Tag Archives: clay art

art, art tutorial, mixed media

How to make a simple clay bird

How to make this ornament:

I started with a “banana” shaped core of aluminum foil, and then I covered that with polymer clay. I rolled out a sheet of clay approx. 1/8″ thick and applied in sections to the bird shape. Then I added wings and some feather texture. I had clay beads from a previous project and used a couple of those and a jute string for hanging. I used an awl to push a hole through the bird before I baked it. Easy peasy!! If you don’t want to make one but want to buy one, you can do so HERE.

I had a pretty productive month of July, and here are some things I made, mostly clay figures: As you can see there were a lot of different figures involved! 🙂

I used polymer clay, plaster, paints, resin, and a few ready-made embellishments. I was particularly pleased with the figure with a dangling heart in the middle, made of plaster and a foam core. I love to experiment, and plaster is such a fun material, if messy.

The crochet blanket is my latest project that I finished last night. I think I’m obsessed with crocheting! If you missed the other blanket I made this spring, here’s a link to that blog post. Click HERE. The design is by Janie Crow. Everything she designs is breathtakingly beautiful.

How to be courageous

The only way to learn new things is to DO them. Book learning or art classes are good, but I don’t want to paint like the instructor or read books about art when I can sit down and experiment. I’m not saying it’s easy.

I constantly look for what inspires me, but then make something similar in my style. To develop a style, you have to try many things, make ugly art, and never give up! The challenge is always there, but you learn how to live it and “carry on” no matter what. Follow what makes you excited and make that in whatever medium you’re drawn to. Keep following that excitement and see where it leads! 🙂

You can always buy small batches of material and try them. That way you don’t spend $$$$$ on materials that then sit unused on a shelf. That makes you feel guilty every time you look at them.

All the above items are available in my etsy shop EarthandFaery.

I also have a YouTube channel with many mixed media art tutorials. Check out my latest video where I unbox a Grabie watercolor kit, and a Himi gouache kit. Click HERE.

Have a wonderful and creative August!

Lots of love,

Apoxie Sculpt, clay, Polymer clay

The pros and cons of various art clays

The pros and cons become quite apparent as you work with the various clay brands. I’ll put down some insights here since I work a lot with the medium.

I started out with polymer clay, Sculpey III, which I still use a lot. There’s also Super Sculpey, which is a lot stronger than the Sculpey III. It usually comes in 1 lb blocks; I use it for figures and more complicated work.

The plus side of Sculpey is that it stays soft until you bake it, and you can work on it all day or even leave it for another day without worrying that it will dry out. The downside is the need for baking. Not that it’s a big con, but if you’re making sculptures (like I do,) you have to think of the inner armature. You can’t use anything that will melt at 275 degrees. If you do, the clay is likely to crack big time. (Been there, done that.) Also, if you live in a hot climate, the clay gets so soft as you work that you have to keep it in the fridge. When I need a chunk I have to run to the refrigerator– back and forth.

I have also made things out of air-dry clay, but the con is that it breaks pretty easily. I’ve made some spirit doll faces and bowls with it, but no sculptures. I tried the Plus brand from Joann’s, and it’s ok to work with but dries and cracks easily. I cover the item as it dries with a damp paper towel and that seems to help. I’ve also tried DAS, which is similar to Plus, but a step up in quality.

Recently, I took a clay sculpture class with Kathy Lewis, and she uses Jovi clay. I hadn’t even heard of it, but I ordered a block from Amazon. It smells like wet plastic, and it’s smooth to work with, but it tends to crack too, but not as bad as the other air dry clays. I guess practice makes perfect, but I don’t like repairing the figures. It makes me doubt that they are sturdy enough for sale.

I mostly work with Apoxie Sculpt, a super strong epoxy clay. Pros: it’s pretty easy to work with, but it takes practice. I have gone through several 2lb containers, and I’m ordering more! It smoothes easily to make a hard surface. It gives you confidence that the item won’t break easily. You can drill and sand it, and it takes paint well.

Cons: It’s expensive. You have to mix the two-part epoxy clay really well, and it takes a toll on your hands. You only have a couple of hours of work time before it hardens, and you can’t save leftover clay. I make small items with leftovers to add to other projects. I have used Apoxie Sculpt to fix items made with other clays.

Here’s an example of a bunny I rescued. I started out with Jovi clay, and as it dried, the arms fell off and some of the other details. I added epoxy clay arms, fixed the cracks, and enforced the delicate area between the head and ears. Jovi dries white, and the epoxy clay is gray as you can see in the picture below.

I also had a bunch of dry eyeballs made with epoxy clay to use (to prevent any flattening if working with air dry clay.)

Below you can see the finished bunny, all painted and varnished. 🙂 It’s available for purchase in my etsy shop, Earth and Faery.

Here’s a link to Apoxie Sculpt on Amazon. (No affiliate.) You can also order it from the manufacturer: Aves Studio. It’s also available on Dick Blick. It also comes in smaller containers than the 2 lb tubs.

Conclusion: Sculpey is great for smaller items and is great for working details. I always use it for my mosaic tiles. I prefer epoxy clay to air-dry clay due to the cracking and easy breakage, but the preference is of course personal. I’d love to hear what your clay experience is like. 🙂

I have two classes using polymer clay: a whimsy girl and a mosaic tile box. Check them out.

Lots of love,