Getting started with polymer clay

Would you like to make jewelery, beautiful canes, caractures , buttons or even dolls?

All of these and many more projects can be made with polymer clay.

Choose something easy for first project.

To get started you will need :clay (Sculpy, Fimo, Premo, Kato)

A work surface

oven and a thermometer

A dedicated pan or a tile for baking (formica or ceramic tile)

A dedicated rolling pin or a pasta machine

sandpaper

craft knife

storage container

A regular oven or a convection oven

As you become more experinced with the clay,

and how it works you will want to try more complicated projects.

You will need to add to the above list such things as:

molds

rubber stamps

knitting needles

bead roller

clay gun extruder

acrylic paints, glitter,

Armatures (foil or non rusting wire)

Baking your project

You should follow instruction that comes on package of the particular clay you are using.

Baking time is 275 degrees for 15 minutes to each 1/4 inch of thickness.

To prop your piece up while baking you can use foil.

After piece is baked leave it in oven to cool.

If you over bake some clay will darken.

You can use regular oven for small pieces

There will be a smell so make sure you have good ventalation

It is best to use  a convection oven you can dedicate for clay baking.

You should dedicate the tools to your clay project,

even though polymer clay is non toxic,

you do not want to use pasta machine to roll pasta for dinner.

Don't throw scraps away. You will be surprised what you can do with them.

you can mix different colors to make a new color or use them to make marbled effects.

Store clay tightly it will  last for years and can be worked and re worked.

My attempt of a little man.

For a small beginner project, use cookie cutters, and make Christmas tree ornaments.

Use the cutter that looks like a tree.

Run a piece of green Polymer clay through the pasta machine or roll it out to the size and thickness you want.Use cutter to cut it, trim if needed.

Then make a few decorations with different color clays to add to the tree.

Make a hole in top of tree for a hanger, before you bake it.

You could do the same for the star cutter.

Very simple project to allow you to get the feel of the clay and how you can shape it and mix different colors to use in all kinds of projects.