Clay Work With Air Dry Clay

Air drying products are now starting to be taken seriously by professional artist and it is no longer seen as just for schools and children. This is clear by the vast amount of fabulous creations and tutorials available. It’s great for adult crafts and professional sculptors, as well as kids and teen crafts.

Unlike traditional clay's that need to be fired in a kiln at a high temperature, or polymer clay's that need to be cured in an oven air dry clay is a mainly water based, which is simply clay mixed with water. It therefore cures in the open air at room temperature, so must be kept in an air tight container when not in use. It is usually inexpensive and it is generally very easy to use and pliable.

The majority of self hardening clay can be used in nearly all the same ways as kiln fired clay, which means that it can be coiled, pinched, scored, carved, shaped and molded.  This will vary depending on the brand and ingredients of the clay. Some manufacturers of air dry clay also claim that it can be thrown on a potters wheel!

When working with clay it's always a good idea to condition the clay by kneading it before rolling it flat, to smooth out all the air. If you are not rolling the clay flat then it usually only needs a little conditioning to soften the clay. Always read the manufacturers instructions before working with a new clay.

If you are rolling the clay out then it is a good idea to roll it in one direction as it tends to be smoother and more even than rolling it back and forth. When you have rolled out the clay make sure you don't have any air bubbles as this can cause cracking when the clay is drying. Another good tip is to keep a water spray bottle to hand and if it begins to dry out just spray lightly and the clay will absorb the water.

There is a wide variety of wooden, plastic and metal clay tools available for a vast range of sculpting techniques.  To start with it is useful to have a dedicated rolling pin, a craft knife, a few basic tools for making impressions, a smooth surface and an old cloth. Its handy to have some old cotton material to roll the clay onto so that it doesn't stick to the surface you are working on. As long as the material is smooth and not likely to leave a crease in your rolled clay it will be fine. Old vinyl shower curtains are also handy as they don't tend to crease up and are easy to wipe down after use. Old sheets and pillow cases are also really handy, anything that has a smooth surface will be suitable.

In order to create a smooth even surface when rolling out clay it is important to have an even flat surface. Place two identical pieces of wood or dowel either side of your clay and roll the clay out until the rolling pin lays flat on the dowels and your clay is nice and smooth. It's always useful to have several different thickness of dowels for different creations. Kebab sticks come in various sizes and thickness and are great for rolling out small projects.

It is possible to work on your clay project over a number of sessions. Spray your creation with a water mist and then wrap it in a damp (not wet) cloth and place in a carrier bag. It is important to keep checking your creation to ensure that it remains damp, so keep a water spray bottle handy. It becomes harder to work on the creation if it is left damp for several days as it begins to sag and separate. Once the clay has been air dried it is usually very solid, however extra wet clay can still be added after the drying process has been completed. 

Self hardening products are so varied in the texture, consistency and characteristics that it would be virtually impossible to list them all in detail. Many of these clay's are
sold for specific clay art, such as flower sculpture, doll sculpture, animal sculpture as well as kid's clay. The softer and foam clay's are great for sculpting flowers and cute animals while the firmer clay's are popular with figurine and doll sculptors, due to the firmer clay's holding finer detail. The clay's are also great for making dollhouse miniatures and due to the wide range of clay products they can make an endless list of doll house furniture and furnishings.

The variation of texture for air dry clay is extensive with some clay's drying to a soft foam like texture, some feel like plastic and some dry to a stone like texture. Their strength also varies with some being very durable while others, can be fragile, or easily scratched or dented.

The sizes and quality also varies considerably with air dry clay manufactured for very young children, 'school grade' right through to professional artist grade. Although some children's grade clay's can be poor quality for specific art work it is worth experimenting with as many air drying clay's as you can to find which ones suit your needs the best. One clay artist doesn't always agree with the next clay artist, when it come to the quality of air dry clay.

As air cured products are mainly water based it means that the water evaporates as it cures at room temperature and creations may shrink a certain amount with the exception of a few. There are hundreds of brands and the shrinkage rate varies with each one but you should always allow for some shrinkage with air dry clay.

It will depend on the size of the project for the drying time, which can be anything from a day to a week, although it is approximately 24 hours per centimetre thickness. It is important to make sure that the creation is thoroughly dry before sanding and painting.

Remember that clay will dry from the outside in so place the creation on paper towels and if you are making a flat creation then place something across the edges so that it will dry flat and even without curling. The majority of air dry products harden to a matte, smooth, finish that can be sanded down, painted and sealed with varnish.

Air Dry Clay Fairy Home Sculpture
By Maddiclay Designs

There is no one specific clay paint for air dry clay as it can be painted and decorated with most paints including tempura and acrylic paints as well as marker pens and inks. Once the paints are dry you could also add glitter, gems, sticker as well as most other embellishments. Almost any kind of embellishments can be added to the clay before it is cured or glued to the project after it has been painted.

Once completely dry and decorated it is important to glaze your creation with varnish due to clay being porous. Glazing will keep out moisture and dirt and protect it for a long time. If you glaze it with several layers of varnish it will also give it added strength. There are many varnishes suitable for glazing clay creations such as clear wood varnish, PVA glue, Modge Podge as well as lots more. It is important to make sure that the paints etc have completely dried before varnishing as some varnishes react to paints and inks and can bleed.  Painted creations should be left for at least 48 hours before glazing to ensure the colours are completely dry.

Polyurethane spray varnish is a very good glaze to use on air dry clay and although it may be a little more expensive than the other glazes it is less likely to make the colours bleed. 

Parvepol is also another fascinating product that is usually used for fabric sculptures but can also be used for some air dry clay's, although not all of them. 

There are a vast number of other air dry products such as manufactured Paper Mache (Papier Mache), Cloth Clay, Apoxie Clay and putties that are also now being used by sculptors, potters and crafters. there are some really useful and interesting products that allows the imagination to think outside the box. The best way to find your favorite is research and experimentation.
Happy Crafting!