Confused

by Janice
(Massachussetts)

I am a very newbie into polymer clay and I am really confused about all the different things that are said about everything. It sounds like alot of work. I wanted to do this so I could raise money for a non profit organization for our feline population. I bought a couple cute cat push molds to make some pins to sell on our sites. They also asked me to try some jewelry. I trimmed the edges after pushing the uncured clay out of the mold and baked them. Is this the proper way? My figures came out dull and cheap looking so I brushed them with a gloss finish made by Sculpy. They shine but look raggy still. I guess practice makes perfect, huh?

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Confused

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Sep 03, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar		 what you can do to polymer clay
by: Anne Cecilie

Hi Janice,
Yes, Polymer clay is a lot of work, but when you get into it that doesn?t matter much, since it is so much fun. Just take your time and start with simple things.

Push-molds is a great thing to start with. Trim the edges before you push the clay out of the molds, that way you will not distort the shape so much.

You can decorate the shapes with many things to make them look better. Did you by the way use colored clay?
You can paint the clay before or after it is cured. The best thing to use is acrylic paint.

You can also use mica powder or chalk even. If you click the button Polymer clay basics in the left navbar, you will get links to pages about how to use ink, paint, wax, mica powder and other things to use with clay.

There are many ways to treat the clay once it is cured. Take a look at this page to see what you can do to make them look great.

Sanding the pieces will give it a smooth surface. You can then rub it with denim to give them a silky look. I find that adding glaze onto clay gives it a cheap plastic look. If you use liquid polymer clay it will get a beautiful glass like surface. And sometimes clay look best untreated.

Do not be discouraged. You are not the first one to be frustrated by polymer clay in the beginning. I bought my first clay, made a mess and didn?t touch it again for a year. What made me start again was that I found so many beautiful jewelry pieces made with polymer clay on the net, and that made me curious.

Do let me know if I can help you in anyway in the future, and use my site to get inspiration. If you look under polymer clay tutorials you will find many tutorials on how to use the clay.

I wish you all the best!
Anne Cecilie
Sep 03, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar		 Pushmolds and polymer clay
by: Anne Cecilie

Hi Janice,
Yes, Polymer clay is a lot of work, but when you get into it that doesn?t matter much, since it is so much fun. Just take your time and start with simple things.

Push-molds is a great thing to start with. Trim the edges before you push the clay out of the molds, that way you will not distort the shape so much.

You can decorate the shapes with many things to make them look better. Did you by the way use colored clay?
You can paint the clay before or after it is cured. The best thing to use is acrylic paint. You can also use mica powder or chalk even. You can see all the things you can use here:

Paint, Ink and Wax ? Can they be used with polymer clay?

The difference between metal leaf and foil, and how to use them

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