The New Clay News

New Book About Air Dry Clay~FREE TODAY

2017-03-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

I just published my new book “TOP 10 REASONS WHY AIR DRY CLAY IS BETTER THAN POLYMER CLAY” and, as an introductory offer, I've made the book available for FREE for the next few days. Grab yourself a copy at Amazon. You can thank me by leaving a review.

Book description:

Are you wondering if the new no-bake clays could be a good alternative to oven-baked clay?
Are you struggling with switching from polymer clay to air dry clay?

Polymer clay and air dry clay each have their own set of pros and cons. The idea behind “TOP 10 REASONS WHY AIR DRY CLAY IS BETTER THAN POLYMER CLAY” is to debate the similarities and differences between polymer clay and air-dry clay. Neither modeling compound is actually “BETTER” than the other. It’s all a personal preference.

It does take a bit of experimenting to find the brand of no-bake clay that suits you and your sculpting style the best, but we’re going to help you narrow down the choices before you shop!

When you read this book you’ll discover the good points and bad points of the most popular brands of no-bake clay plus some tips and tricks to use with the self-hardening, air dry clays.

This is not a how-to book with step-by-projects. It’s a handbook providing potential solutions for those who’ve tried air-dry clay with little success. You may come across some compelling reasons to give air dry clay another try!

Don't hesitate! “TOP 10 REASONS WHY AIR DRY CLAY IS BETTER THAN POLYMER CLAY” will only be free until March 22nd.

It's a Kindle ebook but you don't need a Kindle to read it. There's a free Kindle app at Amazon. With the app you can read any Kindle book on your computer, or on a tablet, or on a cell phone.

Make a Mini Roller

2015-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Meadow Lane Studios shows us how to make a little roller tool to use whenever you want thin pieces of clay for embellishments, covering small objects, etc.

Problems, problems :(

2014-06-15T14:45:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed that MANY of my images have disappeared. Joining Google Plus made a mess of my image files when I linked Google+ to Blogger. Now it's no longer linked but please be patient as I re-build the blog. It's gonna take a while as it effected ALL my blogs.

Update

2014-06-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all, it's been a long time since I've posted anything new on the blog. It's been a busy year for me. You too, huh? As a matter of fact, it's been over a year since I said I was going to make some format changes here and will be converting the original blog to a website format. I haven't quite finished the "new look" but I wanted to let you know these changes are being made in support of my goal to make "The New Clay News" a great resource for all the frequently asked questions about air-dry, no-bake and self-hardening clays.

All air dry clay tutorials will be published on my other blog: Air-Dry-Clay (except any existing tutorials will remain in place here). The "Air Dry Clay" site is tutorials only...categorized by subject and also by tutorials written for specific clay products and brands. From now on, the "New Clay News" will be dedicated to articles and featured artists along with questions and answers about the various brands of clay and how they're used A compilation of reference material. I hope you find it helpful. Please post a comment or email your questions!

Mary

How to Paint Air Dry Clay Using Shading Techniques

2013-06-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today Mauricio Siqueira takes us on a walkthrough of painting a completed air-dry clay or cold porcelain figure using craft acrylics. Step by step photos take us from a cured completed figure (as shown below) to the finished detailed bunny shown above. Using the same techniques used by tole painters, the artist shades and antiques the wrinkles in the bunny's body and other accent areas. Notice where the artist uses thinned down paints to shade some areas. Blush or pastel chalks are used on the cheeks.

Bunny before painting

Comparing Polymer Clay and Cold Porcelain

2013-05-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

DottedKitten has created a video showing us the differences she found between polymer clay and no-bake cold porcelain. This question comes up often, so I hope you enjoy the video. Thanks DottedKitten!

New changes in store for New Clay News

2013-04-14T20:03:00.005-07:00

Doll made by author (Mary in Oregon) using Creative Paperclay and Robert McKinley tutorial.

In this, the fifth year of The New Clay News, I've decided to make some format changes. I'll be converting this blog to a website format for a couple of reasons. I've gotten involved in too many things (in real life) and just don't seem to have the time any more for daily (or even weekly) blog posts. Also, I want to make this a great reference site for all the frequently asked questions about air-dry and no-bake clays. To do that, I plan on adding some more pages of reference material rather than doing any more random posting or how-to tutorials.

All the existing posts will remain in the archives, but, in the future, look for all step-by-step tutorials to be posted at my Air-Dry-Clay (tutorial directory) and, just for cold porcelain, we have Cold Porcelain Tutorials. Please sign up for RSS or follow those tutorial directories by email. If you need personal assistance, we still have our Air-Dry-Clay Yahoo Group going strong with over 1200 members! Join us!

Remember, we're not closing down...we're just changing....so look for more product reviews, more about art dolls, some featured artists, and lots of crafting tips coming soon as our resources for air-dry, self-hardening and no-bake clays grows right along with the popularity of this form of clay modeling!

How to Size Doll Eyes

2013-02-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

If you're going to make your own clay doll, you'll need to buy or make some eyes. There's lots of tutorials for making your own doll eyes. We've featured some here and also at Air-Dry-Clay Tutorials....but today we're talking about ready-made eyes.

I often hear the question: "What size eyes do I need to use on my doll?"...actually I often ask myself that very question! LOL I found some good answers at SchoepfersEyes.com. They say:

"The size of the doll and the head is not what needs to be measured. The size of the eye opening is the measurement you need. To do this you need a measurement tool either a ruler, measuring tape, or micrometer. Take the dolls head and measure the eye opening from size to size (corner of the eye near the nose, out toward the ear) once you have gotten that measurement it will need to be converted to millimeters. (see chart below) We usually recommend adding a millimeter or two to that measurement."

Note: I'm also told that manufactured eyes are measured by the size of the iris...which would not include the "whites". Maybe this only applies to the oval acrylic eyes....I'm not sure....ask your supplier before ordering to make sure you're ordering correct size!

Question: What is the difference between styles?

There are glass and acrylic styles. Some are oval and some are round. Some are hand blown and are called pinch-back eyes because the glass is pinched together on the back of the eye. Some eyes have a thread or wire attached to ease installation. "Safety eyes" have a peg and clip system designed for soft sculptures where a child might try to pull eyes out.

Eyes called 'paperweights' are solid glass and have a slightly raised iris and a completely smooth flat back. Paperweight eyes can vary greatly in price and ease to work with. Many old French Dolls require hi-end Paperweight Eyes to uphold their value.

Any of the eye types or styles can be used with air dry clay. Make sure they're heat-resistant and can be placed in oven if using with polymer clay. Glue is frequently used to attach eyes in clay dolls but they can also be held in place with surrounding clay.

Question: What is the difference between a Round and Half Round eye?

Answer: The round eye is similar to a light bulb whereas a half round is like a large contact lens or bowl. (see photo below)

Eye Sizer tools are available. These are individual tools or sets of different sizes. Used by clay artists to shape holes for dolls eyes. Each end presents a different size.

Slip and Score

2012-12-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a tip from the Creative Paperclay blog for attaching pieces together! With Creative Paperclay you can create a slip just like they do with traditional kiln-fired clays and use it to bond Paperclay pieces together.

Tutorial: Clay Rose with Color Gradient

2012-10-24T22:26:00.001-07:00

Hi, Sorry I haven't been posting every day like I used to. I got involved in some local projects around town which have been taking a lot of my time. More than I expected...you know how that goes! Because I missed featuring a tutorial on Tuesday... let's have one today!

In this video, the well-known South American clay artist Jorge Rubicce shows us his methods for creating realistic roses using cold porcelain. If you don't understand the language, just mute the video and follow along visually as he demonstrates each step for building the flowers and creating his gradient color effect. Any of the soft air-dry clays would work as well for this project.

This video is an excerpt from the television show Bienvenidas. Fast forward to 11:45 to view the segment with Rubicce.

Make Your Own Clay Shape Cutters

2012-10-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

It's Tool Tip Thursday and Rubina (Gemini Arts and Crafts) has lots of ideas for making your own clay cutters. Supplies needed for this project are an aluminum sheet or tin sheet, scissors, pen, ruler, glue (steel bond), a wood block, hammer and nails to insert in the wood block to help get shape and curves of cutter.

Tutorial: Black Cat in a Pumpkin

2012-09-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's Tutorial Tuesday....so let's create this cat in a pumpkin following a tutorial from Makin's Clay The Halloween pumpkin is made from neon orange Makin's Clay and the cat's eyes are glow-in-the-dark clay, also from Makin's.

Meet a New Clay: Apoxie Sculpt

2012-09-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Most of the time we talk about air-dry clay, but The New Clay News is about ALL no-bake clays and today I'd like to introduce you to Apoxie Sculpt, a modeling compound that cures with a chemical reaction rather than air-dry. Apoxie Sculpt from Aves Studio is a 2-part self-hardening product with a putty-like, smooth consistency. It is easy to mix and use, just mix and knead Parts A & B together for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined and a uniform color is achieved. Cures hard in 24 hours without oven or kiln. Working time is 2-3 hours. Adheres to many other materials and can be seamlessly feathered before set-up or sanded, tapped, drilled, carved, lathed, or otherwise tooled after set-up! Clean-up with Aves Safety Solvent or soap and water.

Apoxie Sculpt is often used for repairs and restorations (antiques, toys, dolls, vases, ceramics, porcelain) because of excellent adhesion to wood, metal, ceramic, fiberglass, foam, glass, plastics, stone, and more! Also used for sculpting, casting/molds, doll making, miniatures, woodcarving, jewelry, glass art, toy and model design. Popular for building armatures and covering seams in models and figures. Suitable for outdoor use. Waterproof and freeze-thaw stable. Dries to a semi-gloss finish which can be painted.

Not for children. Safe for adult use when used as directed. Wear appropriate disposable gloves when blending parts A and B and wear dust mask & safety glasses when sanding/grinding.

Available in: 1/4 lb, 1 lb, 4 lb, 20 lb and 100 lb. packages. Colors: Natural, White, Pink, Black, Brown, Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver-grey, Bronze, Orange.

Joanne at Desert Mountain Bear uses Apoxie Sculpt to modify the ears on purchased BJD dolls to give them her custom elfin appearance. In this post she explains how she gives her dolls an ear makeover.

How to Make Perfect Ball Joints

2012-09-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today is Tutorial Tuesday and I found this tutorial on a Russian website to share. Author describes a great technique for making a perfectly round ball using LaDoll clay. The artist will use the balls for the joints in her BJD dolls, but I bet there's other uses for a perfectly round clay ball! This technique may also work for other brands of air-dry clay (such as Creative Paperclay). You'll have to experiment.

Google doesn't do a great job on translating Russian when it comes to crafting terminology, so I'll do my best to translate the important parts of the tutorial to English and then you can visit this site to see the original tutorial and all the step-by-step photos.

For this tutorial you'll need a circle template made of plastic like the one shown above.
With your LaDoll clay, form a rough ball of clay approximately the size needed for the joint...maybe a tiny bit larger. You can use foil or other armature inside the ball of clay. The ball doesn't have to be perfectly round at this stage.
Let the clay dry and cure for 2-3 days.
Dip a cured ball in water for about a minute so that top layer of clay is slightly softened, then put it in the circle cutout of the template that is the appropriate size for finished ball. With light pressure, start to scroll the ball around in the hole. The softened surface of the clay should sluff off to match the perfect roundness of the circle template (see photo).
The ball will slip in your hand and be difficult to hold, so it's better to do the scrolling wearing cloth gloves.

From time to time you may need to remove ball from template, clean excess clay off template, re-wet surface of ball and continue scrolling until a perfectly formed ball is achieved. It may take a while.

You can form a complete set of ball joints of exact same size using this method. Tutorial author says this method is not suitable for very large dolls.

Activa La Doll Natural Stone Clay, 1.1-Pound, Satin Smooth

Working With Air-Dry Clay: Art Dolls

2012-09-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

"Spring" by Tireless Artist

The Tireless Artist shares her tips for working with air-dry clay when creating art dolls plus some additional tips for saving and restoring "old" clay.

To quote the artist (Dorote): "I can’t describe happiness and excitement when I discovered art dolls. I think this is most complicated and interesting art ever. The doll artist has to be also a sculptor and a painter and hairdresser and couture and also needs knowledge of working with different materials and making different accessories. Doll making is my full time occupation now."

Guide to Aging Characters

2012-08-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Here's another great reference chart from Joumana Medlej, majnouna.com. The "Artists Guide to Aging Characters" was created for those drawing human anatomy but it is also useful information for those sculpting figures and creating dolls, especially for the facial features. It shows the changes in proportion and other changes that happen as a person ages from a baby to a senior citizen. See more charts at majnouna.com

Note: The actual size of the image is a lot larger than the way it displays in Blogger. Chart is much easier to read if you download a copy.

Guide to Body Proportions

2012-08-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

This "Guide to Drawing the Body" is a great reference chart from Joumana Medlej, majnouna.com. It was created for those drawing human anatomy but it is also useful information for those sculpting figures and creating dolls. See more charts at majnouna.com

Note: The actual size of the image is about 2400x3500 pixels, which Blogger isn't displaying full size. Chart is much easier to read if you download a copy.

Taking Photos of Your Clay Creations

2012-08-25T13:22:00.004-07:00

These violets are less than an inch tall and photo was taken with a lightbox and average camera.

Taking photos of your clay creations and other small items, especially miniatures, can be challenging. Here's some tips for improving your photos with better lighting and uncluttered backgrounds. First we have a tutorial from SmallCreations and then, from CandidAnn, a video showing how to make your own lightbox at home.

In the video below, T-shirts are used to diffuse lighting. If you don't have some nice white T-shirts to spare, other options are white gift wrap tissue, wax paper and similar translucent papers.

Note: I made a box similar to this a while back and it worked OK...however, I found it so useful I went ahead and purchased a sturdier setup like the one below (on left). Inexpensive, folds up compact and includes folding lights!

Meet a New Clay: Fimo Air

2012-08-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

You're probably familiar with Fimo polymer clay, but did you know Fimo also makes a line of air-dry clays? It's called FimoAir and is available in 5 different formulas. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try them all but I did order some FimoAir a while back. That was before I knew there was a "basic" and a "light" version and I ordered the 'basic'. What got shipped to me was Efaplast, also made by Fimo. Efaplast basic and FimoAir basic are one and the same thing in different packaging and with a new name!

Fimo trivia: Sophie Rehbinder-Kruse, daughter of the well-known doll maker Kaethe Kruse, developed her first modelling clay kit in 1954. She created the brand name FIMOIK by using the first two letters of her nickname ‘Fifi’, the ‘Mo’ from modelling clay and the final letters of ‘mosaic’, one of her favourite techniques. In 1966, equipped with a new concept, improved recipe and better sounding name, FIMO is successfully launched onto the market.

FimoAir Basic turned out to be a heavy air-dry clay and it's not one of my favorites. It reminds me a lot of DAS clay. If you like to do the traditional coil-building methods of the Mexican clays, you might like the terra cotta clay. Michaels craft stores carry both FimoAir Basic and DAS. Compare them for yourself. Both packages are a similar size and weight. The FimoAir Light, I'm told, is similar to Hearty Clay...a much softer and lighter clay. So far, I haven't found a local supplier for FimoAir Light, so haven't given it a try yet. It appears to be readily available in Europe and Australia but not USA.

Here we have a brief introduction to FIMOAir: Basic, Light, Natural, and Microwave. The majority of information in the product descriptions was obtained from the manufacturer. User reviews will be posted soon. If you'd like to share your experience with one of these clays, please contact me or leave some comments! ;-)

FimoAir Basic

FIMOair basic is a ready-to-use, clay-like water-based modelling material, which simply dries in the air - no need to fire. It is made from 97% natural substances making it ideal for children’s use. After drying, modelled objects can be modified using a file or sandpaper. Available in 500gr packages of white, terra cotta or flesh. Also white in 1000 gr package.

Created with FimoAir Light

FimoAir Light

FIMOair light is a ready-to-use, extremely lightweight water-based modelling clay which dries in the air and can then be easily modified by drilling, glueing, painting and varnishing. The hardened material is particularly light which makes it perfect for objects where weight is an issue, e.g. mobiles, or for model-making. Available in 125 gram blocks of white, yellow, red, blue, green and black. Also white in 250gr and 500gr packages.

Created with pre-colored FimoAir Natural

FimoAir Natural

FIMOair natural is a ready-to-use, water-based modelling clay which dries in the air and can then be easily modified (drilled, carved, filed, painted). It is made from 95% natural substances and, thanks to the cellulose fibres contained, the material has a particularly natural appearance. Once hardened, FIMOair natural is very hard and extremely break-resistant, making it ideal for the crafting of dolls and puppets. Available in 350gr blocks in 9 colors.

Mushrooms and pumpkins created with FimoAir Microwave

FimoAir Microwave

FIMOair microwave is a ready-to-use, extremely lightweight water-based modelling clay which can be hardened in microwave ovens. It keeps its shape well and hardly shrinks at all (<5%) when hardened in the microwave. FIMOair microwave can also be hardened in the air. Once finished, objects are particularly lightweight and can be modified, painted or varnished.

FIMOair microwave is recommended for use in schools and kindergartens. When the craft-making session is over, finished works of art can be taken home and proudly presented to parents straightaway! Available in 250 gr blocks of white or terra cotta.

FimoAir Papier Mache

There is also FimoAir Papier Mache, which is an air-dry, ready-to-use, water-based modeling material. Available as a clay powder in 200 gr boxes.....just add water for instant papier mache. Once art objects have dried in the air, they are wonderfully lightweight yet extremely sturdy at the same time. Cured objects can be sanded, painted or varnished. Made from 95 % natural substances. Highly economical to use.

(Note: I sometimes use papier mache as a filler clay to fatten up the armature and then add a finish layer of more expensive air-dry clay.)

Embedding Clay Flowers in Epoxy Resin

2012-08-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

This tutorial from MinaevaJA, which is translated from Russian, shows us how to embed air-dry clay flowers in epoxy to create earrings like those shown above and below. At the beginning of the tutorial it says "Part 3"....ignore that. The full tutorial is on this one page. First she shows us how to make a tiny flower with Deco Clay and then, after flower has dried and cured, it is lowered into a mold of epoxy resin and left to set.

The computerized translation to English is full of flaws but the accompanying step-by-step photos should give you enough information to try this unique technique with some of your own mini clay flowers!

Doll Shoe Week: Ballerina Flats

2012-08-19T17:54:00.001-07:00

We'll end our week of creating doll shoes with a simple pair of flats. The ballerina shoes shown above were created with lined silk. Use a different fabric and you'll create an entirely different shoe!

See Ballerina Shoe tutorial at Fashion Doll Shoes..

Doll Shoe Week: Bunny Slippers

2012-08-18T19:32:00.001-07:00

I made these bunny slippers a couple years ago for a cloth doll. They're glued on. But there's no reason they can't be made for a clay doll or made as removable slippers. Here's how I made this pair.

Materials:
White felt
Pink felt or fabric or paint
Small piece of white lightweight sheepskin fabric or something fuzzy
Pink embroidery floss
2 tiny black beads
Small piece of cardboard (cereal box will do)

Instructions:

Trace dolls foot to create pattern for sole of slippers. (Make it slightly larger than doll's foot).
Use pattern to cut 2 slipper soles out of white felt and 1 out of thin cardboard...for each foot!
Cardboard will create stiffness and stability for the sole. Sandwich the cardboard between the 2 pieces of felt and glue all 3 pieces together. Make one sole for each foot and set aside to dry.
Cut a circle of sheepskin fabric large enough to wrap around toe of doll's foot. Cut circle in half to create toe section for each slipper with the half circle.
Free form cut 4 bunny ears from white felt...2 for each slipper. Glue pink 'insides' to each ear using a sliver of pink felt for each or a piece of fabric. Lacking either one of those you could always paint the inner ear pink.
Glue 2 ears to center of straight edge of each slipper toe.
Fit toe of slipper to dolls foot. Wrap excess fabric around foot and glue to bottom of foot. Trim excess if needed.
Glue slipper sole made in steps 1-3 to bottom of each foot, covering fabric edges from step 7.
Glue or stitch 2 black beads to toe of each slipper for bunny's eyes.
Satin stitch a triangle with pink floss to create bunny nose on each slipper.

All done! This is original doll that slippers were made for.....Auntie Marion!

Doll Shoe Week: High Heel Strappy Pumps

2012-08-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Another shoe idea from By Tarja Simpanen at Fashion Doll Shoes. In this tutorial she demonstrates making a high heel pump with ankle strap using a fabric ribbon.

Notice in the first step, when fitting the sole of shoe to dolls foot, that she is creating a "fake" toe area that will be left empty for this particular doll. She adds a leather insert to toe of the shoe to help it keep it's shape but doll's foot doesn't reach into that part of shoe. You won't have to do that if the shape of your own
doll's foot fits this shoe well! This is a good tip to remember if you have to camouflage a poorly shaped foot!

Because there's a large percentage of air-dry clay fans who like to create dolls...human figures and fantasy figures....we're having a "Shoe Week" here at New Clay News and also at Air-Dry-Clay Tutorials. (My apologies for the duplicates if you happen to subscribe to both.). You can always sculpt any kind of shoe with your favorite clay, but sometimes we like to have a fabric or leather shoe! All tutorials featured this week will be devoted to crafting shoes for dolls of all sizes and shapes, removable and non-removable. Find more shoe tutorials by clicking on "dolls-shoe" in the Keyword Labels. Here's a couple that were featured earlier this week:

How to Make a Custom Doll Shoe

High Heel Platform Shoe for Dolls

Doll Shoe Week: Summer Boots

2012-08-15T16:44:00.001-07:00

Stylish summer boots for your doll. This step-by-step photo tutorial from a Russian website creates these shoes with denim (or other fabric), yarn, cardboard, scissors, dress hooks, thread, satin ribbon, glue and rhinestones. Author says: "I think that nobody needs to explain what shoes mean to women." ;-)

Creating a shoe like this would probably be best for larger dolls but could be adapted to mini dolls. The photo below shows an adaptation for a BJD doll that adds high heels and a platform sole.

Because there's a large percentage of air-dry clay fans who like to create dolls...human figures and fantasy figures....we're having a "Shoe Week". There's many ways you can model a figure but one thing they all have in common is the need for shoes! You can always sculpt any kind of shoe with your favorite clay, but sometimes we like to have a fabric or leather shoe! All tutorials featured this week will be devoted to crafting shoes for dolls of all sizes and shapes, removable and non-removable. Find more shoe tutorials by clicking on "dolls-shoe" in the Keyword Labels.

Shoe Week: High Heel Platform Shoe for Dolls

2012-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Make these platform sandals from foamcore, cardstock, air-dry clay, metal pipe, fabric and 'buckle'. The shoes shown in photo were designed to fit fashion dolls by Tarja Simpanen . Using the tips from yesterday's tutorial for designing your own shoes, you can adjust design to fit the foot of your own doll. You might also choose a platform that's not quite so high! ;-)

Here's another tip I just came across. Tarja mentions in this tutorial that she doesn't think the doll will be able to stand up and balance with these high platform shoes....but try this possible solution. Embed a strong magnet in the platform and doll should be able to stand on a base made of metal. Or just create a sitting doll showing off her lovely shoes! LOL

Because there's a large percentage of air-dry clay fans who like to create dolls...human figures and fantasy figures....we're having a "Shoe Week". There's many ways you can model a figure but one thing they all have in common is the need for shoes! You can always sculpt any kind of shoe with your favorite clay, but sometimes we like to have a fabric or leather shoe! All tutorials featured this week will be devoted to crafting shoes for dolls of all sizes and shapes, removable and non-removable.