
Valerie’s private “A – Z of Polymer Claying.” With jokes and suggestions. In all probability.
A) Armatures – Constructions made to assist clay, because it bakes. Supplies can embody stunning wood shapes, elaborate wire skeletons, or often (in my case) the within of a rest room roll.
B) Manufacturers – Polymer clays are all comparable however not equal – Sculpey III is thought to be brittle as an example, Cernit could be very robust. One of the best clay known as Fimo. Why is it the most effective? As a result of I exploit it.
C) Cutters – Cutters are constituted of metallic, or plastic, and might minimize out good shapes from the clay – sadly most of them offset this by having an ideal ugly “look she used a cutter!” seam within the aspect.
D) Mud Masks – All people desires to look fairly however I draw the road at having glittery mica powder mucus membranes in my nostril, or sparkly “Good Pearl” lungs. I enhanced my mud masks by making it right into a canine’s nostril, with marker pens.
E) Extruder – Bear in mind the Play-Doh Enjoyable Manufacturing unit? I all the time wished one… Now I’ve it, in inexperienced metallic.
F) Ending/Sanding – Makes issues look easy and clear however boring. Oh so boring. Additionally you don’t have any nails on one hand.
G) Glue – “Clay Pleasant” examples embody E6000, Weldbond and that Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder, within the bottle that retains falling over.
H) ? – I’ve obtained nothing.
I) Devices/Instruments – “Devices”, that was lame proper? However I wished the letter T for Textures. Anyway, yeah, ball instruments, tissue blades, and many others.
J) Jewelry – One of many important makes use of for polymer clay however sadly my largest fail. I can solely make pendants – therefore my plethora of tutorials for pendants. Beads… don’t even go there.

Ok) Kneading/Conditioning – Some folks purchase, or invent, particular instruments. I’ve merely developed the grip of an indignant 10-pound lobster.
L) Lint (and Pet Hair) – The bane of a clayer’s life, particularly as many people “creative” sorts are too
busy being attention-grabbing and mental to really, you already know, vacuum. Plus, I am a loopy cat woman.
M) Mica Powders – Fairly, sparkly and lethal
(see D).
N) Natasha Beads/Mokume Gane – Collect some clay scraps up into an enormous ugly lump. Twist and minimize in half, or poke and slice thinly. Voila! One thing you’ll be able to cross off as deliberate.
O) Ovens – Polymer clay must be “cured” or baked, in an oven. Individuals who use “toaster” ovens danger burning their work (which is nearer to the warmth aspect). Individuals who use their meals ovens danger discovering out, in years to come back, that they’ve been feeding their households meals poisoned by residual plastic fumes*. I do know which I want risking – I’d HATE to burn my work.
P) Pasta Machines – I like my pasta machines the best way I like my males – massive, robust, easy and ideally Italian. Mine has no motor and generally the deal with drops off, which is principally the story of my life

Q) Questions – If there’s one factor ALL polymer
clayers have, other than clay, it’s questions: Will this
soften? Will this go sticky? Will this be robust sufficient?
The questions are countless – similar to the endurance of
Ginger Davis Allman, of The Blue Bottle Tree and
Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor, who usually know
the solutions. Really the questions are ASKED
endlessly however in actuality there are solely about 5 of
them, requested again and again… Poor Ginger and Cindy!
R) ? Can’t assume. OK this one is so that you can fill in…
S) Slicing (canes) – May be finished two methods: The primary is by getting a tissue blade and pushing down evenly on the cane (in a vertical path). The second is by promoting your home and shopping for a big razor-sharp guillotine, which might slice by means of the precise atoms the cane is manufactured from and probably a limb. I can’t determine which is greatest.
T) Textures – To clayers, the world is filled with textures we will use, and we gather them frantically. Bricks, bark, sandpaper, SO attention-grabbing. I made a stunning leather-based texture by urgent clay onto my Bingo Wings. (Google it!)
U) Below Baking – Don’t do it. Your clay wants at the least one full stretch within the oven at a superb high temperature. Use an oven thermometer too. I received’t inform you once more! (I’ll)
V) Varnish – Selecting which varnish, varnishing your work, cleansing your brushes… While you personal a canine you get to deal with choosing up poo. While you clay you get to deal with varnishing.
W) Wax – Renaissance Wax appears to be like good. I’ve a small tin that’s nonetheless going to be half full after I die, since you use such a tiny quantity. That stated, Renaissance is even more durable to spell than Lietz, which is a bit annoying… I look them each up EVERY time.
Y) YouTube – Dwelling of many tutorials, a wonderland for clayers, and the place we discovered Ms. Salgado! Yay!
Z) Zipper Cane – An idea so advanced that even the most effective clarification, probably the most wonderful tutorial, nonetheless leaves me crying like a child and sucking my thumb. Fairly although.
“Ten Commandments of Claying”

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Thou shalt NOT situation pink clay earlier than white and in case you do, thou shalt discover no sympathy on HOP – simply derision and emoticons of laughing animals. I do know this.
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Thou shalt NOT enthuse about claying to someone you don’t like – lest they take it up as a interest themselves after which constantly ask you questions, copy you, and after two weeks begin supplying you with unsolicited recommendation, as in the event that they have been now higher at it than you. OMG.
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Thou shalt NOT make Minions. EVER.
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Thou shalt NOT take a fee from someone who has seen your work, but desires you to make one thing completely completely different, in a mode that isn’t your personal. That’s a fairly disrespectful request, so say “No”.
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Thou shalt NOT go away cleansing out your extruder till simply earlier than the following time you begin utilizing it. Sure, I’m taking a look at *you*.
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Thou shalt set thine personal costs. Everybody considers themselves an “professional” on what you have to be charging, in the identical means as everybody has an opinion on how you need to carry up your youngsters. Ignore them and see what works for you.
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Thou shalt give clay objects as Christmas items. No purchasing, no spending and no extra pile of “what shall I do with this?” objects! Win/win.
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Thou shalt danger “losing” clay. In case you haven’t “wasted” clay, you’re not pushing your self sufficient. The extra clay you utilize, the higher you will get!
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Thou shalt search out each claying video, e book, article and web site out there, inwardly digest after which MAKE THINGS. Plenty of issues (see 8).
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Thou shalt cowl dubious-looking clay objects with Swarovski Crystals, Mica Powders and leaf canes, till they appear so blingy they’ll’t lose. That’s what I do anyway.
The British Polymer Clay Guild goals to advertise using this wonderful artwork medium. We welcome everybody from newbies to tutors and organise workshops and conferences throughout the UK.