This
week I am going to talk about the very basic tools you need to get
started working with your polymer clay. I did spend some time really
thinking about what the basics are. You know those things that I feel
you actually need to start work with the clay. Sure, there are a lot
of other tools that are fun to work with but in my opinion if you
have these items you can do a lot of fun projects.
I
also made sure to pick those items that are inexpensive. I don't want
you to go out and spend tons of money on tools. I want you to feel
like you can pick up these items and still have plenty of money left
for lots of clay.
So
to start you need a surface to work on. I think a 12” by 12”
ceramic tile is the most practical surface out there. You want to
find one that is smooth and a neutral color. The one I have in the
video has some not so smooth areas off to the one side but the center
(work area) is smooth. I like to stick to a gray or beige color
because then I get a better idea of the color my clay is. With tiles
that are other colors sometimes they can make the clay colors look
off. You should have no problem finding a tile that will work for
under $2 at your local home improvement store.
Next
we need to roll our clay out for a lot of projects. For this I give
you 2 options. One is a real acrylic clay roller. These will cost
around $10 and you should be able to find them anywhere that polymer
clay is sold. My other option is an empty jar like capers come in. I
like these jars because they are about the same size as a roller and
they have the same straight sides. You get the bonus of having a
built in area to store some of your texturing tools inside of the
jar. When you get more advanced at working with the clay you might
want to look at a pasta machine that can be dedicated to your clay.
Next
we need to be able to cut our clay. For this I do recommend you go
out and purchase a clay blade. I really haven't been able to find
anything that works as well as the real thing for cutting the clay.
After
you get your clay project ready you are going to have to bake and for
this you need something to put it on. I almost always use the cheap
un-coated paper plates. Look for the really cheap ones, they seem to
actually be much better for this than the nicer ones. I occasionally
bake on a ceramic tile and those are the only 2 surfaces I ever use
to bake my clay on (well, almost always there is one exception we
will talk about when the time comes) The tile will give a shiny
surface to the bottom of you project.
And
lastly a package of wet wipes, you know the kind in the baby aisle of
every grocery store. If possible I get the ones that aren't alcohol
free but sometimes that is all the stores have. Either type will work
just fine for cleaning your tools and your hands while and after you
are working with the clay.
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