Welcome to part two of my guide to starting out with polymer clay. If you missed part one, be sure to check it out here as it outlines the necessary gear that should be in your sculpting kit. Now that you’ve got your kit, it’s time to move on to the actual sculpting.
STEP 2: Learn the technique(s).
First things first, you’re going to need a little help learning the right ways to work with your clay. There are thousands of tutorial books out there that you can find fairly easily on ebay (D.I.Y.polymer clay jewelry was super popular during the late 80s and early 90s, so the books are pretty cheap nowadays). However, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably prefer real-time tutorials. And the very best place for that, as we all know, is YouTube.
Just searching “polymer clay tutorials” will bring up mind-boggling numbers of videos for you to check out. However, if you find that a little daunting, check out two of my favorite sculpting vloggers: Toni Ellison and Hollycopter. Toni’s tutorials center mainly around creating miniature life-like foods, while Hollycopter’s creations have a wider subject matter variety. The nerdier part of me would just like to point out that both users feature a line of D.I.Y. Harry Potter themed sculpting tutorials. You can watch Hollycopter make Harry’s birthday cake here.
STEP 3: Inspire yourself.
Don’t be afraid to Google what other people have made. After all, Picasso once said “good artists copy, great artists steal.” Now I’m not saying you should be a jerk and replicate somebody’s original design in order to take credit for the idea, but I am saying that it’s okay for you to copy a design to teach yourself a technique or to let somebody else’s work give you your own idea.
The obvious place to search is, as I said above, Google, but don’t underestimate the power of Pinterest. Not only does Pinterest allow you the ah-mazing ability to re-pin images in one place so you can come back to them, but it’s also full of D.I.Y. users like yourself. Which means that there are hundreds, if not thousands of users avidly searching for, and then sharing exactly the kinds of images and tutorials that you’ve been looking for. Of course, there are still other places for you to search if Pinterest just isn’t your thing. Try Etsy or DeviantArt for ideas. Again though, have the common courtesy to not take credit for someone else’s idea. Especially if you’re inspired by something on Etsy. As fellow members of the D.I.Y. community, the last thing we want to do is take the bread and butter out of our fellow crafter’s mouths.
STEP 4: Try, try again!
As much as we hate to hear it, practice does indeed make perfect. My earliest creations were sad little lumps that barely resembled the Disney characters I had modeled them after and they broke very easily. Don’t let yourself be discouraged and keep at it.
Whether you’re a complete newbie or someone whose sculpted before, I hope this two-part mini-series was of some help to you. Please feel free to send me any pictures of your own designs and sculptures; I’d love to feature them!