Modeling not only well trains children's motor skills, it can become a hobby for adults. You can sculpt it from cold porcelain, plasticine and polymer clay. The latter is especially popular in the manufacture of flowers, small figures and other accessories. The recipes below will help you in the question of how to make clay for modeling yourself.
How to make polymer clay at home
You can create the most unexpected elements from a material called polymer clay or plastic. It is often taken as a basis for costume jewelry, sculpting bracelets, rings, rims, or brooches. All these ornaments will be poured with bright colors, which you will choose for molding. Especially beautiful looks jewelry at the neck - it's pendants, necklaces or just beads. On the second place there is a dish, which is decorated with polymer clay with their own hands. Glasses, mugs, teapots or spoons - they can decorate your table for months.
Completely from polymer clay it is possible to make toys in the form of hinged dolls or to make a small tableware set for them: it will be especially interesting for the child to sculpt it. Today skilful craftsmen make of this material everything, which is enough for imagination - from charms to a bouquet of flowers, while there are already many recipes on which the polymer clay is prepared by own hands. If you buy it in a store, then in the composition of polyvinyl chloride and liquid additives, i.e.plasticizers. For self-manufacturing, starch, glue with glycerin and soda are taken as a basis.
Polymer clay for molding from potato starch
The first recipe for preparing polymer clay by oneself is based on potato starch. Often used instead of corn. The only difference is that the appearance of the products of their potato starch is a bit grayish. If the corn is used for the craft, they look more white. For the recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Vaseline or hand cream - 1 tsp;
- baby oil - 2 tsp;
- glue PVA - 100 g;
- lemon juice - 2 tbsp.l.;
- potato starch - 100 g.
An enamelled pan is required for operation. The bay in it about 1 liter of water, put on fire. While the liquid is boiling, follow the instructions below:
- Take disposable cups. In one of them, pour glue, in another pour out the starch.
- Glue send to another enameled container. Then add butter and cream and lemon juice, mix well.
- Next, heat the mixture over a saucepan with water, i. E.on a water bath. Just do not do it for too long, otherwise the clay will overheat and become tight.
- After this, add starch to all the ingredients. With such small proportions, you can do it right away, not gradually.
- Stir gently to keep the mass on the bottom of the container.
- The mixture will start to appear lumps, it will become like a cottage cheese, and then turn into a large size. At this point, and remove the container from the water bath.
- Hand your hands with cream, start kneading the mass.
- Roll the clay, giving it the shape of a ball, cover with a layer of cream and wrap with a film so that air does not get inside. So the material should mature within about 12 hours.
Recipe for glue and glycerin
The following instruction assumes the addition of glycerin at one stage of the work. This substance helps to avoid cracking of finished products. For this recipe you will need materials in the following proportions:
- PVA glue - 2 tbsp.l;
- cold water - 1 item;
- glycerin - 10-15 drops;
- potato or cornstarch - 1 tbsp.
To prepare the polymer clay using this recipe, go through the following steps:
- Armed with a pan with a thick bottom. Mix the glue and half the water there.
- Cook the mixture on minimum heat for about 3-4 minutes, while stirring constantly.
- Take a separate container where you connect the remaining water and starch.
- The starch mixture is sent to a pan with water and glue, drip the glycerin there, then mix thoroughly.
- Turn off the heat, leave the saucepan briefly for cooling.
- Clay put on the table, sprinkled with starch.
- Knead the dough. Sufficient will be if it becomes supple, and its surface is smooth.
- Form a clay ball, as shown in the photo. Then wrap the food film, send it to the shelf of the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Self-hardening polymer clay with your own hands
The latest recipe allows you to prepare self-hardening clay. For this option, the following materials and tools will be required:
- baking soda - 2 items;
- water - 0.25;
- cornstarch - 1 item;
- spatula for kneading dough;
- waxed baking paper;
- non-stick cooking pot.
Self-hardening polymer clay is prepared according to the following instructions:
- In the pan, combine all the listed ingredients.
- Heat it on a fire, stirring constantly. When the mixture is slightly dispersed, drip a couple drops of any fragrant oil, such as cinnamon. So the finished raw material will have a pleasant smell.
- Keep the mass on fire until bubbles appear and form a large coma. All this time, do not forget to stir, scraping the mixture from the bottom.
- When you see that the mass began to resemble a mashed potatoes, turn off the fire.
- Pour the contents of the pan into another container, the bottom of which is lined with waxed baking paper.
- While the "dough" cools, grease your hands with a fat cream.
- Mix the mass in one big lump. Keep it in a sealed pouch so that the edges do not freeze.
- The raw material is already ready for molding. Roll out thin layers of it, cut out any shapes with molds, make patterns on them with a toothpick, and then dry them in air or a battery.