Table of Contents
Polymer clay doesn’t shrink or expand as it cures, meaning you can paint it before you bake. Unbaked clay may create a better bond with paint as it cures.
How do you color polymer clay before baking?
Paints (and the supplies that go with it) are another must have for most polymer clay artists. I prefer acrylic paints and in many cases “heavy body” acrylic paints, but any type of acrylic paint is safe to use directly on polymer clay. You can use acrylic paints before baking OR after baking your clay.
Can you color white polymer clay before baking?
Can You Color White Polymer Clay Before Baking? Yes, you can. You can use alcohol-based colors, powder pigments or crayon shavings to color your polymer clay. Acrylic color and other water-based colors can be used as well but the water within these colors has to evaporate from the clay before you bake it.
Can you use Sharpie on polymer clay?
What pen writes on polymer clay? Sharpie markers write well on polymer clay, but they fade to a purple color over time. It’s best to use archival or pigment-based markers to write on polymer clay. Best results are with acrylic inks, but they’re not usually found in fine marker form.
How do you seal acrylic paint on polymer clay?
How do you seal acrylic paint on clay? Simply spray the whole surface of the clay sculpture with a thin coat of the acrylic sealer and let it dry. Then spray another coat of the sealer on the first layer until you are sure, that you covered every single part of the surface. Then let it dry and your color is sealed!
Can I use clear nail polish on polymer clay?
It seems like such a simple solution to use nail polish to accent your polymer clay creations. Or use clear nail polish as a glaze. Don’t do it. The solvent in nail polish will begin to soften and dissolve your polymer clay, even baked clay, making it sticky and gooey over time.
What do you seal polymer clay with?
Wax is the best polymer clay sealer to use if you want to perfectly maintain the texture of your work. If you’ve sanded and buffed your bead, the wax will give a wonderfully warm sheen. If you don’t sand and buff, it will give a more matte finish.
Is it safe to bake polymer clay in your oven?
Yes. It is perfectly safe to bake your clay in the oven in which you prepare your food. When used as directed, polymer clays do not give off toxic chemicals in the curing process. There is a slight odor, which is not harmful.
Do you glaze polymer clay before or after baking?
You’ll want to paint your polymer clay after baking. To preserve your painting, we recommend using a glaze — it’ll create a seal and help protect your work.
How do you seal polymer clay in the oven?
Kato Liquid Polyclay can be used as a sealer. Just brush or sponge on a thin coating and then cure in the oven. After oven curing, you can use a heat gun to further cure it to give a crystal-clear, glossy finish.
Can you wash polymer clay?
Just like any plastic, you can wash polymer clay creations with water. To clean pieces, gently hand-wash them with soap and water.
How long should I bake polymer clay?
Bake for 30 minutes per quarter inch of thickness. It is suggested that thicker pieces be initially baked for 15 minutes, then another 5 minutes, another 5 minutes, etc. The clay needs at least 15 minutes to cure properly.
How do you connect two pieces of polymer clay?
To bond uncured polymer clay to another piece, it’s best to use liquid clay or other bakeable glue such as Kato Poly Paste or Sculpey Bake and Bond. To bond two pieces of cured polymer clay that will not be baked again, use a flexible superglue such as Loctite Gel Control, Zap-a-Gap, or Gorilla Glue GEL Superglue.
Can you bake polymer clay on glass?
Lots of artists like to use glass work surfaces. They are easy to clean, easy to find, and work well with oven bake polymer clays. In fact, if you are making window clings with Liquid Sculpey you will want to make them on glass so that they will be smooth enough to stick to windows when they are done.
Can I paint polymer clay?
You can paint on polymer clay once it has cured. Before you start you should apply a thin layer of clear varnish to seal the polymer clay. For this watercolor effect you need a sponge and acrylic paints (available here*) Mix your paint with water and dab it on with the sponge.
Can I bake polymer clay on tin foil?
You can safely bake polymer clay together with Aluminium foil without any problems, which makes it perfect for creating a core four your polymer clay project.
Does polymer clay break easily?
Polymer clay beads should be bendable if they are baked correctly. Under-baked polymer clay won’t be bendable. It will be brittle and easy to break. So if you can bend your beads without them snapping, like the one in the photo, then you’re baking polymer clay the right way.
Can you bake polymer clay twice?
Can you bake polymer clay more than once? A common question for those new to polymer clay is “Can you bake polymer clay more than once?” The answer is YES! There is no reason you can’t bake a piece of clay as many times as you need to. It’s also perfectly fine to attach raw clay to baked clay and bake that.
Can you paint polymer clay with oil paint?
Linseed-oil-based oil paints should be fine with polymer clay. Run your own tests, particularly if you already have a set of oils. Paint a small piece of cured clay with the oil paint and set it aside. If it remains tacky (sticky) for months, it’s probably best to not use it on clay.
How do you make polymer clay shiny?
Polymer clay is not glossy after baking. You can sand, buff, and polish the clay itself (see below), or you can apply a glossy varnish. To make your clay project less shiny, you could apply a matte varnish. Note that adding a glossy varnish can make translucent polymer clay seem more clear.
How should polymer clay feel after baking?
Polymer is quite soft when first removed from the oven. It needs to be cooled completely to reach its final hardness. When polyclay is cured correctly your cooled piece will be difficult to break, but if it is thin it might bend easily. It will break or cut cleanly, without a crumbly texture.
