Hands on
In this unit, I will show you step by step how to model and build three small pieces with polymer clay from the sketch.
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Owl Modeling 1
I propose to start with the owl modeling, since it will be the easiest project of the three and it needs less dexterity. With this piece, you only have to worry about the owl's front side.
I'm going to show you how to take advantage of cooking to safeguard your progress and make the modeling process easier. As it is the first modeling class, I will also teach you some tips to keep the polymer clay clean from dust and dirt.
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Owl Modeling 2
In this class, you will see the modeling of the owl's wings and the finishing of the piece.
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Rabbit modeling
Now let's move on to rabbit modeling. The modeling method will be practically the same. I will take advantage of the multiple cooking methods to facilitate the modeling work, however it will take a little more skill to manipulate and model the rabbit's body.
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Modeling the fox and its flowers 1
Finally, you'll see how to model a fox and decorate it with a bouquet of flowers. In this piece, I will work with polymer clay of colors and I will model the fox without intermediate cooking.
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Modeling the fox and its flowers 2
Now, I'm going to teach you two different ways to make small leaves and flowers with polymer clay.
Tasks
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Model your pieces Practice exercise 3.1
Get to work! Your task in this unit will be to model the three pieces I proposed to you using the techniques you learned. After the last cooking and polishing, you can share a photo on the forum so I can give you some feedback.
U3 Frequently asked questions
Additional Resource Translations - Unit 3
Dear French-speaking and Germanic Hispanic students. As you may have noticed, the Additional Resources available for download are not translated into your languages. In order that this does not impede the progress of your learning, you can find in this topic the texts of the Additional Resources of Unit 3 so that you have...
Keep readingAdditional resources
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About cleaning polymer clay and safety issues
Plasticizers in polymer clay can make all items in contact with it sticky and sticky. To avoid color contamination and prolong the life of your tools, you will need to clean them regularly. To do this, you can use a napkin with alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol), as this product dissolves polymer clay than soap water.
Baby wipes are also an option to clean your tools, work surface and your hands when working with a different color. If they have alcohol in their composition, even better.
After working with polymer clay, the hands also tend to get sticky because of the plasticizer. Although polymer clay not toxic, it is important that you remove these residues from your hands, especially if you are going to cook or eat right afterwards. To do this, washing your hands with warm / hot water with soap or washing up liquid may not be enough, especially if you have used liquid clay.
To remove these persistent residues, you can use a hand degreaser (like those used in workshops) ideally without exfoliating, or antiseptic gel alcohol (hand sanitizer). There will be other effective alternatives to remove these tenacious residues, however I recommend using isopropanol or ethanol to clean your hands, as these solutions are too aggressive for your skin and could damage it. After cleaning your hands, you should moisturize them with a cream to prevent them from drying out too much with frequent washing.
Cases of allergy to polymer clay are very rare, but it is a possible situation. When working with this material frequently and for a long time, some people may develop skin irritation due to this contact, such as with epoxy resins and putties.
If you suspect a reaction on your skin or if you simply want to avoid getting your hands dirty, you can model and sculpt the polymer clay with vinyl or nitrile surgical gloves. The advantage of gloves, in addition to keeping your hands safe and clean, is that they will also prevent you from leaving fingerprints on your dough. However, you should avoid latex gloves at all costs, as this material is also allergenic (it is much more likely to develop an allergy to latex than to polymer clay) and latex too you can react with polymer clay.
If you want to know more about safety issues regarding polymer clay, here are two articles to review:
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Mixing colors with polymer clay
If you have few polymer clay colors and you don't have a lot of knowledge about color blending, there are color blending guides and tables on the internet that will help you find the right proportions to mix to get a specific color.
Trycolors
You can also try this site. In it, you can define the set of colors that you have at your disposal in the “Customize” section. In the next unit, you will also be able to use these tools to help you prepare some color with acrylic paint that you are missing.Article
In the fox modeling class, I told you about the tip to get colors that go well together. Just mix an extra color or one of the colors you already have. I would like to emphasize that I learned this “hack” thanks to the artist Cindy Lietz who is behind the channel “PolymerClayTutor”. You can find more information about this very useful trick in this article on your blog and in the video you will find on that page.
Additional resources
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About polymer clay conditioning
In this document, I added more useful information about the conditioning of polymer clay in order to complement what was said during the classes.
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How to recycle and conserve polymer clay
After working with polymer clay for some time, you will start by accumulating leftover color mixtures and other pieces that cannot be put back in the original packaging. In this attachment, I'm going to show you what you can do to recycle your polymer clay. I will also talk about some precautions that you will have to pay attention to when you want to store your raw pasta.
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What to do in case of cracking or if something breaks after cooking
You may have to deal with cracks and parts that break during or after cooking. If this happens, here is some information on how to fix these accidents.