (pbk.)
• Creative Stamping in Polymer Clay / Barbara A. McGuire, North Light Books, 2002, ISBN 1-58180-155-6
• Creative stamping in polymer clay / Barbara McGuire. ISBN 1-58180-155-6 (pbk.)
• Foundations in Polymer Clay Design by Barbara McGuire, ISBN 0-87341-800-X
• Liquid Polymer Clay: Fabulous New Techniques for Making Jewelry and Home Accents ISBN 0-87349-563-2
• Making animal characters in polymer clay / Sherian Frey. ISBN 1-58180-041-X (pbk.)
• Making gifts in polymer clay / Stacey Morgan. ISBN 1-58180-104-1
• Making miniature villages in polymer clay / Gail Ritchey. ISBN 0-89134-956-1 (pbk.)
• Making polymer clay jewellery / text and illustrations by Sue Heaser. ISBN 0-304-34605-5.
• Modellare con nuova pasta sintetica (Polymer clay basics) / Monica Resta. ISBN 0-8069-7136-3
• Polymer clay : 20 weekend projects using new and exciting techniques / Irene Semanchuk Dean. ISBN 1-57990-168-9 (pbk.)
• Polymer clay : creating functional and decorative objects / Jacqueline Gikow. ISBN 0-87341-952-9 (pbk.)
• Polymer clay extravaganza / Lisa Pavelka, ISBN 1-58180-188-2 (pbk.)
• Polymer clay for the first time / Syndee Holt. ISBN 0-8069-6827-3 : 19.95.
• Polymer Clay: Exploring New Techniques and New Materials (Includes Precious Metal Clay) / Georgia Sargeant, Celie Fago, Livia McRee, 2002, ISBN 1-56496-869-3
• Polymer: The Chameleon Clay / Victoria Hughes ISBN 0-87349-373-7
• The Art of Polymer Clay / Donna Kato, ISBN 0-8230-0278-0, 1997, Watson-Guptill Publications
• The polymer clay techniques book / Sue Heaser. ISBN 1-58180-008-8 (pbk.)
• Polymer Clay Creative Traditions / Judy Belcher, 2006, ISBN 0-8230-4065-8, Watson-Guptill Publications