Polymer clay, or baked plastic, is a plastic, multifunctional and beautiful material that has a lot of applications in creativity and needlework, and today polymer clay modeling is gaining more and more fans. Polymer clay is used to make bijouterie, jewelry, accessories for clothing and interior design, dolls, various sculptures and figures. Many needlewomen dream of starting to work with polymer clay, but do not have the skills to properly handle this material.
Instructions
Step 1
First of all, choose the best type of polymer clay for yourself. Different plastics are suitable for different jobs - there are softer and harder types of plastics, as well as types that are suitable only for making dolls or just making jewelry.
Step 2
If you want to sculpt dolls, Skulpey or Cernit, as well as some types of Fimo, will work for you. For the production of jewelry and accessories from colored plastic in various creative techniques, the Fimo Soft line of colored plastic is best suited - it is soft, plastic and easy to process, and also has a large selection of colors and shades.
Step 3
When you start working with plastic, provide yourself with a comfortable and clean work surface. Use a large glass or plastic sheet as a work surface, on which you can add wax paper.
Step 4
As tools, prepare a sharp stationery knife, a small sharp blade, sticks for slots and holes in plastic, and you can also purchase expensive special equipment for modeling polymer clay - a paste machine and similar devices.
Step 5
You will also need wet wipes, a soft dust cloth, and a rolling pin to roll the clay into thin layers if you don't have a pasta machine. A simple glass bottle can act as a rolling pin.
Step 6
You will also need tools for debugging and polishing products - sandpaper of varying degrees of hardness, soft suede, pieces of felt, sanding paste.
Step 7
Use a long, thin knitting needle or large sewing needle to make the beads and punch holes in the beads.
Step 8
After opening the package of plastic, carefully knead the mass with your fingers to make it warmer and pliable, pinching off a piece from the common piece of plastic. Make sure that your work area is not exposed to direct sunlight - they harm polymer clay.
Step 9
Feel free to mix colors and experiment - to turn two shades into a third, mix equal amounts of plastic in both colors and knead them evenly until you get the third color. If you do not mix the colors completely, leaving streaks, you will get a beautiful marble effect.
Step 10
For simple shapes and effects, try twisting two thin sausages in two different colors. Smooth out the resulting two-tone sausage - you can already make decorations from it.
Step 11
To lighten the finished product, if it should be too large, use foil-wrapped foam pieces as a base for beads and parts, pasting them with plastic of the desired colors.
Step 12
Carefully read the instructions for the plastic that you bought, and when baking, carefully follow the requirements for the temperature regime and the period of baking the product in the oven. After baking, grind the finished product and smooth its texture.
