Making polymer clay at home. Polymer clay modeling: a master class for beginners. We start manufacturing

Polymer clay, or, as it is also called, simply plastic, is a material from which many different things can be molded. It is used as in applied arts, and in needlework. Day by day popularity polymer clay increases, and modeling with the help of this material becomes more and more interesting.

This material is used for the manufacture of various jewelry, dolls, clothes and even for interior decoration. Many people want to master polymer clay modeling, but, unfortunately, not everyone has enough experience in working with this material. But this does not matter, because further it will be described in detail how to make polymer clay at home and how to work with it correctly.

Compound

Before you start making polymer clay, you need to know what its composition is. This material is based on polyvinyl chloride, or just PVC, and also some types of liquid plasticizers are present in the composition - thanks to these liquid substances, the plastic becomes more plastic and softer. PVC is often compared to gelatin: its particles, like gelatin, absorb water - this is the main property of plastic. In addition to the listed substances, the composition also contains some pigments that change the color of the plastic to a brighter, more juicy one.

To give the plastic the effect of mother-of-pearl or metal, mica is added to it. In addition, kaolin, chalk, talc are added to the clay as a filler and modifier. And also stabilizers should be present in the composition of polymer clay, due to which the clay does not turn into jelly during storage at normal temperature ahead of time. If the temperature in the place where polymer clay is stored is sixty degrees, then the material will begin to harden (stabilizers stop this process).

After we talked about what this material consists of, it's time to start making it... The plastic itself is not cheap. And it is much easier and cheaper to prepare it with your own hands from improvised means. And then the jewelry made with your own hands from homemade clay will come out almost free. Homemade clay and the one sold in the store are completely different from each other, or rather, they differ in composition. But homemade plastic is just as good as the real thing.

Ingredients for making polymer clay

And now the question arises: "How to make polymer clay with your own hands?" To start you need to stock up on the following ingredients:

two tablespoons of lemon juice;
PVA glue (two hundred and fifty grams);
cream or petroleum jelly, free of fat and silicone;
Cornstarch (two hundred and fifty grams).

In addition, you will need plastic spatula, bowl (you have to stir somewhere: D), plastic wrap (piece), spoon to stir, pad.

From all of the above, a white mass should be obtained, which will come out about three hundred and fifty grams.

Manufacturing process: recipe

In order to better understand the manufacturing process, it is recommended to watch the videos, of which there are a lot on the Internet.

If you want to add a little fun to the sculpting, that is, flowers, then for this use various dyes (food), oil or fabric paints. But it must be remembered that you cannot put all the paint at once, they put it in a little.

Often for beginners, the clay turns out to be tough and less flexible. And the question arises: "What to do?" In this case, do not be upset, because the plastic is easy to soften again. To do this, you need to warm it up and stir it with petroleum jelly.

Ingredients:

1 glass (250 gr.) White PVA glue,

1 cup (250 g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon of petroleum jelly

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon hand cream (non-greasy and silicone free).

From this amount, you get about 350 grams. plastic mass of white.

Mixing bowl - glass fireproof,

Plastic spatula,

Base for rolling out the mass,

Spoon for stirring the mass,

A piece of plastic wrap.

Pour starch into a refractory bowl, pour in PVA glue and add petroleum jelly. Mix everything very thoroughly with a spoon.
Then add lemon juice (or husky, as in the photo) and stir everything until a plastic homogeneous mass is obtained.
Place the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute - maximum power. Stir well after the first 30 seconds. Soak the second 30 seconds and remove from the microwave.
Spread the hand cream on the surface, on which you will then spread the mass from a bowl.
Take a bowl of mass. Remove the false solidified crust from the surface (it formed there) and discard it. We only need plastic mass.
The remaining mass spilled out onto a cream-smeared table.
Now we knead the mass, as usual the dough is kneaded. Using a spatula, we scrape everything off the surface. Knead vigorously for 5 minutes, until it becomes pliable and firm.
At the end, give the dough the shape of a thick sausage. We put the sausage on the fabric - it should fit the excess moisture.
When the dough is completely cool, wrap it in plastic wrap. The plastic mass is ready to work.
IMPORTANT! You need to store the finished mass in the refrigerator, in a plastic container with a tight lid!
You can make colored plastic. For coloring you can use: aniline dyes for fabrics, oil dyes, food dyes. Do not put a lot of paint at once, it is better to add it in portions, gradually, stirring. Each portion of colored plastic should be kept separately wrapped in a plastic bag - they should all be placed in a plastic container with a tight lid - kept in the refrigerator.
I will write another recipe, it is quite simple, but slightly different from those described above. For convenience, I will divide the manufacturing process into several steps.
1. Pour PVA glue (1 cup), half a cup of corn starch, 2 tablespoons of glycerin, 2 tablespoons of petroleum jelly, 12 tablespoons of citric acid into a frying pan with a non-stick coating, put on the lowest possible heat and mix well.
2. We continue to stir all the time, ensuring that the mass becomes very sticky and mixes with difficulty.
3. We transfer the resulting mass to parchment paper (several layers), let it cool slightly.
4. When the mass becomes warm, knead it like a dough and divide into small lumps, which should cool completely.
5. Wrap each lump in parchment paper and put in a plastic box for storage.
This clay can be painted with watercolors, gouache or food colors.
Of course, you don't want to constantly buy (and not cheap) what you can do yourself.

And so, in order to make polymer clay with your own hands, we need the following ingredients:
Well, all the ingredients of the recipe are quite accessible, you may have to look for cornstarch, but this is not a problem either. All these products are enough to make clay for 350 grams.
- mix starch, petroleum jelly and glue - we do everything until smooth
- add lemon juice to the mass, mix
- put the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds, take out - mix, and again for 30 seconds, take out - mix
- grease the surface with cream and spread the prepared mass
- mnem until the state of elastic dough
- roll up into a sausage
- store in a refrigerator, in an airtight container, before wrapping it in foil.
More details can be found on this site, there are even photographs of the workflow.
I myself have been looking for recipe polymer clay, I tried to do according to those written by different authors, but either something does not reach me, or my hands grow from the wrong place. The description is usually not enough for me, I need to see how it is done. And this video helped me. I hope it will be useful to someone as well.
Polymer clay is also called, as it turned out, “cold porcelain”.
Make cold porcelain from
- PVA glue (one hundred milliliters)
- potato starch (one hundred grams)
- high fat cream (one incomplete teaspoon)
- baby oil (two teaspoons full)
First, put the water in a saucepan on a fire to boil (for a water bath). At this time, we are preparing the ingredients.
Well, you can measure it in disposable cups of one hundred grams. In one we measure out the glue, in the second starch.
Pour the glue into an enamel bowl, which is suitable in size to heat it up in our water bath. Add 1 tsp there. cream and 2 tsp. oils. After mixing all this, we put it in a water bath.

The mixture should not overheat, otherwise it will become too hard. Stir several times, then add starch (with small proportions, as in our case, you can add starch all at once, if the proportions are much larger, then little by little, stirring constantly).
We stir vigorously, so that the mixture does not have time to stick to the container. Already somewhere in a minute or two, lumps will begin to appear, and the mixture becomes similar in consistency to cottage cheese, while gathering in one lump. At this moment, it is impossible to overexpose, it is necessary to quickly remove it from the bath and put it on a board greased with cream.
We also apply the cream on our hands and knead the resulting mass (it should not be too hot, if we did not overexpose in a water bath).
In principle, this is already everything, polymer clay is ready. Now it is best to wrap it in a plastic bag so that air does not enter, and leave it in this form for 12 hours.
The quality of the glue plays an important role. If it's `` wrong '', our polymer clay will crumble. If we see that the glue is somewhat thick, it is better to take a little less starch, a couple of teaspoons less, and not in a 1: 1 ratio. Choose a homogeneous glue, without grains, white (not yellow, but not with the name PVA white). The glue should not be too thick either.
We check the readiness of our clay as follows
- roll up the ball. If the surface of the ball turns out to be very smooth, without folds, then you can no longer knead, it is ready.
If it didn't work out the way you wanted the first time, try again. If it didn't work with one type of glue, buy and try another - glue plays a decisive role in the preparation of `` cold porcelain ''.
To prepare cold porcelain you need:
1. Lemon acid
2. Starch
3. Joiner's glue with plasticizer
4. Glycerol
5. Destkoe oil
6. Fat cream
All ingredients must be cooked in a Teflon saucepan as shown in this video tutorial.
To make polymer clay with your own hands at home, you will need: 100 milliliters of PVA-type glue,
100 grams of potato or corn starch
1 teaspoon very high fat cream
2 teaspoons of baby oil or 2 teaspoons of petroleum jelly
Cooking is best, of course, in a water bath, so as not to overheat the mass and not dry it. But if it doesn't work with a water bath, then take Teflon dishes for convenience. Mix glue with butter and cream and put in a bath or low heat, stirring constantly, add starch. When the whole mass is already collected in one lump, remove from the stove and spread on a previously greased surface with cream. Cover your hands with cream as well and knead the mass like a dough for 5 minutes. All the clay is ready. So that the mass does not dry out, store it in a bag. You can paint the clay with paints or food dyes.
In order to make polymer clay at home, we need 1 cup of white PVA glue, 1 cup of corn starch, 1 tablespoon of petroleum jelly, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of hand cream (non-greasy and silicone free). Usually, from such a composition, about 350 grams of white clay is obtained as a result.
In addition, we need a mixing bowl, preferably glass and fireproof, a spatula, a substrate for rolling out the clay, a spoon for stirring, and a piece of plastic wrap.
Let's go directly to the process: First, pour starch into a bowl, pour PVA glue there and add petroleum jelly. We mix all this. Then add lemon juice. After getting a homogeneous mass, put the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute at maximum power. After the first 30 seconds, take out and stir the resulting mass well. Set for the second 30 seconds and remove from the microwave. The bottom and walls of the dishes, into which you will then put the clay, need to be greased with hand cream so that the clay does not stick to the walls of the vessel.
From the mass removed from the microwave, remove the false frozen crust from the surface and discard. There will be no sense from it, we leave only the plastic mass. Now you need to knead the mass, as you knead the dough, until our clay becomes flexible. It is convenient to use clay if it is initially shaped like a thick sausage. When the dough is completely cool, you need to wrap it in plastic wrap. And that's all. Cheap and cheerful.
You need to store homemade polymer clay in the refrigerator, in a plastic container with a tight lid!
Polymer clay, or cold porcelain, can be made at home from quite common materials.
And so we need:
We paint polymer clay only with oil paints and food colors. Acrylic paint or any other water-based paint will not work. A very interesting shade is obtained when used as a dye, lipstick (knead a piece and mix with clay).
We store the clay very simply, wrap it in polyethylene and put it in a container with a lid. We store the clay at room temperature, do not put it in the refrigerator.
We do not leave the clay open for a long time: we pinched off a piece for the craft, wrapped the rest in polyethylene and put it in a container under the lid.
Polymer clay- a unique material in its properties for the manufacture of various gizmos. I first met him several years ago, when I was still pregnant. Then I already went on maternity leave and there was really nothing to do, I signed up for a free master class on making flowers from polymer clay. I remember how I was surprised by the lightness of the material itself, its plasticity. But it’s not cheap. But you can make such clay at home.
To make polymer clay at home, you will need:
- 1 glass of PVA glue
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. l. petroleum jelly
- 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. l. non-greasy nourishing hand cream (silicone free)
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula or spoon
The work process itself is not complicated: we mix all the ingredients, achieving uniformity. Then you can go in two ways: heat the mixture in a water bath for 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly, or put the bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute, stirring it every 30 seconds.
Then thoroughly grease your hands and work surface with hand cream and begin to knead the clay well, like a regular dough. We achieve elasticity dough - as a result, you should get a sausage weighing about 350 grams.
The resulting mixture is stored in a tightly closed plastic bag or container, otherwise it will quickly solidify in air. But it is better to work with her, of course, right away!
At home, you can only make an analogue of polymer clay, it is called a salt test. For this we need:
2 parts flour or starch + 1 part salt extra + 0.25 cups of water. To make the clay elastic, you can add a few tablespoons of sunflower oil, cream or PVA glue. The finished dough can be colored with food colors or gouache. Products made from such clay must be dried in the oven at a temperature of 80 degrees.

Such material as polymer clay has long been loved by people. From this plastic material for modeling, you can create any decorations, shapes and decor elements. When the clay hardens, the product acquires a dense structure and becomes strong enough. However, the cured material is not flexible at all, which can make such products fragile. Polymer clay was invented by doll makers to make lightweight and durable doll heads. However, the material itself attracted so much ordinary people and jewelry craftsmen that gradually various companies begin to produce this synthetic plastic for sale. People are happy to buy this material for design and children's crafts. Then this material was forgotten for a long time. It was also used in some industries, however ordinary people it was not used.

And just recently, the history of this polymer began to develop with renewed vigor. Suddenly, the fashion for authentic jewelry has returned, and they are quite bulky in themselves. And then the designers remembered that polymer clay is not just a pliable and elastic material for sculpting, but also especially light when cured, which is very important for large jewelry. And now polymer clay has become popular again.

The more this synthetic plastic was loved in the fashion world, the more craftswomen tried to create such a material at home. And now, finally, this plastic material was obtained at home. Today it is no longer difficult to get all the necessary ingredients and make polymer clay with your own hands. So why not give it a try?

Recipes for making polymer clay at home

Recipe 1

Required ingredients for making polymer clay:

PVA glue - 250 gr.
Corn starch - 250 gr.
Vaseline - 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
Cling film
Hand cream (non-greasy)

Instructions for making polymer clay:

First, you need to mix the basic ingredients in any glassware: PVA glue, starch and petroleum jelly until smooth. Then add lemon juice to the resulting mixture and mix thoroughly again. The mass can be mixed with a fork, but it is much more convenient to work with your hands, kneading all the ingredients, as is done with a regular dough.
Next, put the resulting dough in the microwave for 30 seconds and heat it at the maximum temperature. Then mix the mixture thoroughly again. And again we send everything to the microwave for 30 seconds.
Now, after removing the bowl from the microwave, there should be a small film on the surface of the mass, which must be carefully removed with a knife or fork.
Next, you need to prepare workplace for kneading the mass. To do this, you can use a wooden board wrapped in cling film, but it is best to work on the table itself, having previously lubricated it with non-greasy hand cream without silicones.
Within 5-10 minutes, the resulting mass must be thoroughly kneaded according to the example of kneading the dough. Roll the clay between your palms and knead it vigorously until you get a stretchy plastic mass. During this time, the clay itself should cool completely to room temperature and mix easily. All ingredients should combine into a uniform plastic mass, if this has not happened, you can put the clay in the microwave for a few more seconds, and then knead again. As a result, there should be no lumps or individual ingredients in the clay.
Now you can form any convenient shape from the mass and put it on a napkin or thin cloth to absorb excess moisture.
When the mass has completely cooled down, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap. For the convenience of work, the clay can also be put into the refrigerator for a while, so the mass will become a little denser and less soft, such material will less stick to your hands.
If you have completed all the previous steps correctly, then your own polymer clay is completely ready for use.

From this amount of ingredients, about 350 grams of polymer clay should be obtained. If you don't plan to use the clay right away, then you need to store it in the refrigerator in a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid.

Recipe 2

Ingredients for making polymer clay:

Potato starch - 100 gr.
PVA glue - 100 ml
Baby or cosmetic oil - 2 teaspoons
Fatty cream (for children) - 1 full teaspoon

Cooking instructions:

At this stage, it is worth putting on gloves, since we will need them later, but it will be completely inconvenient to do this.

We heat a glass jar in a water bath. For this, the lightest fire and very little water are suitable.
Now let's prepare everything you need. Pour the required amount of glue into a glass, prepare a portion of starch in advance in a plate. We are also preparing the workplace. To do this, as in the previous recipe, we take a wooden or plastic board and wrap it with cling film. Lubricate the surface with a little cream on top.
Pour glue into a jar heated in a water bath.
Immediately we collect one spoonful of cream and send it to the glue. Mix thoroughly until a homogeneous liquid is obtained.
Immediately add cosmetic oil and stir it just as thoroughly.
Without stopping stirring, carefully pour in the starch in small portions, allowing it to completely dissolve.
The longer we delay the introduction of starch and allow the liquid to heat up, the tighter and stronger polymer clay will be in the end. If you do this within 5-10 seconds, you get plastic, suitable for creating jewelry, toys and figurines.
Without making the fire stronger, we continue to stir the mass until it gradually begins to curdle. Gradually, in a few minutes, it will gather into one lump.
Turn off the heat, remove the can from the stove, take out the warm viscous dough on the board and begin to knead. The mass itself will be a little more warm, it can be felt through gloves, but it cannot burn, so we continue to knead.
Knead the dough until you can roll a smooth, even ball without cracks and folds. This should take no more than 5-8 minutes.
When we have got a perfect, even, smooth ball, it is necessary to generously lubricate its surface with cream and leave in this position for about an hour. During this time, the clay should completely cool down to room temperature.
We carefully put the resulting ball in a plastic bag, remove the air from it and tighten it with an elastic band. Thus, we kind of seal the rolled ball in a vacuum bag.
Now our polymer clay should be infused. To do this, it must be removed to a dark, cool place with a temperature of 15-25 degrees for about 12 hours.

In a usable state, such polymer clay can be stored for up to 3 months.

Although ready-made polymer clay can be stored for quite a long time, this does not apply to colored clay. Special preservatives are needed to store clay using food colors. In this regard, it is advisable to paint the clay with a dye immediately before use.

How long is the finished polymer clay stored

In the refrigerator, polymer clay can be stored indefinitely. However, after about a couple of weeks, the clay will gradually begin to become drier and lose its firmness and elasticity. So it's best to work with as fresh material as possible.

What to do if the clay has deteriorated or failed

After long-term storage in the refrigerator, as well as due to improper preparation, the clay may turn out to be too dry and not flexible. However, this is not at all a reason to throw out the product.

1 way

It can be saved by mixing to the required consistency with a new portion of softer polymer clay. As well as during cooking, thoroughly knead the clay until smooth and get to work.

The same method can be used if the polymer clay initially turned out to be too liquid. Mix it with the remnants of old dried clay. Or, make a new one a little drier and denser than usual, and mix it with a runny serving.

2 way

The second method is even easier, because you don't even need to prepare a new batch of fresh clay for it. You just need to add a little petroleum jelly or cream to the old mass and also mix thoroughly until the resulting polymer clay is homogeneous.

If your clay has been stored for a very long time and is almost dried up, then these two methods are best combined. First, you need to give the mass a little viscosity and elasticity by mixing with soft clay. And then make the mass more pliable with petroleum jelly.

How to make colored polymer clay with your own hands

The recipe itself remains the same, but you need to carefully add a few drops of any food coloring to the finished mass and mix the clay thoroughly until the color is completely uniform. To make beautiful color transitions or to get halftones, you can mix several food colors or several shades of already painted clay. Since the materials mix well with each other, you can easily achieve the desired shade.

You can also add fluorescent glitter or fluorescent paint to the clay, so the finished product will glow in the dark. Various glitters or glitters can be mixed into the clay. They can be found in art or nail design stores. To create an unusual texture, you can add beads, beads or foam balls to polymer clay. In general, polymer clay is an ideal material for creativity and the development of imagination, not only for children, but also for adults.

Polymer Clay Crafts Ideas

We figured out how to make good clay for crafts. Here are some fun ideas for homemade creativity.

Decorations

Probably the most popular polymer clay products are costume jewelry. It is very easy to mold any piece of jewelry from a pliable pliable mass, be it earrings, beads or bracelets. And the product itself made of such material will last up to 7 years. There are many techniques for creating jewelry or its elements. Let's take a look at some of them.

Most jewelry will need beads. With this material, the design of the beads can be any, as well as color combinations. But there are two basic techniques. The first is suitable for making round beads. The technique is very simple. We roll up small neat balls of polymer clay and pierce them with a needle slightly larger in diameter than the one on which we will then string them. We remove from the needle. Once again, slightly level the shape and you're done. Can be laid out on a windowsill and left to dry. In about a day, bright light beads are ready to become part of the decoration.

The second option is similar to the technique of making glass beads or rolling candy canes. First, we choose the appropriate clay colors and roll them together in random order. Then we roll a long thin tube from this mass. Be sure to make sure that the entire tube is approximately the same diameter. Then, using a knife, we cut off one centimeter from both ends of the tube, this excess material can be removed. We cut all the remaining clay into neat small discs. In the center of each we make a hole with a needle so that in the future they can be strung on a fishing line or elastic band. If this technique seems too easy for you, and you already understand how the pattern is laid out in such beads, you can try to compose not just an arbitrary ornament, but a real pattern that will be repeated on each bead. To do this, each individual colored element will consist of many pieces of polymer clay, thin as a thread. Then they are stacked on top of each other and a single bar is formed, which is then cut.

At first glance, creating jewelry from polymer clay may seem too complicated, but such an activity simply requires imagination and skill, which will gradually come with experience in this matter. So do not be afraid to experiment and you will definitely succeed.

You can also try to create unique earrings from polymer clay. Most often, the design of such jewelry can be of two options. Or it repeats the pattern of beads, that is, it is made of exactly the same beads. Or various figures are molded. You can even make two different earrings, but in the same theme. By the way, this is a great gift idea for friends or decoration for yourself for the summer. Most often, they sculpt animal figures, emoticons. birds, fruits and sweets. Such forms are quite simple and almost anyone can sculpt them. But in the end they look very unusual and fun.

How to make polymer clay jewelry?

After the beads for the product are ready, you can start working. If it is a kit, it is always better to start with the most voluminous and complex part. For example, these will be beads. You need to decide how many rows should be in the decoration. You can string beads in two or three rows. But it is even more interesting to make several strands of the same beads, and then twist one large plait out of them. Both options will look interesting and attract attention. For beads, you should buy a clasp at any sewing store. It will be fastened on both sides using clamping locks, you can fix such a lock even without special tools. You may only need pliers to tighten the ring.

The bracelet can be made simple by stringing different beads in one row, or by repeating the design on the beads. In any case, it is worth starting from the general style of the kit. Since even though such polymer clay jewelry will in any case be an accent in the image, they must be combined with each other.

With earrings, everything is much simpler. Often they consist of one minimalist or, on the contrary, bulky bead. In order to make jewelry, you should also purchase several clamping rings for jewelry and the earrings themselves. For example, carnations. You can use a pin or paper clip to attach the bead. You need to bend one end a few millimeters, and pass the other through the bead, then use the rings to fix the bead on the earring. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the bead would hang straight, if it turns with an edge, you need to add another ring.

You can also add a ring to the kit. The easiest way is to buy a blank for a ring and use super-glue to fix a small bead that repeats the design from other jewelry.

In any case, whatever the gift is, it will be the most beautiful only if it is made from a pure heart. If you created it with positive thoughts and a smile on your face, then the craft will radiate joy and kindness.

Please your loved ones with pleasant little things. And even if such things will not be especially useful and will not be useful in any way in everyday life, but you can be sure that such a gift with my own hands everyone will remember.

How many interesting things can be made from such a fertile material as polymer clay! It is not difficult to make this material yourself with your own hands. Moreover, there are several recipes at once that allow you to get it at home.

Polymer clay must have several essential qualities- be:

soft, but not loose;
firm, but not tight;
elastic.

Do-it-yourself polymer clay at home in terms of a set of these qualities is not inferior to the store version. It is only necessary to correctly observe the production technology - then it will be pleasant to work with the material and the crafts will turn out without flaws. And in order to make colored clay, you need to add food coloring or acrylic paint at the stage of cooking the material. But it is better to paint already finished products - this way the color will be brighter.

The most popular and affordable polymer clay is made from cornstarch. However, this material has one feature - in the finished product, it dries up by a third. Therefore, the calculation of the size of the craft must be carried out taking this circumstance into account.

Ingredients:

¾ glue (PVA or wood glue);
1 tbsp. starch;
2 tbsp. l. oils (baby or motor);
1 tbsp. l. lemon juice.

Preparation:

Mix the starch and glue in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Add lemon juice and oil to the mixture.
We put on low heat (or for 30 seconds in the microwave), cook, stirring constantly, until the consistency of puree.
Remove the pan from the stove and let it cool.
We grease our hands with butter and begin to knead the clay on the table until it resembles pizza dough.
We roll the finished material into a ball, put it in a bag and send it to the refrigerator.

For making crafts, we warm up the material in our hands, having previously greased them with cream so that the clay does not stick. We dry the finished products naturally during the day.

Such clay can be used to sculpt large decorations and bases for magnets.

Self-hardening polymer clay with your own hands sometimes cracks in finished products. Therefore, in order to avoid such troubles, it is better to prepare a composition with glycerin, which enhances the effect of the glue.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. PVA glue;
1 tbsp. cold water;
1 tbsp. corn (or potato) starch;
10-15 drops of glycerin.

Preparation:

In a saucepan with a thick bottom, mix the glue and ½ tbsp. water.
We put the mixture on low heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
In a separate bowl, mix the starch and the remaining water.
Pour starch into the mixture, drip glycerin, mix thoroughly.
Remove the material from the heat, cover with a lid and let cool.
Sprinkle the table with starch, lay out the clay and knead it until it becomes smooth and pliable.
Roll the finished clay into a ball, pack it in a bag or container and leave it in the refrigerator for a day or two.

By the way, you can prepare material according to this recipe in a water bath. This clay is suitable for making small products with rounded shapes, since the material has a high degree of elasticity.

This universal clay, suitable for any kind of crafts, came to us from Latin America. Its formulation requires the use of formaldehyde or formalin 10% concentration. But in the domestic version, this component is excellently replaced with white vinegar.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. corn starch;
½ tbsp. water;
2 tbsp. PVA glue;
2 tbsp. l. glycerin;
2 tbsp. l. cream with lanolin;
2 tbsp. l. vinegar.

Preparation:

In a saucepan with a thick bottom, mix the starch and water.
We put on low heat and cook until the starch is completely dissolved.
Pour in glue, stir.
Add glycerin, cream and vinegar.
Cook until the mass begins to move away from the sides of the pan.
Turn off the fire, let the mass cool to a temperature when the material stops burning your hands.
We put cream on our hands and spread the mass on a table sprinkled with starch.
Knead the clay into a homogeneous elastic material, cover with a damp cloth and wait until it cools down.
We pack in a bag, store in the refrigerator.

Products made from this type of clay should be dried for at least 3 days and only then painted.

To prevent products from a polymer base from breaking, for example, when making toys, you need to use strong clay.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. PVA glue;
½ tbsp. l. stearic acid;
½ tbsp. starch;
2 tbsp. l. glycerin;
2 tbsp. l. petroleum jelly;
½ tbsp. l. citric acid.

Preparation:

Pour glue, acid, glycerin, petroleum jelly into the container and heat over low heat, stirring all the time.
Pour in citric acid.
We also heat the mixture, add starch, stir well.
Heat until the mixture is pulled out of the pan following the spoon.
Put the mass on a table covered with baking paper and knead it well until smooth.
Let it cool, put it in a bag and send it to the refrigerator.

Liquid plastic as a kind of polymer clay

Many fans of polymer products are wondering how to make polymer clay with their own hands in such a way that the products are almost transparent. For this, the masters of working with such material recommend adding a special gel (Fimo or Sculpey) or petroleum jelly to the finished clay. Everyone determines the proportions of the additive for himself, since different products need a different degree of liquid state. The resulting plastic is very convenient to use to create:

stained glass effect;
enamels;
small details (petals, leaves);
embellishments and image translation.

Tired of spending money on expensive polymer clay in art stores? Now you can make homemade clay using the available ingredients. Homemade clay dries outdoors, you don't need to dry your crafts in the oven. Homemade clay is somewhat different from store-bought clay, but if prepared correctly, it will be just as good. Keep in mind, this is not literally polymer clay. Polymer clay is a PVC (plastic) based product, it is made under certain conditions in production. Household clay cannot be called polymer clay.

Steps

Clay from glue and cornstarch

This recipe will make a homemade version of polymer clay. Such clay behaves in work in almost the same way as industrial clay, except that it dries out more strongly. It can shrink up to 30% of its original weight, but not size. Keep this property in mind when planning your creative projects.

Make your craft a little larger and when it dries it will be the size you want it to be.

Pour ¾ cup glue and 1 cup cornstarch into a nonstick pot. At this point, the pan should be either on the table or on the stove, but it shouldn't be heating up. Stir well until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
- For this recipe, PVA glue for wood is best suited, although ordinary children's glue for creativity will also work. Clay can be slightly thinner with baby glue than with wood glue.
Add 2 tablespoons of mineral oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the glue and starch mixture. Stir until smooth. If you cannot find mineral oil, use a different motor (non-jelly) oil or baby oil as a replacement.
- You can add food coloring if desired, or acrylic paints this mixture to get colored clay. Be careful not to add too much dye, you can change the texture of the clay. If you want the craft to become colorful, just color it after the sculpting process is complete.
Place the pot on the stove. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly. Do not stop stirring or you will disturb the texture of the clay.

Continue stirring the mixture until it resembles mashed potatoes. Once the mixture has reached the consistency of mashed potatoes, remove the pan from the heat and place on a cool, flat surface.
- Remember to place a hot plate or towel on the table to protect the countertop.
Add a small amount of mineral oil to the soft clay. The oil will also lubricate your hands, so the clay won't stick to your hands while kneading.

Transfer the clay to a table, knead and knead it like dough. The clay should be as hot as your hands can handle.
- You can wear rubber or work gloves to protect your hands.
Stir the clay until smooth. The clay should resemble well-kneaded pizza dough and should have a uniform consistency. Roll the clay into a ball after you finish kneading.

Store prepared clay in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To keep the clay fresh for as long as possible and not harden, try to remove as much air as possible from the container before sealing it.
- If the clay is still warm, place it in a bag, leaving a small gap. Once the clay has cooled, seal it and store it away.
Use your finished clay to create your creative craft. You can create whatever you want. To make it easier for you to work with the clay, lubricate your hands with a little hand cream, so you can smooth the clay quite easily.
- The craft should dry for at least 24 hours, or more if you find it isn't completely dry.
- Color the craft. Tempera paints are best suited for painting products made from this clay.
- You have to paint over even those parts of the product that should be white, otherwise they will look translucent.

Clay made from glue and glycerin

Homemade clay products according to this recipe will not crack. This recipe uses more glue, the clay will be more sticky, but also more durable, which will prevent cracks in the products. Glycerin will also keep cracks in the finished product to a minimum.
- Crafts made from such clay dry out much faster, in 30 minutes.
- However, it is necessary to wait overnight, preferably 1 week, before using this modeling dough. This will make it less sticky.
Put on old clothes or an apron. This will keep your clothes clean as you cook.

Mix water and glue in a non-stick container and simmer for 2 minutes. Mix ½ cup water and 2 cups PVA wood glue in a non-stick container. Boil the mixture for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
- You can use any baby white glue, but wood glue works better than others because it sticks together tighter.
Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup water in a bowl and add to hot glue and water. Mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl and pour the mixture into a bowl of hot glue. Mix the ingredients well.
- Cover the dough with a plastic lid while it cools.
- If using food coloring, add a drop or two, then adjust the color saturation as needed. You can color the craft and dry it.
Sprinkle cornstarch on your work surface. Place the dough on the surface and knead well. Continue kneading, adding starch, until the dough is no longer sticky.

Finish kneading the dough when it is smooth and pliable. Gluten from starch has done its job, the dough has become soft and plastic. The dough is ready to use.

Store the dough in an airtight container to prevent the dough from drying out prematurely.

Strong clay

Combine all ingredients except cornstarch in a nonstick container and heat over low heat. Mix 1 cup of PVA glue, ½ tablespoon of stearin (stearic acid), 1 ½ tablespoons of glycerin, 1 ½ tablespoons of petroleum jelly, and ½ tablespoon of citric acid in a non-stick container over low heat. Mix well.

Use the lowest heat possible to heat the container.

Add a little cornstarch and keep stirring. Add ½ cup cornstarch to the mixture in small portions, stirring constantly. By adding the starch a little at a time, you can prevent clumps from forming. Continue stirring until the clay begins to lag behind the sides of the container.
- The clay will become more sticky and thicker, and it will be difficult to stir, but do not stop, keep stirring until you remove the clay from the container.
Knead the clay for 20 minutes. Place the clay on a table covered with baking paper. The clay should be hot, a little sticky and a little lumpy. Knead the clay for 20 minutes, until the lumps disappear and the clay is smooth and not sticky.
- Let the clay cool slightly if it is still hot after kneading.
Store clay in an airtight plastic bag. Store the prepared clay in a sealed bag to prevent it from hardening prematurely. Make sure to remove all air from the bag before closing. Use clay for any craft, paint with acrylic paints.

Self-hardening paste Franchese

This recipe came to us from Latin America. This clay is very popular in Latin America; you can create any crafts from it. The original recipe requires 10% formaldehyde or formalin, but we've replaced it with white vinegar so the clay is safe and non-toxic.

Combine cornstarch, water, and glue in a Teflon-lined saucepan. To start, mix 1 cup cornstarch with ½ cup water in a Teflon saucepan and heat over low heat until the starch dissolves. Once the starch dissolves in the water, add the glue.

Add glycerin, cold cream and vinegar to the saucepan and stir. Add 1.5 tablespoons of glycerin, 1.5 tablespoons of lanolin cold cream, and 1.5 tablespoons of white vinegar to the saucepan. Continue to heat the mixture over low heat until the dough takes shape and begins to lag behind the sides of the pan.

Do not overheat the dough, otherwise it may harden.
Glycerin is a common ingredient used in baked goods and can be purchased at the grocery store in the baked goods section.
You can find lanolin cold cream in the beauty section of the store.

Lubricate your hands with hand lotion or cream and knead the clay. Let the clay cool by covering it with a damp cloth. Once the dough is smooth and smooth, it is ready to use. You can mold any crafts.
- Allow the craft to air dry for at least three days.
- Once your craft is dry, you can paint it with oils and acrylics.
Store in plastic wrap. Wrap the clay in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dark place.

Prepare such clay in advance and with a margin for children's creativity. Non-toxic, lightweight and pleasant to work with, it is ideal for small hands.
Let the clay dry for at least three days before you start painting the craft.