Clay work for beginners. Polymer clay for beginners. How to work with polymer clay. Selection of material and its preparation for work

22.04.2020

"article. Where we will tell you what are the main techniques with which you can create pottery of various, but beautiful forms. Earlier, in the article" Clay modeling"We have already encountered the basics of modeling, and this article designed to expand and deepen the material presented earlier.

By the way, if you want to make a gift to your loved ones on, then you can also make excellent valentines from clay (you can read more about valentines in general in the article "How to make a variety of valentines").

Clay: The basics of sculpting are different from sculpting with plasticine. Clay molding is different in that after the mold is made, the product must be fired so that it can be used without any special fears. Although unfired earthenware looks great in key areas of the room, decorating the interior with home-made ceramics. If you want, you can use ordinary clay instead polymer clay- the basics of sculpting ceramics from polymer clay are similar to the basics of sculpting from ordinary clay.

Therefore, plus since the article is called " basics of modeling", then we will not touch on the basics of preparing clay, the basics of drying, the basics of firing clay. So if you want strength, you can use polymer clay. If you want originality, you can stop at ordinary unbaked clay. And if you have access to muffle furnaces or blacksmithing forge, then you can burn the finished products.

By the way, regarding the preparation of clay: if you want, you can buy ordinary blue clay without additives and soak it, moreover, do the kneading in advance so that the clay “matters” before starting work (1-2 weeks). You need to pour hot water (so much so that only individual islands of clay remain on its surface). After swelling, the mass must be laid out on a table covered with a coarse cloth and wait until the clay is freed from excess water and acquires the moisture necessary for work. At the same time, it must be periodically turned over and kneaded.

So, it is assumed that you have clay ready to work, which:

plastic (does not stick to hands), soft in texture, because a very dense, hard consistency of clay will make it difficult to work;
freed from unnecessary heavy inclusions (sift or sort through the clay dough to the touch, pinching and sorting into small pieces (put in a “swallow's nest”);
broken, i.e. freed from bubbles, otherwise it will be torn apart during firing;
wrapped in a damp cloth (rag) and packed in a tight plastic bag to avoid drying out. Can be used for storage plastic closable forms.

It's time to start the basics of clay modeling.

So, you should work with clay with two hands. This will allow you to simultaneously decorate the right and left sides of the product, help to more organically connect everything into a single whole. To help your hands for sculpting, you need to use special tools - stacks. Their main purpose is to work out small details, remove excess clay, attach small parts to large ones, smooth out individual parts of the product.

Work on the product begins with the main, larger part. For example, when sculpting an animal, the torso and head are first molded, then other parts are compared in size, they are connected, and the smallest ones are molded last.

Any connection is made in the following sequence:

First, on both connected parts of the product, a notch is made in the form of a mesh with a stack, knife or toothpick (for small forms), then it is smeared with slip (a creamy mixture of clay and water).
It is attached by lubrication on both sides (clay is smoothed down from the top) with a stack or a wet finger.
In some cases (in particular, in the manufacture of dishes), a separate flagellum is made to connect the parts, which, when applied at the junction, will be smoothed in both directions - up and down.

In this case, the seam should be invisible, and the connection should be strong. This will keep the product from cracks and chips, i.e. destruction after drying. You can finally use a damp sponge to smooth the seam.

If the work is not completed immediately, then the product must be stored by covering it with a damp cloth and polyethylene. At the same time, the clay will remain damp, the surface will not deteriorate, and work on the product can be continued in the following days. Before completing the work, the product, if necessary, is “smoothed” with a damp sponge, rag or brush.

Decoration in the process of modeling may consist in embossing products (printing), molding decoration elements or using different clay masses in color; after drying and firing - in painting with ceramic paints, glazes, etc., which is discussed in more detail in the decoration section.

Now a little about the different ways of sculpting

There are two large groups technologies for working with clay (and any other plastic materials). The first way is to create a half volume, the second is to work with a full volume (in 3D, as they say).

Creating a semi-volume is such techniques that create, as it were, a volume - but a volume tied to a plane. The creation of a semi-volume can occur using:

cutting material from the thickness of the clay, which forms the pattern.
sticking layers of clay over the main layer, forming the desired pattern.

Whatever method you use, the result is a relief that looks something like this:

Naturally, when working in the "relief" technique, it is not necessary to make through holes, the main layer of clay can remain indestructible.

Working with volume (3D modeling, so to speak) really takes place in volume, in all three dimensions. In this case, the product turns out to be independent, and is located in space, regardless of the initial layer of clay. In fact, we can say that a three-dimensional clay figure is an evolved semi-volume, a relief that is very, very convex and detached from the substrate.

When creating a volume, the work during the modeling process must be periodically examined from all sides in order to achieve the correct proportions and ratios of its parts. If you do not do this, but use the habit of drawing on a plane, then something very, very incomprehensible may turn out - not at all what you wanted.

Actually the volume of clay can be created in several ways, the first group of which includes:

Constructive way consists in the fact that the object is created from separate parts. Work begins with the main, largest part. Then small parts. Accordingly, all the blanks to the base of the figure are sequentially connected (pasted), then work out small details.

Plastic molding from clay lies in the fact that modeling comes from a whole piece, when all parts are drawn from one piece of clay.

If you combine constructive and plastic methods, you get a combined method of modeling.

The second group of modeling methods suggests that the product is made from "building" elements, prepared in advance and more or less the same - from balls, creating the desired shape, and then smoothing, from strips or sausages, laying them in a circle and forming a vessel, etc.

Each of the modeling methods is, in principle, interchangeable, and with the proper amount of practice, the difference between them is erased. And it is worth mentioning separately modeling with the help of a potter's wheel - a very interesting, but, unfortunately, not very accessible way of making clay products. And, at the end of the article, we give the main advice on clay modeling:

The main basis of clay modeling is practice, long practice and a lot of work done.

Based on materials and more data at http://glina.teploruk.ru/article/sposoby_lepki.html

In this article we will talk about such a popular material today as polymer clay. From it you can make a lot of beautiful things.

Polymer clay is one of the most common craft materials. And no wonder, because it is very elastic and completely non-toxic, and the crafts are simply fantastic!

Moreover, the variety of such crafts is striking - not only decorations, but also many other things that will definitely decorate your life.

How to work with polymer clay?

So, to begin with, let's deal with What should you stock up on when working with polymer clay?. Half of success in work depends on the right choice.

Of course, first of all, you need to stock up on the clay itself, which is sold in special stores for needlework. There are enough marks:

You can buy a domestic version of the type "Flower"- it is inexpensive, but unsuitable for sausage preparations. The color palette is not extensive, there are no special effects like mother-of-pearl, no metal

IMPORTANT: The most tangible drawback is that after baking, the products from the "Tsvetik" become very fragile.

Of the foreign brands, the most common is considered "FIMO"- she offers the buyer big choice colors that practically do not change after baking, suitable for a variety of techniques
There are the following types: soft Soft, standard Classic and interesting Effect with additives, transparency, sparkles and mother of pearl

Premo- has a greater similarity with wax than the previous version. It is very easy to mold from it. Good for sausages
"KATO"- with this brand you will have to suffer a little, as it is baked at a fairly high temperature. And as for trying to knead the clay, it will be quite problematic to do this if you do not use a hammer
You can pay attention and for Polish products- It is strong and affordable. Good for sculpting applications. However, if you plan to make sausage blanks, such clay is of little use.
Cernit- recommended for those who want to sculpt dolls and imitate stones such as marble. For those who want to bring a touch of transparency to their products, this brand is perfect. Clay is similar to wax, it is advisable to knead it well before sculpting

Dolls are drawn on the packaging of Cernit polymer clay - products that are best obtained from it

What else can the creative process do without?

Without workplace, of course. For this case, it is best to find a tile or glass, as you will have to work with a knife. A thick sheet of white paper is also possible, but this is in extreme cases.
Knife you need the sharpest, and preferably a special one for this kind of work. But if this is not found, you can use the stationery. Pay close attention to sharpness - the material should not be smeared as a result. And look at the price, choosing the “golden mean”, since cheap ones are very often blunt, and expensive ones have an overly thick blade - these include, for example, Japanese

IMPORTANT: Do not use the kitchen under any circumstances! There is a risk of harm to health.

rolling pin also irreplaceable, but not plastic. The fact is that some types of plastic quickly deteriorate under the influence of polymer clay. But you can use a special roller for rolling clay or even
toothpicks they will help well in making holes in beads, forming details, in drying beads - it is very convenient to string round details on such sticks. As an alternative to toothpicks, stacks are used, but not made of plastic
Buttons, pendants and other accessories make crafts unique
For cutting out details, in the absence of special molds, it is quite possible to take lids or glasses
Emery skins with waterproof effect sand well and remove fingerprints from products. And dense material like felt, jeans will help to polish
Lucky will definitely be required. You can use building acrylic with a base on the water, but the best brands are Sculpey, Fimo

The basic rules for working with polymer clay are as follows:

The most basic - maintaining cleanliness. The surface must be clean, as are the hands. It would be nice to stock up on gloves. And try to keep the place of work free of lint

IMPORTANT: Wet wipes very helpful at work. They will not only keep your hands and tools clean, but will also smooth out the unevenness of the material.

For clay softening you can use special means which is called a plasticizer. Experienced needlewomen recommend the Moldmaker brand. A few peas of the product is quite enough for a pack of clay. As an alternative, creams, petroleum jelly, a warming procedure are suitable
There are also cases when the clay sticks to your hands especially fresh. Then you can mix it with harder clay or leave it on a white sheet of paper for several hours. But if paint has already got into the material, it is hardly possible to do something.
Lacquering of details occurs in different ways. For flat ones, each side is processed in turn. Round ones are best first strung on a toothpick, which, in turn, must be stuck into plasticine. You can also dip the parts in varnish or apply it with a synthetic brush

Whatever clay is chosen, it must be properly used before use. knead- thanks to this, the material becomes plastic, soft and suitable for comfortable modeling

IMPORTANT: Do not ignore this step, otherwise air bubbles will remain in the material, which will turn into bumps when the clay is heated.

Stock up on special baked gel- for example, such as FIMO liquid. Sometimes you need to glue a pin to the part - in this case, the hole for it needs to be made a little larger, taking into account the glue
Store clay sausages you need in a film or a well-closing bag. Otherwise, they will not dry out, but will lose their plasticity and become brittle. This is explained by the evaporation of the plasticizer. It is even better to put the blanks in the refrigerator

At what stage do you need to do grinding? After the parts are baked, but before varnishing. It is recommended to wipe the parts with a linen towel after grinding - this way they become as if velvety

IMPORTANT: Do not think that the varnish will hide the defects of the material. As a rule, he only emphasizes them. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to polish.

How to bake polymer clay crafts?

The baking process should be discussed separately, but this does not mean at all that it is somehow too tricky and requires a special oven.

This is not ceramics - here an ordinary oven is enough, after all the temperature at which many types of polymer clay harden is only 110-130 degrees.

What do you need to bake crafts on? Never on utensils that are used for eating
It is better to adapt a special baking sheet for a creative impulse, covered, in turn, with accordion-folded paper
A lot depends on what is being baked. So, the beads will feel great strung on a toothpick stuck in foil. Flat parts are recommended to be placed on glass or ceramic tiles
You can place the glass in the sleeve for baking, and then get the craft on the street - this is if you are overcome by doubts about toxicity

In general, so that no toxic substances are released, you must adhere to the temperatures indicated on the clay packaging. And even with this, it is necessary to work with the hood. After each work, the stove must be thoroughly washed.

IMPORTANT: If there is a smell, and the craft itself has turned black and even charred, immediately stop baking and ventilate the room well.

If, after processing in the plate, the product becomes dense, thin parts are able to bend, and subsequent drilling produces long chips - everything is in order, you are on the right track.

Polymer clay crafts for beginners step by step: master class

Beginning needlewomen must first of all master master classes on making sausages from polymer clay. Having such sausages, in the future you can create spectacular details for various products.

Snowflakes, flowers, fern leaves - all this can be easily made from polymer clay

So let's try to do the simplest strawberry sausages which even a beginner can do:

So, you need pink, red and white clay. From white blind a slightly elongated triangle, and from pink - layer about a millimeter thick

IMPORTANT: Before rolling out the layer, the clay should be thoroughly kneaded.

More from white clay you need to make sausages. Sausages will also be needed from red. Then they need to be connected to each other.

Carefully wrap connected red and white sausages with a pink layer

The resulting red-white-pink sausage should be pulled out as carefully as possible in length. Approximately until it reaches a length of 12 or 13 centimeters. When stretching, the product should in no case lose its original shape.
And after that the sausage can be cut in equal pieces

Now from scattered sausages a strawberry is formed. Forming it is not difficult at all: a white sausage is wrapped in a pink layer and stuck around with sausages made of red and white clay in a circle

IMPORTANT: Do not glue the entire core, leaving the bottom intact, as shown in the photo.

Now the core turns again, but this time with a layer of red polymer clay

At this stage the sausage needs to be stretched to a size that is convenient. Please note that for beads it should be thick and short, and for toy pieces it should be thin and long.

And so The final stage — baking! Do this for about half an hour, after which cool the workpiece and cut into strawberries
When properly manufactured, they should be easy to cut, resembling fairly dense rubber in structure.

The described master class is intended for the simplified production of strawberry sausages. If you want something more naturalistic, then you can use a pasta machine.

It allows you to achieve smooth color transitions. As an analogy, take an acrylic rolling pin, only it will take longer to tinker with it.

Fruits from polymer clay sausages can be used in manicure

Beginners can also practice on buttons- it is very easy to make them, and the thing turns out beautiful and useful. So, for the simplest recipe for making need:

In fact, polymer clay
Acrylic paint for decoration
Sandpaper
The sleeve in which baking is done
Some kind of vintage style button

So, to get started, you just need to roll polymer clay balls. Choose colors as you wish. Attach a button to the balls

Now with a thick needle make holes. Such blanks can be immediately packed in a sleeve and baked at 110 degrees

IMPORTANT: It is better not to use a baking sheet, as it will not always be possible to fully wash it, like an oven. Even then, leave the oven door slightly open.

Sandpaper processed baked buttons. Edges can be neatly trimmed
Now you can add the finishing touches processing products with paint or varnish

But what if you want to make such a trinket, but you don’t have a vintage button at hand? No problem: you can create a craft in a different way and easy too!

Roll out the polymer clay layer thinner. Attach a piece of lace to the layer which is sure to be found in any home. But before applying, be sure to lightly sprinkle the clay with water.

Now cover the workpiece with polyethylene- without it, cutting will turn out sloppy

The mold must be pressed on the layer. The mold can be absolutely any shape

According to the resulting contours, it is easy can be carefully cut future button

With a toothpick holes are being made

Blanks bake, cool- and now they can be coated with acrylic paint

IMPORTANT: The thing should cool in the oven.

Easy crafts from polymer clay

An easy and useful craft will be needle magnet. You will need:

Rolling pin and work surface
mold
Polymer clay
Acrylic paint, brush
Lace
Sandpaper
2 magnets

You can get started:

Clay needs it right knead hands
Then her roll out
Using a cookie cutter desired contours are cut. The edges are trimmed
Now for preparation pressed lace
You can bake the craft in the oven. However, if polymer clay is purchased with the feature of self-hardening, it’s even easier - you just need to let it harden
sandpaper product is processed
And now can apply paint e the way you want. If there is a desire to somehow decorate the magnet - it's time to do it
On the reverse side crafts a magnet is attached. That's all, it is quite possible to use it! You need to apply a useful craft on a fabric previously fixed in the hoop

IMPORTANT: Do not forget about the second magnet, which is applied on the back of the fabric to the one attached to the craft.

The next easy-to-make and useful polymer clay craft is jar lid. The lid will outwardly resemble weaving from a vine, so any jar will look economic and comfortable with it. You need to stock up on these things:

Any of the most common jar lid
Polymer clay any shades. But to recreate the effect of weaving, beige, red, yellow, green, brown and dark blue are best.
If there molds- a special mold for creating three-dimensional figures - it will be very useful
PVA glue or liquid plastic
orange and brown pastel
Green, yellow, white, red acrylic paint
varnish, also acrylic
Device for rolling out polymer clay- acrylic rolling pin, glass rolling pin, in the absence of a regular jar
A special machine for processing polymer raw materials is desirable, called extruder
tassel for applying paint. In this case, choose a thinner brush
Wand sharper or toothpick

To begin with, a piece of brown clay is taken and rolls out to the state of the formation. Please note that it must be no smaller than the size of the original cap.
The source cover is lubricated liquid plastic or PVA glue

Now clay should be put on the lid. At the same time, it should cover the entire surface of the lid, but should not prevent it from closing. It will be necessary to immediately make incisions - this will release air bubbles. Alternatively, you can pierce the clay - then the air will come out during the baking process, otherwise the clay will simply rise
It's high time twist polymer clay into a sausage, then immersing it in an extruder. This must be done with brown and beige clay. The thickness can be any

IMPORTANT: If there is no extruder, you just need to gently knead the sausage so that the shades do not mix. After that, you need to gradually cut off pieces from it, rolling them into thin threads.

Now we need to twist the strings. First, take a bunch of four and lay them horizontally on the lid. The ends should extend beyond the lid. Then take four more threads and put them on top of the previous ones, only perpendicular to them.
Lay out the threads so that their ends diverge from each other according to the principle of rays
Take a couple more polymer clay threads and place them in the center of the makeshift web. Start weaving in a checkerboard pattern- threading the leading threads first above the others, then below them. If you have ever wove wreaths or baskets, you should be able to do it very quickly.

It is necessary to weave the cobweb to the edges of the lid. If the threads run out, new ones are simply glued to the old ones. After that, the weaving is carefully removed from the lid, transferred to paper
On the lid PVA or liquid plastic is applied. In the first case, you need to act quickly - before the glue dries.

The polymer clay web returns to the lid. And now you need to complete this weaving with a fringing. It is created from six stripes intertwined with a pigtail.

Now you can decorate the lid to your liking- for example, create flowers or berries from polymer clay, do not forget to cover them with varnish

Lovers of weaving and just useful little things will surely like it miniature ring box. We will make it in the form of a basket

You will need:

Clay
Wire, the thickness of which is approximately 0.8-1 mm
Stationery knife
Capacity, which resembles a basket. Cream jars are very suitable for this purpose.

So let's get to work:

Roll polymer clay into a sausage. Its thickness should be about 1.5-2 mm. It is best to use an extruder, but not critical if it is not at hand
This sausage cut into pieces 3 centimeters long

IMPORTANT: Make sure that the number of pieces is odd.

The container itself should be turned over. After that you can stick cuts of polymer clay on it

Carefully cut off excess parts pieces so that they are the same length

Now a circle is made of clay. It must be attached to the bottom of the container. For the best effect, it will be good to iron this circle with a toothpick.

The jar is placed in this form in the oven. The temperature depends on the type of clay, but the time will be enough for 5 or 8 minutes. After baking, the jar is lowered into cold water, cools down and is freed from polymer clay

Roll up the sausage as long as you can. However, it will be possible to connect sausages during the weaving process, which is easier to do with an extruder

IMPORTANT: After weaving, the basket should not be corrected from the sides, otherwise the natural effect of weaving will disappear.

If you want to give the base of the basket completeness, you can weave two piece braid and stick it on top. BUT on the bottom from the inside you can stick a circle of clay- so the bottom will become more accurate

It remains to make the handle of the basket, for which the wire is useful. Measure the desired length and bend the arc

The final stage is wrapping the frame of the handle with polymer clay sausage. You must not forget to leave 5 millimeters on both sides. Next, the handle is attached to the base, and the whole composition is sent to the oven for 20 minutes

Do-it-yourself polymer clay doll

A doll made of polymer clay will be an excellent gift for a child, and it will fit well into the interior of an adult. Of course, each such doll is individual, but still the general nuances of manufacturing are present.

Experienced needlewomen are convinced that the proportions of a living person are not suitable for a doll - the head turns out to be small, and the arms are too long. And most the right way calculate proportions is to remember that one body of a toy is measured by seven heads. The palm is equal to the width of the face, and the foot is 1.5 palms.

Creativity should always start from the head, twisting a loop of wire. Foil should then be wound on such a base.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to wrap the foil tightly.

Now polymer clay comes into play, which you need to knead well, then stick around the foil. All unnecessary irregularities are important to smooth out.

Perhaps the most difficult is start drawing facial features. It is necessary to highlight not only the eyes, nose, mouth, but also not to forget about the forehead, chin. You don’t need to paint anything yet - just a relief designation of features. And remember that the face should be convex.

After that the workpiece is placed in the oven. The baking temperature depends on the recommendations of the clay manufacturer.

Hands can be done next.- Cylindrical pieces are formed from clay. They need to be rolled out.

Hands made of polymer clay at the initial stage are cylindrical pieces

Using the stack fingers are formed. It is very important to carefully separate them without damaging them. Next, give the handles a natural look by rounding their outlines and not forgetting the folds.

Now you can treat your hands in the oven, after putting them on the wire.

The manufacture of legs begins, oddly enough, with the feet- they are made from parts, one side of which should be thicker than the other. The stack denotes fingers, folds.

Pieces are attached to the feet, which are then transformed into a leg to the shin. The legs are baked in the same way as other parts of the doll's body.

IMPORTANT: To put the legs on, take the longest pieces of wire, because they will form the main frame of the doll.

And now it's time to collect the disparate parts into general framework. To do this, the wire from the head is connected to the pieces from the hands, and a long wire from the legs is screwed to all this. Where the pupa is planned to have a waist, the wire should be twisted.

Now you can bake the doll.

And here begins the most interesting - the formation of appearance. Recommended for face painting use acrylic paints and brushes number 10. For the eyes you will need the thinnest brush.

As for the hair then you can use a wig for a good cause, forming the hair in parts. You can form strands of silk threads.

And you can use wool for felting - it turns out just fantastic doll hair.

Outfit whatever is sewn, depending on the idea and the materials at hand.

Doll made of polymer clay by Canadian master Martha Boers

Another polymer clay miracle from Martha Boers

DIY clay toys

You can sculpt a lot of polymer clay toys - it all depends solely on your imagination. Let's try to make a symbol of this year in this lesson - fire monkey.

First of all carefully knead the clay and create an oval from the orange piece- this is the future head of the monkey. Flatten it a little for the face
For body need to make another oval, only remade in the form of a drop

The head and body are held together so that the body is attached to the smaller side of the drop
A thin pancake is formed from beige polymer clay, on which you need to make a recess on top

IMPORTANT: A thin toothpick for forming shapes on pieces of polymer clay is just right.

Beige pancake superimposed on the head. And closer to the bottom. And the recess should "look" up
With the help of dots small dimples for the eyes. By the same principle, the nostrils and mouth are indicated.
Roll two small circles from black polymer clay. They are placed with light pressure in the eye sockets.
2 balls roll from orange and beige clay. And beige is less than orange. They make pancakes. Beige superimposed on orange

Ears made of polymer clay

The resulting ball is cut into two parts - these are the ears. They are attached to the sides of the head with pressure. Joints should be smoothed
A monkey can be made playful with a bang- this is a small orange droplet, glued with the wide part up. The bottom one needs to be screwed down a bit.
And now handles-legs are formed from 4 sausages in the form of drops. For hands, roll smaller drops. In all four sausages, make indentations in the wide parts

Form 4 drops from beige clay, and cut fingers on their wide parts - these are hands and feet. Attach them to the recesses of the arms and legs

from orange clay tail is formed, pointed on one side, and also twisted in the form of a question mark - on the other

Now all parts of the body are attached to the torso, and the toy is baked

DIY clay sculptures

Garden sculpture is both interesting and functional. It is unlikely that you want to spend money on buying a finished sculpture, but you can try to make one yourself. For example, owl, for which you will need:

Capacity for mixing material approximately 5 liters
Approximately 6 cups building plaster
500 grams polymer clay, which itself can harden
Water
skewers wood or thick wire, stacks
Plastic bag
Paint brushes#1 and #5
More useful for decorating owls gouache, glass eyes, matte varnish, yellow and black nail polishes

So, let's start with the fact that you need to tightly lay a plastic bag in a bucket for mixing material. Separately knead about 4 cups of plaster

IMPORTANT: The consistency of the dough should resemble cottage cheese with sour cream. But there should be no lumps.

After kneading, the dough is transferred to a bucket- it will take up a third of the capacity. The form in which the material was kneaded, meanwhile, is quickly washed off. Well, skewers are inserted into the dough so that they stick out half of the plaster. Gypsum needs to be leveled and left to harden for 2 hours
After curing gypsum is taken from the bucket

Now you need to knead the gypsum again to the same state, same as last time. It is laid out on skewers. It is necessary to form the outlines of an owl. The container is immediately washed, and the workpiece hardens within a day

And so the creativity begins: breaking off pieces of polymer clay, stick them little by little to the gypsum base

IMPORTANT: After breaking off a piece, immediately wrap the rest of the polymer clay in cellophane, otherwise it will harden.

Then feathers are drawn- it is desirable to do this with the help of a pusher. Insert glass eyes

Made from polymer clay back and wings
Black and yellow nail polish eyes are painted. The advantage of this varnish is that it is transparent, and therefore retains the shine of the glass.

And now you can take tail. Moreover, for reliability, it must be formed in tiers and processed by a pusher
Are drawn wings

If there is excess clay left, you can make additional decorations in the form of a ladybug, for example. The owl is dried and painted with gouache. Finished with a matte lacquer

Polymer clay cup

It is highly undesirable to make a cup completely out of polymer clay, since when storing and serving food in it, there can be unpleasant consequences for health. But it is quite possible to decorate a cup. For this you will need:

Polymer clay
Toothpicks, stacks
Utility knife or good blade
Pastel of the color you need for decoration
Water at room temperature

Getting Started:

So first of all need to work on sketch, because in the process it will be quite difficult to decorate at random
Now, based on the sketch, you can begin to mount polymer clay, recreating certain details. Help yourself with toothpicks or stacks
Once the clay outlines are formed, pastel can be added- it emphasizes the 3D effect of the decor
Now burn the cup at 120 degrees
And after this procedure polymer clay parts must be carefully detached from the cup. It is best to help yourself with a clerical knife
Rinse the cup with warm water. Dry it, degrease it
Lubricate each of the decor details carefully with glue, and attach them to the cup. Remove the glue that goes beyond the decor with a toothpick.

IMPORTANT: The most important thing in this case is slowness. Otherwise, fragile elements will break.

Wait 12 hours- during this time, the work should dry. But to be sure of this, after 12 hours, wash the product under running water and soap. Dry the cup - and it can be used after 12 hours

Polymer clay vase

So, first way decorating some of the simplest vase:

Cut out petals, twigs, leaves
Stick all this splendor on a vase
Draw the background, color the decor details
The vase now needs to be placed in the oven for 20 minutes. Set the temperature to 120 degrees
Let the vase cool, cover it with varnish

We offer another option for decorating a glass vase:

In this case, use stamps, stacks, coloring pigment in powder consistency. Pour this powder onto a layer of polymer clay, and rub it with your fingers - this way you can achieve smooth transitions of shades. Patterns can be pre-marked with stamps
Now cut out the figures from the layer. You can use scissors, or you can stationery knife. Let the figures be of different sizes - in design it looks just fine
Figurines need to be baked, following the directions on the clay packaging
Roll out another layer of polymer clay- figurines will be attached to it

IMPORTANT: The base layer must be the same size as the glass vase. And in terms of thickness, it should be denser than the layer from which the decor details were cut.

Use glue to attach the base layer to the vase. Push the details into this layer, helping yourself in this work with glue
Apply pearlescent varnish to the entire surface. It is recommended to work with a large brush
Now put the vase in the oven for 5 minutes. Temperature - 265 degrees
So we processed only one side. Repeat this algorithm for others don't forget to let the vase cool down after each baking

DIY clay flowers

Polymer clay makes gorgeous flowers for decoration. For example, delicate sakura flowers

First, make a sausage out of pink and white polymer clay. Color transitions should be smooth, for which you can use a pasta machine. But clay will need a little, so you can try to make it manually
Once the sausage rolls up, cut it into pieces. in a millimeter or 1.5 mm thick Then bend a drop of polymer clay

Now pinch the polymer clay part at one end - you get a petal
- You can start picking a flower. Connect all the petals - the sakura should have from 7 to 11 pieces. Better help yourself with a toothpick
IMPORTANT: Regardless of whether you help yourself with a toothpick when forming petals or not, you need to bake a flower on a toothpick.
- Now make a cherry blossom, the principle of creation of which, by the way, is the same for any colors. So, take a thin wire with a thickness of no more than 0.3 millimeters, and a length of 15 centimeters
- Form a loop at one end of the wire, connect the loop with a piece of polymer clay. It is worth rolling a drop from a piece in advance
- Create 3 more petals, stick them on the drop
Glue the petals onto the polymer clay drop
- For more natural it is better to start creating a sepal. Sakura, as well as roses, cherries, sepals have 5 petals

To teach children useful creativity, first see for yourself how to sculpt figurines, flowers, a whistle from clay; read about this natural material.

Selection of material and its preparation for work

Pottery is one of the oldest. Until now, archaeologists have found fragments of pottery, jewelry that belonged to people at the time of the birth of their civilization.

And now this material is one of the most accessible. It can be found on the banks of ponds, in pits, or even on your suburban area. It is enough to dig deeper, and the coveted building material is in your hands. In nature, there is a reddish and blue clay. For crafts, the first is most often used. Its pieces are poured with water for 1-2 days, then mixed to form a mass of a single consistency.

In order to make clay figurines, flowers, dishes, jewelry, it should feel like soft plasticine to the touch. Therefore, pieces of clay for such creativity are mixed with a small amount of water. If you are laying a brick oven or want to coat an already finished one, the solution should be more liquid - like thick sour cream.

Clay is lean, medium and oily. To understand whether this one is suitable for modeling, knead it in your hands and roll up the sausage. If it does not crack and does not stick to your hands, you can create from it.

If you don’t know what to do with children in the country in the summer, give them softened clay, let them mold animals, people, tea sets for dolls from it. Then they will put these items in the sun, after they are completely dry, they are ready for play. But there are certain methods for making pottery stronger, which you will learn about soon. In the meantime, let's talk about the fact that you can buy powdered clay, dilute it with water according to the instructions and work with this mass.

Sculpting techniques

But how to sculpt from clay using various techniques:

Knead a piece of plastic mass in your hands. If you want to get a disk-shaped blank, roll up the ball, flatten it. From such a circle you can quickly make simple clay figures, for example, a bird. To do this, on one side of the ball at the top, pull the workpiece forward to form the beak. From the reverse side below, you need to stretch a part of the clay in the opposite direction, make a tail, and wings from the sides. It remains to put the blank on two small branches - the legs of a bird, and new toy clay is ready.
If you want to sculpt a sculpture from several parts, first create them. To "glue" these blanks together, moisten the adjacent parts with water and do this. You can make a talker of their clay and "glue" individual elements with it. The same solution will help get rid of the cracks that appear during the drying process of the product. It is enough to lubricate them with this talker.
If you plan to make original things from clay, you can use a toothpick, plastic cutlery. They press on an already formed, but not yet dried, blank of this material, an interesting pattern is obtained. With a toothpick, you can draw patterns on them.
Interesting print technology. If you cut a seal out of wood or take a finished one, press it on a clay blank, and then let the cast dry, you will have own seal. And if a young sculptor presses his hand to the rolled clay, then he will receive its imprint. A great idea is to leave a memory mark from the child’s hand or foot, which you can look at over time, when the baby grows up.
If you wrap a toy, a figure with food foil, and attach clay rolled with a rolling pin on top, then you will have to wait a day. After that, you carefully remove it from the base, leave to dry. After processing, the resulting figurine can be painted, and you will have a double of your favorite toy.
You can decorate a product that has not yet dried with beads, shells, pebbles, feathers, cone scales, etc.

As you can see, there are many interesting technologies when working with this plastic material, choose any and start creating. This activity will help get rid of the autumn blues and give you many joyful moments and positive emotions!

DIY clay toys

If you want such a charming octopus to live in your home, stock up:

clay;
water;
sponge;
toothpick;
gouache;
with a knife;
sandpaper;
white gouache;
paint;
varnish.

Manufacturing instructions:

If you bought powdered clay, dilute it with water according to the instructions. Sold and mass for modeling in vacuum packaging. If you got the clay yourself, by digging it up, fill it with water. When unnecessary impurities, plant roots, pebbles settle to the bottom, strain the solution through a colander or sieve and leave the mass for a day in the sun to dry out a little.
Add some water to the clay, knead the "dough", it should not stick to your hands.
Pour water into a bowl to wet your hands as you work and seal any cracks that form.
Tear off a piece of clay, knead it in your hands, roll it into a ball on a work surface moistened with water.
For such a clay toy, tentacles can be made in two ways. For the first, you need to roll 12-16 sausages, pointed at one end. With the other side, attach them to the body using water. In the second method, you need to stretch the bottom of the ball, cut it with a plastic knife into tentacles, give them an oval shape.
Dampen a sponge in water, moisten the surface of the clay toy, smoothing out bumps, cracks.
Let the workpiece dry for a day, then go over the surface with fine sandpaper.
Few people have a special oven for firing, so give the toy strength at home. Wrapped in a plastic bag with holes, put on a hot battery.
Cover the toy with the first layer of white gouache, let it dry, apply the second. After it dries, cover with yellow or other paint.
Facial features and other small details can be sculpted at the same time as you make the toy itself, or create them separately and attach with ceramic glue at this final stage.

To give strength to the product, you can wrap the clay blank in foil and put it in a fire. But the fire should not be large so that the craft does not crack.

See how Filimonov's clay toys are made.

To create these funny cockerels you will need:

clay;
plastic knife;
modeling board;
water;
gouache;
acrylic paints;
soft cloth to dry your hands.

Take a piece of clay, roll up a "sausage", separate it. For young children, educators will help to do this in kindergarten or parents. We divide it into 3 parts: the central one is the largest, on the left is a piece for the head, on the right is for the tail.

Let the child roll up the largest part, giving it the shape of a carrot, bend it as in the photo - at an angle of 90 °. We tilt the left, thin, part - this is the preparation of the head.

If cracks have formed, you need to smooth them with wet fingers. Squeeze the opposite edge of the workpiece several times to give it the shape of a disk - this is the tail. And for the scallop, let the child roll up the ball, flatten it a little, cut off half and attach clay toys to the head.

To prevent the plastic mass from sticking to the board, place a sheet of paper here. Connect the parts with liquid clay, which is called slip.

To quickly prepare such a “glue”, make a bowl of clay, pour water into it. With a brush, you will combine these 2 substances, and you will get a slip for sticking parts.

Next, for a clay figurine, you need to make a beard. To do this, a small ball is rolled in the form of a droplet, which must be slightly flattened with your fingers, then glued under the beak to the slip.

To make a cockerel stand, roll a piece of clay into a cone, then insert a wooden stick (you can use a brush rod) inside and roll it over the work surface. You should get a cone-shaped blank, hollow inside, with walls of the same thickness.

Take this way into service, it will help to mold long skirts for dolls, bells. Put this cone on the board, flatten it a little on top, and use a slip to attach a clay toy to it.

Leave it to dry for 4-5 days. After that, it would be good to burn the toy in the oven at maximum temperature. You can do this in a country oven.

When the workpiece has cooled, paint it with a composition prepared by mixing gouache with PVA. Acrylic paints can also be used.

If you want clay figurines to also make sounds, then blind such a whistle bird. To create it, take:

clay;
stacks, sticks;
water;
sponge
acrylic paints.

A detailed master class with a photo will simplify the modeling process.

Take a piece of clay and roll it into a ball. Put your thumb inside, flatten the workpiece to make a plate with wide edges.
Without removing it from your finger, wrap it around it. Then remove it from it and connect the edges so that an inner hole remains.
Wet your fingers in water, smooth the outer surface of the toy with them.
Cut a hole in the tail with a knife. Insert a stick into it, overlay it with a patch of clay.
At this stage, you need to check the toy by whistling into the hole made. The pitch of the notes can be adjusted by making it larger or smaller. To be able to blow out various notes, extracting music, make a small through hole from the sides.
Let's move on to the finer details. Fashion eyes, beak, comb, paws. Draw a pattern on the wings with a stack.
Dampen the sponge in water, wring it out, and walk it over the surface of the toy to smooth out roughness and bumps.
Let the whistle dry for 4 hours, after which it is placed for firing in the oven, where it will be 8 hours at 800 °.

The whistle is ready.

For the famous Dymkovo clay toy, bright colors were traditionally used, which were applied on a white background. They were made with eggs and milk. Now craftswomen are replacing such “homemade” paints with acrylic ones.

But Kostroma cockerels are decorated with icing. First, a molded clay figurine is fired for the first time at 200 ° for an hour. After that, glaze is applied and sent to the oven again, but for several hours.

How to make clay flowers?

Modeling helps to develop not only healthy children, but also those with health problems. The master class presented below contributes to the rehabilitation of children with diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

To mold a flower from clay, first we will make some petals for it. Let the child roll a sausage out of this natural material, cut it into equal pieces with a plastic knife. Then they need to be rolled into a ball and flattened with your fingers.

To make it easier for the child, first draw a flower on a piece of paper, let him lay out the petals on the drawing. The core of the flower is also made from a “cake”, it must be lubricated with slip (liquid clay) and stuck to the center of the flower. It can be decorated by applying a mesh, dots.

Next, you need to mold the petals, then dry and paint the blanks. It remains to place them on the panel and attach. To do this, let the children paste over a sheet of cardboard with a cloth. They or adults will make 2 cuts in the upper part of the panel, pass a thin satin linen through them, tie its ends in order to hang the picture later.

In the meantime, lay out its elements, let the adults attach them with a glue gun. Children will assemble the picture with PVA glue.

By learning this simple technique, you will show the children how to make clay flowers, various figurines. You can make more complex samples yourself and enjoy creativity.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following videos to expand your knowledge in this area.

Clay modeling for children. We develop fingers and head Rashchupkina Svetlana Yurievna

Basic Clay Working Techniques

A child who first started working with clay must be taught the basic techniques for working with plastic material.

kneading- pressing with fingers and hands on a piece of clay.

Pinching off- separating small pieces of clay from a large piece with the help of the index and thumb. First, a piece is pinched, then torn off.

In England in the Middle Ages, the clay used to make household utensils was called "pyg". People often kept money in such pots and called them “pygg jar”, gradually this word changed into “pig bank”. Most likely that is why piggy banks began to be made in the form of a pig.

flattening- squeezing a piece of clay to flatten it.

A small piece of clay is flattened with fingers. A large piece is pressed against the surface of the table with the whole palm.

rolling down- the formation of balls of different sizes between the palms or the palm and the surface of the table in a circular motion.

rolling- the formation of harnesses between the palms or the palm and the table with back and forth movements.

indentation- making parts on clay by pressing with your fingers.

Cutting- dividing a piece of clay with a stack.

Connection of parts- attaching parts to each other with a slight pressure.

sharpening- pulling one end of the tourniquet with your fingers and rolling it out so that it becomes sharp.

When working with clay, there are some peculiarities that you need to know about in order for the product to turn out beautiful.

Firstly, when creating a clay craft, you need to work with both hands in order to immediately draw up both the right and left sides of the craft and more organically connect everything into a single whole.

Secondly, special tools must be used for sculpting (for example, stacks can be used to remove excess clay, make small parts, attach small parts to large ones, smooth out individual parts of the craft).

Thirdly, the product during the modeling process must be examined from all sides so that the proportions and ratios of the parts of the product are correct. Fourthly, connecting the parts, first they make notches in the form of a mesh with a knife, a stack or a toothpick. Then they are lubricated with slip (this is clay diluted to a state of liquid sour cream) and attached to each other, smearing them on both sides with a wet finger or stack. To connect parts in the manufacture of dishes, bundles are rolled out, which, when applied, are smoothed in both directions at the junction, so that it will be strong and the seam will be invisible. At the end, the seam can be smoothed with a damp sponge.

Fifthly, if it was not possible to finish the work in one go, then the craft must be wrapped in a damp cloth and put in a plastic bag. Clay with this method of storage will not dry out, and work can be continued later.

Sixthly, at the end of modeling, the entire product must be lightly wiped with a damp sponge or brush, then dried and burned. You can decorate it both in the process of molding by embossing and adding decorative elements, and after firing, painting the finished product with glaze or paints.

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Clay techniques- traditional, basic knowledge of how to create clay products of different shapes and sizes.

New students, coming to our workshop for the first time, tend to immediately start lessons on the potter's wheel. Many of them have no idea that in addition to primitive hand-sculpting and a potter's wheel, you can still somehow work with clay ...

Despite the variety of shapes and sizes of ceramics, there are only a few basic clay sculpting techniques. All these techniques have been known to potters for many centuries and have not changed much.

We list a few of the main traditional clay sculpting:

1.Hand molded from a single piece of clay

2. Tape-harness technology

3.Plastic or textile machinery

4. Finishing in the finished form.

5. Casting in a plaster mold

6. Drawing products on a potter's wheel.

Also, when creating clay products, you can combine two or more modeling techniques.

Hand molding.

Under the concept of "hand molding" many people imagine a child who molds primitive figures from clay. However, do not underestimate the capabilities of human hands. Handmade clay vessels not only appeared before molding on the potter's wheel, but also continued to develop in parallel with it. Nowadays, fortunately, there are still craftsmen who know how to make dishes in the old grandfather ways. What are the products handmade they are so perfectly shaped that you might think they were made on a potter's wheel.

But if on the potter's wheel the shapes of the vessels are obtained only with a round section, but in manual modeling the master is not limited by any conditions.

hand sculpting cookware is still widely used in India, Africa and South America. In Japan, for example, ceramics made in the traditional manual technique raku is valued very dearly and not every Japanese can afford such a luxury.

There are quite a few hand sculpting methods vessels. All of them are characterized by simplicity and ingenuity of technical solutions. In order to get to know the features of hand modeling, we will study them in master classes using specific examples. So welcome to our workshop on art ceramics courses!

Once, during the excavations of the settlements of Mesopotamia, historians discovered interesting vessels with rope prints on the inner sides of the walls. The ancient potters quite often decorated the dishes with ornaments, pressing the rope into soft clay. Such ceramics scientists called corded . But why did the masters make patterns inside the vessels? As it turned out later, the technology for making dishes consisted in the fact that ancient potters wound a rope from a tight ball, and around it they molded a vessel wall from clay. When the product was ready, the rope was gradually pulled out by the end left outside, the ball was unwound and a cavity of the vessel was obtained.

Harness technology

Clay molding was known to people in the Stone Age. Thousands of years have passed, and craftsmen still successfully use it to create unique products. Harness technology can be used by craftsmen to create products of any shape and size, even sculptures. Especially, harness technology indispensable for creating huge vessels that cannot be pulled out on a potter's wheel. Ancient Greek potters created names in the harness technique pithoi - vessels for wine, reaching more than two meters in height.

Contemporary ceramists rope molding method create huge clay sculptures. Such masterpieces - the process of creating sculptures, their firing and decoration can be seen at the White Nights festival in the city of Perm, which takes place in June every year.

Harness technology is still used by artisans in Central Asia, Africa and the Caucasus.

The method of sculpting dishes in the harness technique, this is how the bottom is cut out from a pre-rolled clay layer with a stack for a future product of the required diameter. Then plaits are rolled out of clay or, as they explain to children, sausages of the same thickness. Starting from the bottom and gradually, rising row by row higher and higher, bundles are laid in a spiral - thus, the wall of the product is built up. The harnesses are fastened together slip - with liquid diluted clay and cover the junctions of the bundles with fingers or stacks.

Plast technology.

At its core, this sculpting method very reminiscent of patchwork. Therefore, reservoir technology can also be found under the name "textile ceramics" . For rolling out layers, as a rule, an ordinary kitchen rolling pin is used. To make it the same thickness, slats are placed under the rolling pin during rolling. From the finished layers, the details of the "pattern" are cut out in a stack. Further, the details, like a designer, are interconnected using slip.

AT reservoir engineering You can create both simple household items and complex sculptural compositions. Not surprisingly, among ceramists, textile ceramics are very popular.

Finishing in the finished form

To apply this modeling method need preforms. Forms can be made of any materials - gypsum, ceramics, wood, plastic.

The first ancient ceramists used oval stones as a form - they sprinkled them with ash so that the clay did not stick to the surface and covered them with clay. When the clay dried up a little, the stone was removed.

Forms-blanks are both monolithic and collapsible, consisting of several parts. You can use one mold for sculpting an infinite number of times, so many identical objects are obtained by the method of punching. The main condition is that the product should be easily removed from the mold without damage.

For example, ceramists make stunningly beautiful tiles for stoves and fireplaces, stucco molding, and ladies' jewelry using the method of otminating.

In the future, we will definitely study this interesting modeling technique in detail.

Casting in a plaster mold.

Among all other methods of working with clay, the casting method occupies a special place. It allows you to produce a large number of identical ceramic objects with a thin wall with great accuracy.

Clay or slip casting based on the property of gypsum to absorb water from clay. Pour into a plaster mold slip - clay, diluted to the state of liquid sour cream. Gypsum begins to intensively absorb water from clay. At the same time, the clay layer is evenly compacted over the entire inner surface of the mold, forming the walls of the future product. When the clay wall gains the required thickness, the excess slurry is poured out. After the clay shard dries a little, the product is removed from the plaster and dried.

Clay casting itself is preceded by a large preparatory stage - the development of a sketch of future gypsum products, the creation of a product model, and the casting of a gypsum matrix according to the model.

In the future, I will definitely show readers a master class on the technique of slip casting. So don't forget to subscribe to site updates if you want to know more secrets!

Drawing products on a potter's wheel.

Potter's wheel- the greatest invention of mankind. The hand potter's wheel was invented by people even earlier than the wheel. Once upon a time, it was indispensable in the manufacture of dishes and greatly accelerated the production process compared to hand molding.

In our age modern technologies Potter's wheel by practical value bought another one important quality- began to serve people as one of the ways to express their artistic abilities. The potter's wheel is akin to a musical instrument on which you can play any kind of music, from folk tunes to newfangled compositions. Working on the potter's wheel teaches patience, makes you forget about pressing problems, teaches you how to find harmony in yourself and in the world around you.