A look at the different clays I use

I talk a lot about the products that I use in my sculpture and figure making. Here is a list of some of the products I commonly mention and web sites where you can find them. While the polymer clays from Sculpey are frequently available at Michael’s, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart and the like, the epoxy-clays are a little more difficult to find. I order them directly from the manufacturer's websites or ebay. 

I find polymer clays to be very much like earth clays. Tools and hands can be cleaned with either mineral / baby oil or alcohol or hand sanitizer with alcohol. Rubbing alcohol also works well to mute finger prints on your work.

Super Sculpey has been my go-to polymer clay for some time now. I find that it has a good blend of detail, strength and flexibility. Here is a spot-on description from their web page:

As with all of our polymer clays, it is easy to condition right out of the package and stays soft until you bake it. Super Sculpey features fine tooling and detailing characteristics, and does not “fill in” after tooling. Because of the fine tooling and detailing characteristics of Super Sculpey, it is frequently the chosen clay for making prototypes from which molds are made from the Super Sculpey sculptures; then reproductions are made using the molds. Additionally, artists are producing finely detailed finished sculptures using Super Sculpey. After curing in the oven, Super Sculpey can be sanded, drilled carved and painted with water-based acrylic paints.http://www.sculpey.com/product/super-sculpey/

I disagree a little with the “staying soft” until you bake it- after a year or so, these blocks will dry out and get rather hard, but they can be reconditioned. I found this Instructable to be very effective for renewing dried out polymer clay http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Renew-Dried-Out-Sculpey/. Sure, you could just go buy new clay, but for the artist on a budget (or who just hates throwing stuff like this out) this is a good fix. I used this method to renew a whole poud of the next clay I'm going to discuss.

A similar product that I frequently use is Super Sculpey Firm. It has most of the characteristics of Super Sculpey, but I find that it has less “flow” and will keep its shape better prior to baking. It doesn’t seem to pick up dirt and dust as easily and is slightly more resistant to finger prints. It can very very stiff out of the box and takes a bit of kneading before use. My favorite method of using Super Sculpey Firm is to mix it 50/50 with regular Super Sculpey. Here is the company’s description of Super Sculpey Firm:

Super Sculpey Firm is the answer to many sculptors’ desire for a clay they can carve, tool and detail with none of the blurring and bending found in softer polymer clays. The extra firm sculpting clay is gray in color, making it easy for both sculptors and photographers to see even the tiniest detail and, when necessary, catch it on film. After curing in the oven, Super Sculpey Firm can be sanded, drilled, carved and painted with water-based acrylic paint. http://www.sculpey.com/product/super-sculpey-firm/

When I am not planning on completely painting a sculpture or I am doing something a little less detailed, I use Sculpey III. That’s not to say that Sculpey III doesn’t hold detail- it takes detail very well, in fact. However, I find that color transfers very easily from one shade of Sculpey III to the next, so making a multi-colored piece with a lot of detail is very difficult (if you need to handle it a lot.) It is also relatively expensive so I tend to use it more for little trinkets and figurines.

Sculpey III is the perfect medium for anyone who likes to create. This popular oven bake clay maintains tooling and detailing beautifully. Once cured, Sculpey III bakes hard and takes on a matte, bisque-type finish. It’s easy-to-use and stays soft until you bake it. http://www.sculpey.com/product/sculpey-iii/

Next up are the epoxy clays. These are all 2-part clays that must be mixed in an equal ratio of A:B. I find them easy to work with and clean up. You can use water to smooth surfaces and tools, but you must clean them before they cure. After curing, any residue / left behind will be permanent. Curing time is 2-4 hours, but effective work time averages about 1.5 hours per batch for me. A little hand moisturizing cream works well to keep it from sticking to fingers. I love that they have a 0% shrink rate and are heat resistant, so they are great for reinforcing and building armatures, filling in cracks on polymer pieces and making small features that need to be strong (like ears, noses, and eyes.)

First up is Apoxie Sculpt. This is the first epoxy clay I ever tried. It works well, has a zero shrink rate and is pretty easy to use. I find that it tends to be very soft and will self-level somewhat and not stand up well under its own weight while curing. It is quite putty like. Although it comes in many colors, I have only used the "natural" which is a greenish grey.

Apoxie Sculpt offers economy as well as performance. This 2-part product has a putty-like, smooth consistency, and is easy to mix & use. It is safe and waterproof with 0% shrinkage/cracking! Working time is 2-3 hrs. Cures hard in 24 hrs, and has a semi-gloss finish. Adheres to plastic, resin kits, wood, metal, ceramic, glass, polymers, foam, fiberglass, & more! Can be seamlessly feathered before set-up, or sanded, tapped, drilled, carved, lathed, or otherwise tooled after set-up, without chipping, cracking or flaking! Save time & money on finishing jobs by using Apoxie(R) Sculpt colors. Simple water clean-up or use Aves(R) Safety Solvent. Endless uses for artists, crafters, restorers, modelers, students, and more! Great for creating 3-D graphics and outdoor projects! Available in 12 colors.http://www.apoxie.com/apoxie/apoxie-sculpt

Apoxie Sculpt’s cousin is Fixit Sculpt. It works in a very similar way to Apoxie Sculpt but it is more clay like- uncured pieces will break rather than stretch. It also has a very opaque look to it, doesn’t self-level as much as Apoxie and holds greater detail. 

Repair and Sculpt on a new, exciting level! FIXIT Sculpt is great for many uses that require all of the features and benefits of our traditional FIXIT plus offers exceptional sculpting qualities. It has a firm clay-like feel that resists sagging and drooping; holds detail & impressions. Generous 4 hour working time. Flat matte finish, accepts paints and stains. Great for intricate sculpting work, antler & bone art, ceramic repairs & more! http://www.apoxie.com/fixit-category/fixit-sculpt

 

Picture courtesy of http://www.rednebulastudios.com/

Lastly, I have started using Reynold’s Free Form Sculpt. I won a 5lb supply of this at a convention and I sure am glad that I did! It seems to be somewhere between Apoxie Sculpt and Fixit Sculpt in terms of puttiness, but it is definitely more putty than clay. It is very easy to model, takes detail and is everything you’d expect out of epoxy clay.

Free Form® SCULPT is a two part sculpt-able epoxy clay that requires no firing and will self-cure in a short time to an extremely hard and durable state with virtually no shrinkage. SCULPT is 30% lighter than similar products and holds vertical surfaces better. Users can sculpt larger, stronger pieces with more control over weight distribution. Free Form® SCULPT has an ultra fine particle size that gives the user the ability to sculpt finer detail with better precision using tools or shaping by hand and does not contain crystalline silica (which is a known carcinogen). For added control use Free Form® Detailer.http://www.reynoldsam.com/product/free-form-sculpt/?gclid=CPW6xofrtMQCFRc8gQodPiQADw

So those are the clays I most commonly use! I also use Paper Clay from time to time, but that it rare. Feel free to ask me any questions about these products. Do you have a favorite polymer clay?