Help My Mom Get into Polymer Clay

December 17, 2020 8:19 PM

My Mom has expressed interest in getting into polymer clay. She was having fun with ceramics class, but then covid hit, and well... alas. What does she need to get started with Polymer clay if i wanted to get her a kit for her birthday?

There's so many different types of sculpey and fimo these days... Is one better than the other or are they interchangeable? Should i just get basic primary colors that she mixes or a bunch of pre-mixed colors? Google is not super helping me for some reason. Any help much appreciated! Thank you.

posted by wowenthusiast to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

I have a ton of sculpey, fimo and store brand polymer clays. I'd say start with FIMO soft, because the regular stuff can get kind of crumbly and takes a long time to work it into something usable. It gets messy and frustrating. But I've always mixed brands and it's never really been a problem.

Otherwise, I'd get her a selection of blocks: primary colors, plus a few you think she might like. There are also inexpensive tool kits on Amazon, but honestly I've just used kitchen utensils, with non-serrated butter knives being my favorite. The only other thing she needs is an oven to bake her finished creations.
posted by Alison at 8:28 PM on December 17, 2020 [2 favorites]

I wouldn't spend too much money until she tries it out and knows for sure she likes it and wants to continue with the hobby. This $27 (US) kit seems like a good exploratory first step.

One thing you could definitely do to help her get started specifically would be to find some really good, inspiring sculpey artists on Youtube who are good teachers and interesting videos and curate those for her along with your gift of materials. Once she completes a few simple sculpts and cures them, she'll know if she wants to keep going with it.
posted by seasparrow at 8:28 PM on December 17, 2020 [2 favorites]

Layl McDill is an amazing polymer clay artist--and a delightful person. She teaches classes--online now, of course. Add her to your curated list, as seasparrow suggests.
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 9:10 PM on December 17, 2020 [3 favorites]

I'd stick with the major brands -- Sculpey or Fimo. I've always found Sculpey softer and easier to work with than Fimo (but maybe Fimo Soft as recommended by Alison is better). Try to get the "regular" version if you can, but if not any kind of Sculpey or Fimo should be fine -- just make sure it's not some novelty kind like "bendy".

Here's an example of a nice starter pack with a perfect amount of colors for starting out. (Unfortunately out of stock, but you should be able to get something similar at your local art store).
posted by mekily at 10:47 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Set of clay knives?
posted by St. Peepsburg at 12:52 AM on December 18, 2020

Definitely start with a basic kit as suggested above. Also books. I also use scavenged kitchen and junk drawer items for tools so I wouldn't bother buying tools unless there are tools she really wants.

Polymer clay is fun, but I really love air-dry clay. It behaves more like "real" clay and can be painted and sealed with shiny or matte glazes. I love not having to bake my pieces in an oven.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:57 AM on December 18, 2020 [2 favorites]

I found the colour mixing to be the most fun aspect of polymer clay, so support the primary colour approach (your mom may feel differently). Good Exacto knives (or whatever they are called) and a small rolling pin thing are great. Though honestly I've found straight razors to be the best for cutting/chopping precisely. She may also appreciate a vinyl craft mat for her workspace.

If you think she might want to make more "decorative" things versus cute little figures, you may also want to get her a glaze for finishing.

And as much as I love polymer clay, I do wonder if air dry clay would be more up her alley if it was ceramics she was doing previously....
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 6:06 AM on December 18, 2020

I like using tools like this for polymer clay so that I can control shaping without getting my fingerprints all over it.
posted by xo at 7:12 AM on December 18, 2020

A youtuber sculptor I like, Ace of Clay, who works exclusively with polymer clay, collabed on a starter kit with Sculpey a few months ago. His particular style might not be to your mom's taste, but the kit has solid starter equipment for a first time polymer clay user at a reasonable price, and Ace of Clay himself has good videos where he shows the techniques he uses to achieve different effects in the clay.

I used polymer clay for years as a kid. Maybe the formula has changed in the last 15 years but I absolutely hated Fimo. Premo Sculpey was my favorite.
posted by phunniemee at 7:45 AM on December 18, 2020 [2 favorites]

Kits are a good intro into a craft. Maybe get materials for yourself, too, and make something together over videochat; as a Mom, that would be an awesome gift/ experience. I have a simple sculpey necklace of flowers and tube beads that is in just the right colors; I wear it a lot. Pins are fun, too. With kits, you get more clay, but putting together materials for a specific project is more successful for me.
posted by theora55 at 10:43 AM on December 18, 2020

I think it would be fun to get some colors to blend, and also to get some translucent clay and some metallics.

For equipment, I feel like the basics are a pasta machine, an x-acto knife, a tissue blade, and something to bake in like a toaster oven.

Ginger Allman tests equipment and clays. She reviews pasta machines here. A pasta machine rolls out pieces of even and repeatable thicknesses. Beyond the obvious, it is useful because if you then use a particular cookie cutter to cut pieces from an evenly thick piece, they are exactly the same size which is very useful in making a necklace of beads, for example. Also they are good for making skinner blends.

A tissue blade is useful for cutting very thin slices and curved slices like you might do for mokume gane.

There's controversy about whether it is safe to bake in a home oven. The fumes from burnt clay aren't good for you, so some people bake in a toaster oven placed in an area with good ventilation like a porch or garage.
posted by SandiBeech at 12:08 PM on December 19, 2020