AIR DRY Clay TIPS: Sculpting For Beginners

Today we're going to do things a little differently. This is going to be a proper tutorial showing you how to get started on sculpting and teaching you all the basics about air dry clay. Air dry clay is similar to pottery clay but it doesn't need to be fired in a kiln instead it will dry and harden on its own. This generally means that it's not as strong as fired ceramics but some brands get pretty close and there are some steps you can take yourself to strengthen your final sculpture which we'll get into a little bit later on so make sure you stick around. I always start with an armature. This is an under structure or like a skeleton which helps support the shape of your sculpture and also saves on the amount of clay because you can use the tin foil to bulk out your shapes. I like to twist my armature wire so the clay has a better grip but if you don't have a drill you can just skip this step. Each variety of air dry clay has different ingredients, textures, dry time and strength once hardened. For this demonstration I'm going to be using Das Air Hardening Modeling Clay as it's one of the higher quality air drying brands and also very affordable. It's about $10 per kilo and generally available all over the world. I've included some information on other brands in the video description such as Ladol, Jovi and Fimo clay but for the rest of this video I'll be focusing on Das though of course all of the tips and tricks in this video you can apply to any brand of air dry clay. Das has paper fibers in the clay which interlocks creating an internal mesh and that makes it more sturdy and less likely than other products to break once it's dry. I like to lay down a piece of plastic or baking paper before I get started with the clay. This just helps keep my table a little bit cleaner and it makes it easier to move the sculpture later on. I'm starting by rolling out a roughly even sheet of clay that I use to encapsulate my armature. As you get started your hands will always be your best tools so don't be scared to get them dirty. When you're ready to move on to the details there are a few tools that will come in handy. If you're just starting to experiment with sculpting it can be daunting to know which tools to use but you don't need a bunch of fancy tools to get started. If I could only use three tools for sculpting these would be my top picks. A loop tool, you can buy dedicated sculpting tools like this but you can also easily make your own from a brass tube and a bit of metal wire or guitar string. A rounded metal tool, this will be the type of tool I would be willing to spend money on but if you're just starting out you can consider using the end of a teaspoon. And a soft brush, you can buy an art brush or you can even recycle a makeup brush. You can also make a variety of your own custom-made tools from something as simple as a popsicle stick just by carving it into shape with a hobby knife. As air dry clay is water-based you can use water for smoothing and for softening the clay. Just be mindful not to soak it in water as this can weaken the clay when it comes time to dry it. I generally like to dip my tools into water instead of adding the clay directly onto the sculpture. You can also mix water and clay in a little container which is called slip and this mixture can be used as texture for smoothing and as a glue. If you have any half dry pieces of clay left you can also scrape them up and recycle them by adding it to your existing slip mixture and if you store this in an airtight container you can use this mixture again and again for your next projects. When joining separate pieces of clay they won't automatically stick if you just bump them up against each other. Instead I first score the surfaces that I want to join then add a bit of slip and then join them together. And now to the million dollar question. How to prevent cracking? This is by far the most common question I get when posting projects using air dry clay and there is no one answer fits all but let's talk about why the clay cracks in the first place because there can be lots of reasons. If your clay is too thin it can be prone to cracking. Likewise if it's too thick it can also crack as the outside will dry faster than the inside. Seams are the most prone to break as they are more vulnerable so definitely take your time when joining your pieces and use the tip about the slip. In a minute I'll also show you how you can fix it if your sculpture should start to crack but first we need to allow it to dry for a little bit. It can be easier to add your finer details after the clay is firmed up a bit. If the full drying time is 24 hours I like to come back after 8 to 10 hours to refine the details a little bit more before leaving the sculpture to fully dry. During this initial drying phase I tend to leave a damp paper towel wrapped around any thin parts so they don't dry too fast and then I leave a loose piece of plastic over the whole thing. Once I come back the clay is not as wet and soft as before so that means I can add a bit more pressure with my tools without warping the shapes and this helps me add some sharper lines and also smooth the surfaces. The clay will start drying the moment it's exposed to air. As we've just explored it can be easier to add details once the clay is firmed up a bit but it also means you want to keep any unused clay wrapped up in an airtight bag or container. If you notice any cracks as the sculpture is starting to dry you can use the slip tip to fix them. There are no cracks in this sculpture at least not yet but I'll make a pretend one just to show you. You basically just fill the crack with slip and then smooth it over top but the earlier you notice a crack the easier it will be to fix it. Now it's time to leave the sculpture to fully dry. I like to have an airflow all around my sculpture and this is when the baking paper comes in handy. The sculpture will dry more evenly if it's not placed on a solid surface so use the baking paper to gently lift the sculpture onto a grill grate. Then cover your final sculpture in a loose piece of plastic. This will slow down the drying time maybe even double it but allowing it to dry slowly helps you prevent cracking. And don't try to speed up the drying by leaving the sculpture in the sun, outside or by using heat tools. This will only make it dry unevenly which will create cracks. Once the sculpture is fully dry you can use a fine grade sandpaper to smooth any uneven surfaces. For instance here where we fixed the crack I probably want to do a bit of sanding. Just make sure the sculpt is fully dry before you handle and sand it or you will risk breaking it. To get into any little nooks and crannies you can use a dremel or you can once again improvise your own tools. Here I'm super gluing a small piece of sandpaper onto a cut down popsicle stick and it works great. Once you're happy with your piece you have the option of painting it. You can paint it directly with acrylic paint but I like to seal it first with a bit of shellac. I find that this strengthens the overall piece and also stops the dried clay from absorbing moisture. But bear in mind it doesn't make it fully waterproof and I wouldn't recommend displaying your sculpture outdoors. I actually quite like the simplicity of keeping this piece white so after sealing it I'll simply spray paint it with a glossy white. And now you know how to get started with air dry clay which honestly is a great medium to play around with especially if you have just started sculpting. Please let me know in the comments which trick you found the most helpful and also if you have any follow-up questions. And if you like this video I also hope you'll subscribe for more demonstrations and tutorials. See you in the next one. Bye!