Miniature projects made from polymer clay for dollhouses, roomboxes and dioramas
This page is for general poly-clay information. See also food, character dolls, animals air dry clay, paper clay
Poly-clays are baked, but air-dry clays are available as well.
Links to miniature polymer clay projects
- photo albums, blog posts, webpages
Food, Things and People - by Poucelina - click Fimo button
Polymer clay Blogs
Blogs concentrating on polymer clay or categories/labels about it in blogs
Polymer Clay Groups
Discussion groups, forums (or forum categories) and photo groups dedicated to polymer clay.
Polymer clay for sale
Where do you buy your clays? Recommend good shops here.
Polymer clay stuff for sale
Miniature polymer clay. items for sale
Do you have a section for polymer clay in your shop? Add a direct link here.
- Polymer Clay canes - seasonal canes by Tamara Marble, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Santa, Bats, Witches, Flowers
Polymer Clay Books
- Books about miniature polymer clay projects (also books with chapters about it)
Instructions for miniature polymer clay items
- links to sites showing how to make items related to polymer clay
10 Polymer Clay Tips - from Blue Bottle Tree. Site has some good basic information for people who've no real experience in working with polymer clays. Example: what paints and finishes you should and should not use on the stuff.
Blending Colors - using basic primary shades of Polyclay, from About.com
Clay Test Baking Times - from Joanne's Minis
Color Mixing - from New Clay News
Color Scales Tutorial - from Smashing Color
Faux Bone or Ivory - tut by Worthart
Fimo Tutorials - from Todo Minis, (Spanish)
Make Miniature Eyes with Polymer Canes - from About.com
Makin Clay Flower Scene Tut
Plate Tutorial - from My Tiny World
Polymer Clay Central Master Index
Polymer Clay Frosting - from the Mouse Market
Polymer Clay Sculpting Tips and Tutorials
Polymer Clay Tips and Techniques - from About.com
Polymer Clay Tuts - for canes and many other projects! From Skygraser
Review of Prosculpt Clay - from About.com
Scoop, Slice, Mash, Hammer, Roll - use items at hand to create - CDHM article by John Allard
Transfer Images onto Polymer Clay - from Jeanne Rhea,
Translucent Clay Test - from Joanne's Minis
Twice Baking - Minifanaticus shares how to create intricate items by baking a basic shape, then adding details and baking again.
Working with Polymer Clay - series from About.com
Videos
- YouTube videos about miniature projects related to this subject
Angie Scarr YouTube channel
Polymer Clay Research/ Inspiration
Blending clay to produce consistant colours - from About.com
Clean your Pasta Machine - link to a very detailed method of cleaning a pasta machine. There are three methods shown and the easiest way would probably be one of the Quickie methods at the end that do not involve disassembly of the machine.
Everclay - many tutorials from making canes to faux effects to miniatures.
Goodnight Irene - tips and ideas
How to Clean your Pasta Machine - from Jewelry and Polmer Clay Tutorial Heaven
How to Store Polymer Clay
Poly clay Gallery - Sara Jane's conversion chart for making accessories for different scales
Polymer Clay Tips - from Cottage Fever
Polymer Clay Tutor - colour recipes
Tips and Techniques for Using your Pasta Machine - from Michaels Craft Store
Polymer ClayTips/Hints
- Use a dedicated (only for clay) toaster oven.
- To remove finger prints or smooth completed clay piece, moisten a soft paint brush with mineral or baby oil. Barely moisten - dip brush in oil and blot on a paper towel. Just a fine coating is enough to soften fine lines and fingerprints. Do this before you bake and it will provide a smooth plastic like finish.
- For baking delicate items, cover completely with baking soda, which can be kept in a container for reuse. Or use an aluminum baking pan with a lid. Line the bottom with paper towel.
- A pasta machine can condition the clay and create uniform sheets or strips of clay.
- Use a garlic press for making strands of clay.
- Nail polish and other varnishes may cause the polymer piece to become sticky or cloudy. Pledge with Future Shine floor polish works well on polymer clay..
- Poly clay reacts with many plastics, but not plastic bags. So store clay in resealable plastic bags, and in a plastic box...
- To smooth the surface of a project, dust the area with a bit of cornstarch before baking.Or brush carefully with rubbing alcohol, using just enough to make the surface glisten. Use a gentle touch and let it sit for about 15min.Bake on warm for about 15min to set.
- When making things and clay is left over from something messed up, use it a couple of different ways. Firstly, if mixing a lot of colours together usually results in a brown shade. Chop it with a razor blade. (dip the razor blade in powder fairly often so it transfers to the clay and keeps all the little bits you are chopping up separate then when it's all 'chopped' pat it together slightly and makes hamburger meat. Make a roll and salad and you have a hamburger. Stew is a great way to use colours and browns. Chop it up with a razor blade into small chunks. Remember to keep dipping the razor blade into your powder soen the chunks don't stick all together in a lump. Cook the lumps then put in a pot with 'gravy' which can be a lightly coloured varnish or resin or whatever you usually use for gravy. Stir chunks into the gravy but keep a few spare to put on the top and only partially push into the gravy with a very light brushing of the gravy over them. Put some also on the table or board where they have been chopped up and put a knife with them. You can then add peelings if you want to. Makes a great table scene
- You can also shape all the clay into the shape of a cake and then roll out some white or chocolate clay thinly and drape over the shape and pat into place as for icing. If it is a cake that has not got a cut slice in it then no one will know what is underneath. Do this with a pie also. Use a bottle top (as in a beer cap) and dip it into powder and just tip out so there is a coating of powder inside it. Push the clay into it and cover with pastry or pretend 'cream' or crumble top, whatever. You then tip it out of the cap and it has the neat little serrated edge around it from the bottle cap as pie would have. In other words use the scraps for fillings. Or use it for molds.
- You could also use some of it in making something like soup or candies.
- Old Fimo made into a shape of a bag and baked makes a fab filling for a hand bag when covered with fabric of your choice and a chain added. The weight makes it hang properly..
- Stew is a great way to use colours and browns. Chop it up with a razor blade into small chunks. The secret to this is to keep dipping the razor blade into your powder then the chunks don;t stick all together in a lump. Cook the lumps then put in a pot with 'gravy' which can be a lightly coloured varnish or resin or whatever you usually use for gravy. Stir chunks into the gravy but keep a few spare to put on the top and only partially push into the gravy with a very light brushing of the gravy over them. Put some also on the table or board where they have been chopped up and put a knife with them. You can then add peelings if you want to. Makes a great table scene.
- Save all the scraps and uneven slices as they can be rolled together into a new abstract cane or used for making vases etc... For floor tiles, you marble all the scraps together by making a snake then folding it back on itself several times, and repeating until you like the look. Then you can either form a 3/6" cane, square it off, chill and slice, or roll the clay out on a baking surface to a thickness of no more than 1/8". Trim the sheet into a rough rectangle or square then use a ruler and blade to cut the clay into squares, making sure the cuts go right down to the baking surface. Try not to saw back and forth with the blade as this may stretch the clay ruining the shape of the tiles. Instead use a downwards pressure until the blade hits the surface below then pull the blade straight up and out. Move the blade further along the ruler and repeat. If the blade sticks to the clay, try chilling the clay and/or dusting the blade with baby powder or corn starch. Remove any incomplete or badly mangled tiles from the outside edges and gently press down any corners that have popped up then bake. Leave on the baking surface until the clay is hard and just warm to the touch then remove gently with a spatula and place on a piece of waxed paper, or parchment paper. When completely cooled, sand off any rough edges. These look nice with just a hand buffing after they are glued in place, using a scrap of cotton or denim. No sealer is required.
- To soften hard clay, out it in your pocket or your bra until it warms up. Then it will be easier to condition. Also if the clay is hard and crumbly, put a few drops of baby oil on the surface, wrap in tin foil and place in a plastic bag. Store until the baby oil is absorbed and the clay is softer. If the clay is too soft and distorts during the sculpting process, either bake in stages, or roll it out thinly, place between 2 sheets of clean computer paper, cover with a heavy book (the oil leaches out and the clay becomes harder) or put the item down and work on another, allowing the first to cool down.
- Make a sander from a toothbrush - by Planet June
- Bought a cane ? If the canes are soft like unbaked Fimo or Sculpy then bake at 265 F for 10 minutes. if they are hard , which they probably are, then slice them with a single edge razor blade,and always use a NEW blade. SO, for instance if cutting red clay, DO NOT use that blade to cut a cane. The red is one of those colors that adds transfer and is never really clean. A dull blade causes the cane to crumble. Warming makes slicing easier, so roll in your hands or put in a cup of hot water, dry and slice.
If bought at a craft store in a blister pack they are usually not baked.If they were pre-baked, which they generally are, Re-baking is not necessary.. The rule of thumb for most polymer clays is 20 mins. per 1/4" of thickness, at 260 F; Rebaking is risky, and clay is toxic when it burns.Using a clear varnish on the cut slices of cane will make the colours beautifully bright and clear. I have three types of polymer clay varnish, matte (which give no shine at all), satin (which give a sheen), and gloss (very glossy indeed!) and use the one the clay item requires; for example, an orange slice would get satin varnish if it has been sitting in the dish for a while, or gloss if it is freshly cut. While whole oranges get satin gloss, bananas have matte skins and get no shine. Plain old hobby varnish, usually Duraclear by DecoArt or Folk Art - less expensive than the specialized ones, Work well. Glue the pieces downwith Tacky glue if you are going to move the project, or don't intend to change it.
Ideas about what is needed for these projects
Polymer Clay - Pinterest board by Mary Jordan. Sites for small animal figures, flowers, roses, people.
Polymer Clay Tips - Pinterest board by Garie International
- ideas for shop names
- YouTube videos about the subject
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