Clay Work Clays

Clay work and sculpture isn't just for the professional artist, all you need is a few basic tools and a little imagination. In fact you don't even need that much imagination, thanks to social media! Pinterest and Instagram will provide thousands of clay art projects and tutorials at you finger tips.

Clay artists have a never ending choice of clay sculpture materials and in fact many are not technically clay but can create very similar sculptures and art projects as the professional ceramicists and sculptors.

The 3 basic types are oil-based, wax-based and water-based. They are usually categorize as heat-cured, self-hardening air-dry or non-hardening. There is also ceramic and stone-based clays, which need to be cured in a kiln at very high temperatures.



A very popular product for small clay art projects is Polymer clay, which is an oil based clay that will not dry out when exposed to air for a long periods of time. It needs to be heated to be cured but it can be baked in your home oven at a fairly low temperature to a hard, often pliable surface that can be painted and decorated. Polymer clay feels like plastic, is waterproof and very durable if cured properly. It is a great clay and can produce hundreds of polymer clay creations, such as handmade jewelry, flowers, animal sculptures and with the extensive range of silicone molds available it retains fantastic imprint and shape details.

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Two of the leading polymer clay's on the market are  Fimo and Sculpey. These products come in white and a huge variety of other fantastic colours and effects. Fimo is available in different consistencies including Fimo Kids, which is a very soft clay and has a similar texture to Plasticine. Other Fimo clay's include Soft, Classic, Professional and Effects.

Sculpey and Premo! Sculpey clays are softer than Fimo, but stiffer than Sculpey Original. By kneading it between your hands and fingers you are conditioning the clay and it becomes soft enough to blend easily but firm enough to hold fine details. Sculpey and Premo retain flexibility after baking, making small details less vulnerable to breakage. They are also available in a wide range of bright colours and glitter effects.

Air Dry Clay and Air Dry Newclay have hundreds of different brands and is a versatile clay that is ideal for adult crafts as well as being a suitable clay for kids. It is great for creating sculpture that you can paint once the creation is cured by air.  It is easy to use and pliable and comes in large 5kg bags for art classes through to small little tubs and packs. The large bags are usually nylon reinforced clay's and are available in different clay consistencies. Some of the cheaper reinforced clay's can become very brittle around the edges if they are not cured evenly, although hardening agents are also available. 

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Das clay is a very popular air drying clay and can be used for hundreds of different clay and craft projects. The downside to using air dry clay, is that it must stay wet while you are still in the sculpting process, which means that you need to keep a water spray bottle on hand and make sure it stays damp and covered when you aren’t working on it. A good idea is to cover the project in a damp cloth and place in a plastic bag until your ready to work on it again. Most air dry clay and 'newclay' come in either white or terracotta but can be easily coloured with  a variety of paint options, once the creation is cured. While curing, place the creation on a paper towel as it is important to dry the creation evenly to prevent cracking, as the outside edges will dry quicker than the centre. 

There are many air dry clay projects and clay creations available online and in book form and many of the projects can be be adapted to use with other clay's.  

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Cold Porcelain also know as craft porcelain is called such because it looks similar to porcelain and although heat is used in the making of the clay, the final product is air-dried and so does not need to be fired in a kiln or oven.  Once completely dry it can be used the same as many other clay's and dries to a semi-translucent porcelain-like finish.  Thin pieces are flexible when dry, strong and light-weight. It is available in a number of colours including flesh, white, black and many others. You can also colour it yourself with various products including paints, food colouring, sharpies and lot of other products.

It is important to allow 24 hours for the porcelain creation to air dry and also very important to glaze it with varnish in order to make it waterproof. It is fantastic to work with, especially for creating delicate flower sculptures and doll figures.

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Plasticine, which is often referred to as modelling clay was first popularized by Tony Harts famous 'Morph' clay animation and more recently 'Wallis and Gromit' characters.  Modelling clay is used to create clay animation because the flexible clay allows the doll figures to be re-positioned over and over. This type of clay stays flexible and never hardens, due to it's ingredients, if it is heated it will melt. Air-dry and polymer clay's are sometimes used for non-moving body parts of the model figurines. It just goes to show that it's not just for kids!

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It is also possible to make your own clay medium at home. Many of you may remember your childhood Papier Mache (Paper Mache) and salt dough craft projects that started your creativity. You can also buy ready made Papier Mache, which  is an air-drying, ready-to-use, water-based modelling material.  Available usually as a clay powder all you need is to add water for instant Papier Mache.  Once the art projects have dried in the air, they are lightweight yet extremely sturdy at the same time.  Cured objects can be sanded, painted or varnished. Papier Mache is often used by professional artists who create some extremely intricate pieces of art and sculpture. Here is one of the many tutorial books you can purchase to get you started. Papier Mache is not only a fun craft but due to the main ingredients being readily available in your home, it is also a cheap craft to try. 

You can also make cold porcelain at home with a few simple ingredients such as PVA glue, lemon juice and cornflour. There are a number of different easy to follow 'how to make clay'' recipes available and you can make some beautiful creations. Visit Maddiclay Designs clay directory for a great Cold Porcelain recipes.

Kiln Fired Clay or Ceramic clay basically means "the art of creating items from special clay that must be 'fired', or placed in an oven, to be hardened". Precious metal clay, professional artist’s sculpture clay and ceramic clay is all kiln fired and is available in different qualities, consistencies and price ranges. Many professional potters use a variation of several types of clay so that their pottery can retain a certain look and texture. It is best do your research and try them all out and see which works best for your own pieces through trial and error. With any type of clay, the more water it holds, the more it will shrink when it dries, although you can add other products to prevents water absorption.

There also many clay brands are still sold as a children’s clay but these clay's are such good quality that they are also suitable crafts for adults. 

Visit Maddiclaydesigns.co.uk where you will find a extensive clay directory which provides more details about each clay product available, how to use the clay and where to buy clay.  You can also find lots of beautiful handmade clay and craft keepsake gifts that have been made with many of the clay's discussed.