There are many materials in addition to mineral clay that can be used for sculpting. One of these materials is called Polymer clay. Many artists and children use Polymer clay to make smaller and more detailed projects. If you want to use this material for projects you will need to know the background and uses for Polymer clay. This article will help you understand polymer clay and its popular uses.
Polymer clay is made from polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material and one or more liquid plastics. It is referred to as clay because it resemble mineral clay when being used to form projects. Polymer clay can be found in hundreds of colors, metallic finishes, glitter finishes, and transparent finishes. This clay is most commonly found in sculpting kits for children.
The two main brands of polymer clay are Sculpey and Fimo. Fimo was first used in an attempt to replace plastics for a doll maker in Germany during World War II. Her attempt was unsuccessful, but the product was later put on the market as recreational sculpting clay. These Fimo clay kits are still popular today. Sculpey was first used as a thermal transfer compound to draw heat away from the center of electrical transformers in the 1940s. The product failed, but a second use was discovered for Sculpey when they shaped it into a miniature figure and lab fired it. It was put on the market as artistry clay.
These two brands of polymer clay are very easy to use. A project can be baked in your conventional oven, microwaved, or air dried depending on the type of polymer clay you choose. To make your project you can use regular clay art tools and a rolling pin or pasta maker. These clays are very popular for making small figurines are sculpting original jewelry beads. There are kits available for anything from birthday card decals to snow globes, and a great variety of these kits can be found online.
