Meet a New Clay: Apoxie Sculpt

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.

Meet a New Clay: Fimo Air

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!

Meet a New Clay: Craft Porcelain

Craft Porcelain by AMACO is a non-toxic, air-dry modeling material that some say is similar to cold porcelain.  According to the manufacturer's description,  Craft Porcelain is ideal for creating flowers, floral decorations, figurines, and other sculptures; dries in 24 hours and has a porcelain-like finish that can be further decorated with oil or acrylic based paints.   Craft Porcelain is currently available in white* plus 6 colors, however, I've heard the colors are being discontinued.

Air Dry Clay is Only for Kids - Not!

Kids project using Crayola Model Magic

On the topic of air-dry clay, I sometimes see comments that it's just a kids clay and quality of clay isn't good enough for 'real' artwork.  Sure, for many years about the only air-dry clay available was 'school grade' clay, intended for children in the classroom.  The only art quality clays had to be kiln-fired.   Then along came polymer clay, which, because it doesn't need a kiln, opened up the world of clay modeling to a lot more people.  With this increased interest in modeling and sculpting as a hobby, an assortment of new clays became available, including NEW air-dry clays.   Take a look of some of the ADC creations shown below...they range from simple kid crafts valued at pennies to complex ball-jointed dolls valued in the hundreds of dollars.

School Grade and Artist Grade No-Bake Clays

Self-hardening, no-bake, air-dry clays have been around a long time, but these were mostly 'school quality' clays intended for children and not suitable for detailed sculpting or fine art. In recent years, many "new" clays have become available and that's what this blog is all about...the "new" clays!    Due to the rising popularity of air-dry clays, now we have clays that are a much finer quality and are suitable for fine art.  However, the quality and characteristics vary greatly from brand to brand and the artist must do their own research before buying.

Meet a New Clay: LaDoll

I just realized that we've never done a "Meet a New Clay" for La Doll clay.   This is one of my favorite air-dry clays, so shame on me!  ;-)   

LaDoll, distributed by Activa, is the doll artist's choice for excellence with its mixture of pumice, talc, small amounts of paper pulp, and additional binders. Extremely pliant, it can be worked indefinitely by keeping it moist. It will adhere to any core material (wire, mesh, rigid wrap, paper, glass, plastic, wood, Styrofoam, and more) and can be stamped, carved, or sculpted with exceptional detail.  It can be drilled,

Meet a New Clay: Cloud Clay

Cloud Clay snowmen, approx. 3" tall

I recently tried another new air-drying clay called "Cloud Clay".    When I first started working with it I ran into a number of problems but after a week or two of practice, I grew to like the clay.  The snowmen shown above were created after stumbling through a few hit & miss projects!

Cloud Clay is soft and easy to form.  I like it because it is easy on my hands (I have Arthritis) and I also like the vibrant colors. Cloud Clay is marketed to children but all ages should enjoy.  Adults who like crafting cute chracters or who have problems with their hands (like me) will like it's soft texture.  It is available in 4 oz packs in a smiliar price range as Model Magic and Makin's Clay.  (Large classroom packs are also available.)

Amaco introduced Cloud Clay in 2009.
This is manufacturer's description:

NEW! Super light modeling clay for ages 3+, available in 10 colors** in 4 oz packages.    Cloud Clay™ is as light as air … AP certified non-toxic and safe to use! This soft, puffy, and pliable modeling material is fun to squeeze, shape or mold. Cloud Clay has more ‘stretch’ than other brands, so fibers won’t break when pulled apart. Projects are more durable, even for the smallest of details.

This clay sticks to itself and not to hands. Colors blend well and mix with acrylics. Shrinks very little, so it can be used over an armature including balloons. This colorful clay dries overnight and decorates easily. Reusable when stored and sealed properly.


Crafters and kids can rubber stamp or press Cloud Clay™ into molds, model super heroes and fantasy creatures. Shape the sun, moon, and stars. The sky is the limit for creativity with Cloud Clay™.

Bear made with Cloud Clay (approx. 2.5 inches tall, seated)

My experience....
Cloud Clay is a soft, puffy, lightweight clay similar to Model Magic and a few other brands of very soft air-dry clays.   It's pretty stretchy too.   We pulled a piece to see how far it would stretch before breaking and it stretched the width of the table.  This stretchiness can be annoying when trying to pull a small piece of clay from the package because it doesn't break off easily.   I found it worked better to use scissors to cut off  the amount I needed, which is not really a problem.

Meet a New Clay: LaDoll Cloth Clay

Cloth Clay  appears to be a new formula for LaDoll clay (which is distributed in USA by Activa).  Cloth Clay sounds similar to fabric stiffener or Paverpol because it can be used to drape fabric...but it's not exactly the same.  It is a liquid clay (packaged in a 600 gram jar).

Cloth Clay is an air-dry clay sure to inspire some new styles of doll crafting.  It can be used in a manner similar to the clay-over-cloth technique currently used by many soft doll crafters or used to drape fabric on a sculpted clay figure (see below)...or it can be used like a clay slip, to fill small holes or cracks on finished surface of a sculpted figure.  

For a smooth surface:
After modeling with LaDoll, Formofit, Premier or Premix, the artist will rub the surface to create a smooth finish. However, often there are tiny holes or cracks left on the surface  Apply Cloth Clay with a flat brush  and allow to dry.  When dry, sand with a sanding pad (first Fine and then Extra Fine) in order to obtain a perfectly smooth, satin-like surface.

Instructions for use with cloth:

1. Create a doll's body, head and limbs (with a wire armature, if desired). Model figure using LaDoll or your favorite clay.
2. Cut out lace or fabric the desired pattern for the dress. Sew the parts together as necessary.
3. Pour the required amount of Cloth Clay in a bowl. The amount depends on the amount of cloth.
4. Soak the fabric thoroughly with Cloth Clay. After the fabric is thoroughly saturated with the clay, lightly squeeze (do NOT twist) the excess clay back into the bowl. Twisting the fabric will result in an uneven finish. You want enough Cloth Clay in the fabric but you don't need it "dripping wet".
5. Return the remaining Cloth Clay to the original container and tightly seal. You may wish to place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the container before tightening the top. You want to keep as much air out of the clay as possible.
6. Spread out the squeezed cloth, separating the folds, etc., and place it on the doll's body. Remove any threads you might have used for gathering if necessary and cut all thread tails. Let air dry completely once you have the fabric placed as you would like.
7. If desired, paint your creation with any water-based medium that you wish.
8. Apply a finish coat with a clear water-based lacquer or sealant.

Let us know if you've tried this product and how you made use of it!

Review of Hearty Clay

Fetcher, from Chicken Run

my first Hearty Clay project

A while ago I purchased a few packages of Hearty Clay because it was soft to handle (but dried hard) and because it was suppose to have true primary colors for color mixing. However, the thing that interested me most about Hearty Clay was the fact that it dried to a matte, velvety-like finish that has a unique feel.

Manufacturers description:
Hearty Air Dry Clay is super lightweight and air dries to a firm consistency in 24 hours or less. When dried, Hearty has a soft suede-like feel that is pliable. It is suitable to make delicate objects like flowers as well as jewelry, pins, sculptures, magnets and other crafts projects. Hearty does not stick to fingers and it is easy to work with. It comes in 13 colors (including flesh) that can be mixed together to create infinite varieties. Color pigments used in our primary colors of Hearty Air Dry clay are faithfully reproduced for consistent color mixing results.

Cured Hearty is lightweight, firm and a little flexible. The package label says "no kneading" is needed. The clay is "ready to use" right out of the package.  But...if you plan on mixing the colors...you'll have to knead to mix or use a pasta machine to blend colors..

Hearty feels quite different from Creative Paperclay or LaDoll. Out-of-the-package it has the consistency of soft pie dough. I didn't find it specifically written anywhere, but I believe that Hearty Clay is a polymer-based clay and has many similarities to other polymer-based soft clays (the air-dry polymers...not at all like the oven-baked polymers).

Using Hearty's cyan, magenta and yellow (plus black and white) you can make any color on the color wheel.  I was very interested in being able to mix my own colors from these the 3 primaries, but, because of RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) in my hands, kneading is painful for me, so I tried sending the Hearty Clay thru the pasta machine....no problems at all!  It went thru without sticking and colors mixed well. Before I tried that, I had heard you couldn't use the pasta machine with air-dry clay. Well, that may be true for some brands which are really sticky....but you can use pasta machine with Hearty Clay. I can vouch for that!

I found Hearty soft, pliant and easy to work with. It's a bit softer than cold porcelain, if you're familiar with CP.  Except for color mixing, no kneading is needed, which is good news for those with arthritis in their hands or other problems that make kneading of some clays difficult. However, because of that softness, Hearty does not hold fine detail well and realistic figure sculpting would be difficult.  It's great, however, for simple, whimsical figures.  Hearty can be pressed thin and it's pliable when cured, so works well for making flowers. It also works well in small press molds, which makes it suitable for jewelry, pins, magnets, scrapbooking and other crafts projects.

Hearty sticks to it's packaging (mine stuck quite a bit) and will stick to itself but does not stick to your fingers when modeling. However, if you use water with the colored clay to keep it moist or to smooth the surface, the color will come off on your hands and also smear onto adjacent clay pieces. This characteristic could maybe be used to your advantage to create blended colors for flower petals...I've haven't tried that yet!

I didn't see any color transfer on my hands from clay out-of-package, just when water was added. To avoid this, use cold cream instead of water. 

Hearty shrinks quite a bit when cured and cracks can appear. However, I didn't have any trouble patching these cracks with some new clay. Mixed colors stay true and it's hard to tell the difference in color between 'wet' clay and cured.

Un-cured balls of clay on top of cured

figure....comparing wet & dry colors

Hearty is readily available...carried in many craft stores and can be purchased online at a number of sites, including Amazon. Hearty may be a similar formula to Artista in Europe and Angel in Asia. It also has a similar consistency to Claycraft by Deco but they're not exactly the same.

I'm a little confused about this Hearty Clay and who in the heck manufacturers it. Project tutorials for Hearty Clay can be found on both websites for 'The Clay Company' and 'The Mountain Idea'. The website for The ClayCompany.com has a bunch of tips for using and coloring the clay but doesn't say much else. Hearty Clay is also shown (on website) as one of the products for 'Padico' (makers of LaDoll) but the package label says 'Venture Crafts' (Japan). Recently it has been advertised as Activa Hearty Clay and is also on their website!

Next post I'll share photos of work in progress of a small figure made with an armature and Hearty Clay and the problems I ran into...but satisfactory results in the end. That would be "Fetcher" (who is shown at top of this page).

   

More About Lumina Clay

Lumina® is an air-dry polymer/resin clay that does not require heat to cure.  It is translucent, waterproof and dries flexible.

We posted about Lumina last April, with a short review of the translucent air-dry clay by Camille Young. Yesterday I came across this extensive review of Lumina by Mixi at Kawaii Frenzy. Mixi provides lots of photos, including a demonstration of how the light shines through very thin pieces.

Lumina is also said to be waterproof.   Read the full review here: http://kawaiifrenzy.com/Blog/2010/08/lumina-clay-review/

On this page Mixi talks about experimenting with different products to color Lumina  http://kawaiifrenzy.com/Blog/2010/08/lumina-clay-coloring-tutorial/

See this page to follow Mixi's experiments using Lumina in molds and testing it's flexibility (it's quite flexible when cured).  http://kawaiifrenzy.com/Blog/2010/08/lumina-clay-tips-and-tricks/

I recently bought some Lumina myself, but haven't had a chance to give it a try yet.   When I do, I'll be sure to share my own personal experience with it.   If you've used Lumina, please tell us your own pros and cons!

New Clay Extruder by Walnut Hollow

Happy day, I finally have a new clay extruder!     I've been wanting the one made by Makin's Clay because my old Kemper extruder is just too hard to use with my arthritic hands!     I went shopping at the local Michael's store for the Makin's extruder and found they no longer carry it, but they do have a new extruder from Walnut Hollow that has a crank handle.....even better than the twisty handle of the Makin's, I'm thinking!

This extruder comes in a nice little plastic storage case with  20 different disks.    I've read that the disks for the Makin's extruder will  fit this extruder also.    I also read somewhere that metal cake decorating tips will fit into extruder... but haven't tested that out myself!    If you go shopping for this at Michaels, don't forget to bring a half-price coupon!   (Ask me how to get coupons if you don't know.)     btw....There's not any information at WalnutHollow.com on this product as yet.

I just purchased my extruder this weekend, so can't tell you anything about long-term durability of product, but it seems well made with sturdy metal parts.  It's a good size and is fairly easy to hold onto when cranking.   Putting it into a vise would make it even easier!    Here's a short video demonstrating it's use with polymer clay.   Remember, most air dry clays work well with extruder also (except those very soft & sticky brands).  

Meet a New Clay: Lumina

Lumina air-dry clay has some unique characteristics.   Not only is it a polymer-based clay that does not require baking, it is translucent, flexible, durable and waterproof.   It is also acid-free, so it can safely be used to create scrapbook embellishments.

Camille Young, who created the necklace shown below, has more experience with Lumina than I do...so please read her own comments on this unique clay.
 Camille's comments about Lumina

This is a  video Camille made to show people that the flower necklace she created out of Lumina clay is not as delicate as it looks 

Tips for working with Craft Porcelain

Tips for working with Craft Porcelain from Linda Peterson.   She says:   "It's not a new medium, though it is maybe an unfamiliar one. I first introduced this air dry clay on The Carol Duvall show a couple of years ago. It is definately one of the shows that I would consider one of my 'hits'."

In that comment, Linda is referring to the commercially available Craft Porcelain (by Amaco) and not necessarily the homemade cold porcelain paste we've often referred to on this blog.   Products are very similar .... but I'm told by those who've used both products that there some difference in the handling characteristics between this brand and the homemade paste.   Around the world there are many other brands of cold porcelain commercially available at reasonable prices...but in USA, not so much.   Not yet, anyway!  ;-)

Linda goes on to say:    "Today I was again working with Craft Porcelain clay doing the designer thing in trying to 'stretch' its limits and see what you can mix in...and what you can't. I have several 'test' pieces lying on the workbench drying."   Click here to read more about her experiments.

Have you tried both Craft Porcelain and homemade cold porcelain?    Would you post a comment about your experience and give us your opinion?

Book Review: Clay Art for All Seasons

If you are interested in making flowers with air-dry clay, Clay Art for All Seasons: A Guide to Soft Clay Art by Yukiko Miyai is a 'must have' for your library.

Note:    I first reviewed this book in February, 2010 but it is currently unavailable except for 3rd party sellers.  It's a great book and I've seen it listed at over $100.   That inflated price says it's in high demand....but I wouldn't pay more than $30 for it.   It's an attractive, but small book (74 pages, about 9"x9").   Search Amazon and other book sites for sellers with a more realistic price!

It's a small book (only 74 pages) but beautifully photographed and nicely spiral bound (hardcover) so pages lay flat when open. It's also a very popular book and Amazon is sold out of copies quite often. When you see a copy available, grab it!

Publisher's description:   This elegant craft book’s stunning clay creations were inspired by the flowers of Hawaii and beyond.

Using its easy-to-follow instructions, readers will learn how to create realistic orchids, plumeria, hibiscus, gerbera daisies, and other flowers as well as charming themed pieces for special occasions.  With gorgeous color photos and informative illustraions throughout, Clay Art for All Seasons guides readers step-by-step through the creative process, enabling them to enjoy the everlasting beauty of this delicate and highly decorative art form.

Chapter One begins with a description of tools and materials.  ClayCraft by Deco is the air-dry clay used in all demonstrations.   This clay is available in basic colors and a small color chart is included in the book for mixing additional colors.   A short , one page, introduction to working with air-dry clay is provided.  (Note: Many other brands of soft air-dry clay are suitable for the projects in this book.  Homemade cold porcelain could be used, as well.)

In the next chapter you'll find instructions for making 12 different kinds of flowers....Rose, Plumeria, Daffodil, Gerbera Daisy, Lilac, Hibiscus, Peony, Orchid, Stephanotis, Pakalana, Calla Lily and Poinsettia.   Each flower is demonstrated with beautiful step-by-step photos, however, the instructions are brief.  Two pages, for the most part, are devoted to each flower.  No instructions are included for arranging flowers, but gorgeous arrangements are shown throughout the book.

The remaining 30+ pages include project demonstrations with holiday and special occasion themes (mostly non-floral).   There's a Valentine Gift Box (shown above), a Decorated Egg, a Chick and Bunny, 2 Lei (Haku Lei shown here), a Shadow Box with Wedding Dress, a Pumpkin arrangement, a Wreath, a Santa Ornament and a few more projects.    These gift and decorative items are nice, but not the reason to buy the book.   The beautiful flowers are the reason you'll want this book!

If you already have the book....or just find it's sold out everywhere....you might want to pick up the author's second book titled Clay Art for Special Occasions.   Just released in Nov. 2009, I haven't got my hands on this one yet!   It sounds like it may be an update of the information already covered in Clay Art for All Seasons.   The publisher's description says it contains instructions for: "a wide range of gorgeous flowers from plumeria to hibiscus, floral arrangements, leis and decorations for gift boxes, seasonal ornaments".    To me, this sounds very similar to description of the first book.

If anyone has a copy of either of these books, we'd all appreciate it if you would comment here and give us your opinion!

Meet a New Clay: Makin's Clay

Shape it, roll it, stretch it, sculpt it! Makin’s Clay is a new type of water-based, air-dry modeling clay that requires no baking and dries within 24 hours, depending upon the thickness of the piece. Available in muli-colors, vineyard tones and earth tones.  The individual colors can be mixed together or mixed with acrylic paints to create new colors. Pieces can be sanded and painted when dry.

Makin’s Clay contains no PVC (polyvinylchloride), is certified non-toxic, and conforms to ACMI-AP safety and quality standards. It is safe for children age three and older.  Slightly acidic when wet, Makin’s Clay dries acid-free.

I have not used Makin's Clay myself...it's still on the shopping list!  ;-)   But I was just reading this detailed review of Makin's Clay from Garie Sim, a well-know polymer clay artist, instructor and author (located in Singapore).
 Testing Makin's Clay; My First Impression On Using And Curing The Clay

Garie Sim does some extensive testing of the curing process, commenting that it took 72 hours to fully cure.  I'd like to add that the methods used for air-dry clay are often different than those used with polymer clay. Using the clay as thickly as shown in the testing is not recommended.  Many air-dry clay projects will coat an armature with clay (such as a Styrofoam ball) so clay doesn't need to be so thick.   Using a thinner layer of clay avoids cracks (from uneven curing), shortens the curing process and saves money (uses less clay).

The impression I get from reading Garie's review is that Makin's Clay is very similar to Crayola Model Magic and to Hearty Clay.   All are available in colors and all are very soft, with a sticky consistency.   They are great clays for some purposes but do not take detail well.   Not recommended for detailed sculpting and doll crafting.

Meet a New Clay ~ Creative Paperclay

Creative Paperclay  is a very popular brand of no-bake clay because it is easy to work with and can be sculpted, molded or shaped.  It is odorless and very user friendly. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, which means my hand strength is very week, but I have no problems modeling with Paperclay.

Manufacturer's Description:   Creative Paperclay®  is a unique air hardening modeling material that requires no firing in a kiln or baking in an oven. It is clean, odorless and easy to use. It feels similar to an earthen clay; however, it contains no clay in it at all!   It can be sculpted, molded or shaped while it's moist and it accepts and retains fine details. It adheres