It seems there has been a recent explosion in DA users who are now using polymer clay as a medium for their deviations.

To help out curious users who might be interested in what this medium is, how it works, or where they can get it I thought a NEWS article should be made. I shall also showcase some
deviations made with polymer clay. The data below is compiled from ~HanaClayWorks polymer clay FAQ and my own FAQ

What is polymer clay?
-Polymer clay is actually not clay at all. It is a form of plastic. (Specifically fine particles of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) suspended in plasticizer) The only reason it is called "clay" is because of it's clay like properties. It is a mold-able substance that can be cured in a normal oven (or toaster oven) and will retain it's shape and remain strong after baking.

Where can I buy Polymer clay?
-You can buy Polymer clay at craft stores like Michaels, AC Moore, Jo Ann Fabrics, or online. Places like eBay and etsy sell polymer clay as well as formal sculpey and fimo websites. Sometimes even Target brand stores carry small amount of polymer clay.

What are the different brands of polymer clay?
-There are a few brands:
Sculpey (Sculpey III)
Fimo
Kato
Cernit
Premo (a stronger form of Sculpey)

What are the differences between brands?
Scupley III
Pros: inexpensive, wide color range, good for beginners, readily available in many craft stores, (often goes on sale for .99 - 1.00 a brick)
Cons: When baked it is not as hard as other brands. So thinner pieces break easily. It can sometimes be too soft to work with, colors sometimes turn darker after baking (this goes for the white and translucent Sculpey), not available worldwide
Fimo
Pros: much sturdier than Sculpey brand so it won't break as easily, not as soft to begin with (Which can be a good thing since it will retain it's shape better before baking), colors won't change after baking as much as Sculpey.
Cons: more expensive, not as readily available as Sculpey in the US, harder to work with for beginners since the clay may need more conditioning.
Kato
Pros: inexpensive, great value for your money, colors are steadfast so they won't change so much as Sculpey or Fimo after baking, sturdy, easy to work with, good for jewelry-making
Cons: not easy to find
Cernit
Pros: Very strong, easily conditioned,flexible when cured,often used in doll making due to it's porcelain-like finish.
Cons: Cernit is less widely available in the U.S. and can mainly be ordered on-line.
Premo
Pros: Designed to mix colors the same way an artist mixes paint, Firmer than Sculpey III but softer than Fimo.
Cons:Store only carry a few colors, the rest need to be bought on-line

How do you bake polymer clay?
-Polymer clay is traditionally baked in an oven or toaster oven to be cured. All brands of polymer clay have a slightly different recommended oven temperature and duration. So, READ THE WRAPPER CAREFULLY! You don't want to burn your clay. Sculpey III (which I use) recommends being baked at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

What is TLS
-TLS stands for Translucent Liquid Sculpey. Is translucent polymer clay in a liquid form. (A limited amount of colored clays are also available in liquid form) It is not necessarily the consistency of water but more like soft cake frosting. It is also very sticky and messy. Brands other than Sculpey make liquid versions of clay but Sculpey brand translucent liquid clay is more widely available and can be found in craft stores like Michael's and AC Moore. Uses for TLS range from a polymer clay-to-polymer clay adhesion (must be baked to function properly), a image transfer medium, or even to soften other colors of solid clay. Often used in faux frostings and other food items. TLS can also be purchased on-line.

Are the fumes toxic?
-No, the fumes are not toxic. They're only toxic if you breathe a whole lot of it after you've burned your clay. Keep the windows open and cover your items with tin foil when baking and you should be fine. If you want to be very cautious you can bake your clays in an open area like a garage (inside a toaster oven).

What are glazes and How do you use them?
-Glazes are a clear protective finish you can put on the outside of a charm. One can use a variety of glazes.
You can buy a small bottle of Sculpey brand glaze at craft stores like Michaels or AC Moore which is very strong and durable. The downside is it is very over priced. It comes in Gloss and Satin varieties.
A small can of acrylic based floor varnish is very efficient and cost effective. It is much cheaper and there is enough to glaze your charms for years. You might already have some in your basement. Plus it comes in varying degrees of shine/gloss.
You can also buy a clear enamel spray to coat your charms. Which can be very fast and efficient, but if charms are mildly flexible it can crack and flake. (according to ~HanaClayWorks My new opinion of the Krylon glaze: it sucks! Don't use it! The glaze gets sticky after a while and it will ruin your clay!)

Is it okay to rebake polymer clay items
-Yup it's entirely safe to re-bake clay. (although within reason. You can't bake something 100 times). Some even say re-baking makes the clay stronger. You can check out [link] for more information. That site is the polymer clay encyclopedia. It has everything you need to know about polymer clay.

My clay is really soft I am having trouble making ____
-Polymer clay is very temperature sensitive. The warmth of your hands is what makes it soft and moldable. So if you are experiencing a warm climate polymer clay can be very soft and difficult to work with.
To fix this you can try a few things:
You can turn on an air conditioner
Or even have so cold ice water on hand to help you. You can give the items a little dunk and the cold water will cause them to stiffen up a bit.
For some items where the clay is warm and it is difficult for it to retain it's shape you can pop them in the freezer for a few minutes. This will cool the clay down and make it easier to manage. (I use this one a lot especially during summer)

What types of glue can you use with polymer clay?
-You can use a variety of glues. Some are:
a 2 part epoxy resin
E6000
even TLS (translucent liquid scupley) can be used as a glue for clay to clay adhesion. (but you have to re-bake it)

How do you store your clay? Will it dry out?
-Polymer clay should be stored in plastic bags or Tupperware containers. Somewhere air tight. Polymer clay does not dry out overnight but if left out for several year it will become hard and more difficult to condition and work with. You can buy a clay softener (made by most brands) to soften overly hard and old clays.

Can Polymer clay be painted?
-Yes, polymer clay can be painted after baking with different types of paints. Such as acrylic, watercolor, and oil. (though Oil is not recommended due to it's long drying time) Cheap acrylic craft paints are commonly used to decorate charms after baking. Although the Sculpey glaze does have a reaction to some colors of acrylic paint changing them orange or brown. So beware. White clay can also be colored using chalk pastels. You shave some chalk pastels into white clay and mix/condition it with your hands.

What about making clay colors with chalk pastels?
-~HanaClayWorks "For the purposes of coloring clay, you really should get just the regular sets and try to stay away from the lighter "pastel" sets. This is because you can always mix less pastels into white clay to get a lighter color, but you cannot mix more light-colored pastels into the clay to make it darker! Also, I have not tried coloring the clay with either hard or oil pastels, but from what I've read,it is best to use chalk pastels. Oil pastels and the hard pastels tend to come off as chunks and shavings rather than powder pigments."

What are mica powders?
-~HanaClayWorks "Mica pigments are very, very fine powders that they have manufactured for cosmetic or craft purposes. They are water-soluble and can be mixed into paints and/or clays to add to the finished effect. The most popular brand is Jacquard PearlEx pigments, which can be found in most craft stores. They are a bit expensive, so be careful if you plan to invest in them! You can get a kit with 12 or so colors for about $30."

Are there polymer clay tutorials available here on DA?
- YES There are.
Halloween Jack-o-lantern Charm [link]
Fortune Cookie Charm [link]
Candy Apple Charm [link]
5 Petal Flower Cane [link]
Strawberry Charm [link]
Lolli Pop Charm [link]
Crisp Apple Charm [link]
Bowl of ice cream [link]
Octopus Charm [link]
Deviant Art Fella [link]
Filigree Technique [link]
Sushi Cane [link]
Sushi Charms [link]
Plate of Breakfast [link]
Panda Charm [link]
and many many more. Just look around.

Below are some lovely deviations made with polymer clay









I hope you enjoyed my first article ^_^
*chat-noir
A special thank you goes out to all the wonderful polymer clay artists who let me feature their works today.