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The Lazy Susan is one of those tools that once you start using it you will wonder how you ever got along without it.  Maybe not ideal for small pieces but when sculpting larger pieces it really is a must have.  If you are not familiar what a  Lazy Susan is and have no idea what I am talking about you can read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_Susan.   

When I first started sculpting I used a Lazy Susan for all my pieces.  Back then I was using a water based clay and the last thing that I wanted to do is pick a piece up and move it around.  When I shifted from water based to polymer clay based clays I for some reason for forgot all about this tool.  I recently rediscovered this little gem when I started working on one of my newer pieces (centaur image included at the bottom of the article - the Lazy Susan is the yellow plastic circle at the base of the sculpture).   

The real benefit of this sculpting tool is that you can move the sculpture around and look at each side with a great deal of ease.  You do not have to get up and move around the sculpture or even slide the base around the table.  It may not sound like that great of a benefit but when sculpting you want to be able to quickly and fluidly view all angles of your artwork.  This is a big plus in getting the symmetry down on a piece.  It is also great just to get a reference from one angle to another. 

I am going to use the picture included with this article as an example on how I use the Lazy Susan.  Let’s say that I am sculpting the hind legs of my centaur.  I’ve spent hours and hours working out the shape and design for the left leg but I haven’t touched the right one (happens all the time with me - probably not the best approach but it is what it is).  Since the angle of the leg is the same for both the right and left I will want to make sure that the shape and design of both legs match.  I’ll do a lot of eyeballing and measuring of the piece as I work on it.  I’m constantly referring to the section of the sculpture that I have invested time into so I want to be able to quickly glance at the section, turn and work on the new leg and then turn back to the original leg for additional reference.  I spin the piece back and forth as I reference and sculpt the individual body parts. 

Now, I’m not saying that the Lazy Susan is the Holy Grail tool for sculpting but it is a cheap and great addition to any sculptor’s toolbox.  I do not use it on all my pieces but for larger pieces I’ve found that it really helps speed up my sculpting time.  In fact, I really miss mine on the pieces that I don’t have a chance to use my Lazy Susan (usually because it is being occupied by another piece).  Don’t just take my word for it, go ahead and try it out and let me know what you think.

 Gerald

Popularity: 73% [?]

Using Alcohol With Polymer Clay

Rubbing Alcohol is a great tool that is used to help smooth and blend polymer clay when sculpting.  Like the Vaseline tutorial, I have several other tutorials where I give examples on how I use alcohol while sculpting (I’ve included a few examples at the bottom of this page).  When I first started sculpting I used water based clay (I had never even heard of polymer clay at that time).  With the water based clay I was able to achieve a smoothing and blending effect by using a wet sponge or Q-tip.  However, when I started using polymer clays, water did not have the same effect.  At first I tried to use water and Q-tip on my polymer clay but the results were pretty poor.  After doing a lot of research on the internet I discovered that rubbing alcohol dissolves polymer clays.  Thanks to other polymer clay artist I was able to learn that alcohol on a Q-tip, sponge or paint brush has the same effect as water on water based clay. I have experimented with different potencies of rubbing alcohol and found that not all are created equal. 

From my own experimentation I have discovered the following: 

70% alcohol - takes quite a bit more strokes to blend and smooth the clay.  You can get the effect that you are looking for but it is going to take a lot more patience and time. 

91% alcohol - seems to be the magic formula since it is not too aggressive and doesn’t require too much effort to use.  However overuse can produce a tacky surface on the clay (until the clay dries out). 

99% alcohol - recently found 99% alcohol at my local grocery store and thought I would give it a try.  The 99% alcohol is pretty aggressive so you have to use it with caution.  Another issue is that when you over use it the clay starts to get a white film on it.  I do like the 99% alcohol but it is one that I have to use more caution with to avoid erasing some of the finer details in some of my sculptures. Here are a few examples of past tutorials where I have used alcohol during the sculpting process. 

http://www.polymerclayfan.com/sculpting-veins.htm

http://www.polymerclayfan.com/sculpting-hair.htm 

http://www.polymerclayfan.com/torso-details.htm 

Rubbing alcohol may not be used from the beginning to the end in the sculpting process but it is one of the key tools used in sculpting.  In fact I would have to say that rubbing alcohol is in my top five sculpting tools that I can not live without.  It is the key ingredient that will help you turn a rough work of art into a masterpiece.

Go out and experiment with it and happy sculpting, 

Gerald

Popularity: 17% [?]

Using Vaseline With Polymer Clay

I’ve already covered the use of Vaseline in a few of my tutorials but though I should also do a little write up on it under the tools section of this site.  Vaseline, or Petroleum Jelly, is used to help non-baked clay, which I will refer to as new clay in this article, stick to baked clay.  One of the benefits of working with polymer clay is that you can bake the sculpture multiple times during the sculpting process.  This key advantage allows you to bake the sculpture in stages verses having to sculpt the entire piece before baking. 

Some of you may be wondering why anyone would care to bake a sculpture multiple times.  The key advantage of being able to bake the sculpture multiple times is that you can work on the details on one area of the sculpture and then bake it to preserve your hard work.  Nothing is more frustrating then spending a lot of time working on detailing part of a sculpture only to accidentally grab it with your hand and undo all of your hard work.  I’ve done this many times myself.  I have spent hours detailing an arm or face only to accidentally grab it and squish some of the details.  See my partial baking article for an example on how I bake a sculpture in stages.

Here are the quick and easy steps for using Vaseline on a sculpture

1.  First step is to select a paint brush for applying the Vaseline.  Use this paintbrush for only applying Vaseline.

2.  Lightly apply the Vaseline to the baked sculpture 3.  With a tissue remove the excess Vaseline (it doesn’t take much for the new clay to stick to the baked clay)

4.  Apply a thin layer of clay to the surface of the baked clay.

If you would like a visual on how to use Vaseline on baked clay then check out one of my previous tutorials here.  The pictures in the tutorial walk you through the steps I use to add new clay to baked clay.  It’s an easy process and one that will save you hours of frustration.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Using a Pasta Machine with Polymer Clay

Whenever you create an original piece of artwork, the preparation stage whether it be for jewelry, beads or a sculpture can be a mundane and daunting task. Now don’t get me wrong, there are many people out there that enjoy the process of mixing clays, conditioning the clay and building armatures however I am not one of them. Some people find conditioning clay a therapeutic exercise but I personally look for anything that can make the preparation stage easier and quicker to finish. The quicker I get through this stage the quicker I can start sculpting.

If done by hand, conditioning and mixing polymer clay can take a considerable amount of time. For small pieces like beads it may not be a big deal but mixing and conditioning a couple boxes of Super Sculpey and Fimo can be a painstaking task. One of my larger sculptures took both me and my daughter two days to mix all of the clay and after that another day or two to let my hands recuperate from the soreness that they received.

If you enjoy conditioning and mixing clay with your own hands then I recommend that you continue to do so. However, if you are like me and are looking for a shortcut to this process then I invite you to read further.

I have to say that one of the best tools that I have come across for polymer clay is a pasta machine. What use to take me hours now only takes a few minutes. Conditioning and mixing clay has never been an easier process and a pasta machine is a must have for anyone that is looking to shortcut this process. The best deal of all is that you can pick up a pasta machine yourself for a small amount of money.

	For my example I will use a block of Super Sculpey with my pasta machine
	My pasta machine allows me to adjust the space between the rollers at seven different levels. I start out the process with the widest setting (which on my pasta machine happens to be level 7).
	In my example I’ll use my three year old as an assistant to roll the clay - hard to take pictures and roll the clay at the same time :-). I carefully insert the clay as he turns the handle.
	Depending on the condition of the clay it can break apart in chunks during the first run in the pasta machine
	You will want to run the clay several times through the pasta machine. Keep folding and rerunning the clay through the machine until you get a consistency that you like
	Once I run the clay through a few times I will adjust the setting on my pasta machine to a narrower width. I’ll run the clay through one or two more times to fully condition the clay. The whole process takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

Safety tips and guidelines

- Don’t use the same pasta machine for food and polymer clay. Pasta machines are cheap so go out and buy a separate one for food. - If you have little ones around the house, like I do, store the pasta machine’s handle in a separate and safe location. The last thing you want is for one of your little ones to roll their fingers in the pasta machine when you are not around.- Securely fasten the pasta machine to a counter or table when using it.- Be mindful of your fingers when pushing the clay into the rollers.
 Where to buy a pasta machine

Popularity: 23% [?]

Using Dental Tools for Sculpting

When I first started sculpting with Super Sculpey I went out and purchased a little $5 set of plastic sculpting tools at my local Hobby Lobby. These tools were great for the time and I used them consistently for about a year and half to two years. However, as my skills improved I started to realize the limitations of my starter set of sculpting tools.

Now I had heard through the grapevine that dental tools were great for sculpting. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and best of all are made of metal. I first started by asking my local dentist if they had any old tools that they were disposing of. After a few crazy looks it was clear that I should just break down and go out and buy a set of my own. To my surprise I found a set of 18 dental tools on Amazon.com for a price around $25. I was skeptical at first but thought for that low amount of money it was worth taking the risk.

I have to say that it was the best investment that I ever made and the quality of the tools more than exceeded my expectations. First of all, I really liked how my new sculpting tools had some weight to them. Another great quality is that they are made of stainless steel. My set came with more shapes and designs than I would probably use but always gives me the opportunity to try something new in the future. I can’t express enough how pleased I am with my tool set and not excluding my pasta machine have to put these tools as one of the best investments I have made.

Will dental tools make me a better sculptor?

Now keep in mind that a tool alone is not going to make you a better sculptor.  There are people out there that just sculpt with their hands, butter knives, tooth picks and even q-tips.  It takes time and practice to develop ones skill and a tool alone will not make you a better sculptor over night.

Now, all that being said the right tools can help you improve on the quality of your sculptures.  Whether it be an improvement on the way you smooth out the clay or a simple little tool that helps you get to those hard to reach places, some sculpting tools just make sculpting a lot easier.

I highly recommend using dental tools for sculpting but there is no need to break the bank when purchasing a set.  As I said earlier, I bought mine for around $25 off of Amazon.com and it was one of the best purchases that I made.  You can see Amazon.com’s current prices for the set that I bought by clicking here.

tag:dental tools Polymer Clay Tools sculpting tools

Popularity: 21% [?]

Using a heat gun to bake a sculpture

One of the more recent additions to my workbench is a heat gun. I initially purchased a heat gun because one of the sculptures that I was working on was too large to fit into my oven. Although it takes a little longer then baking a sculpture in the oven, my heat gun allowed me to cure my sculpture so that it can later one be prepared for a mold. Since my purchase I have learned that the heat gun is also a great tool if you want to only bake certain parts of your sculpture.

Let’s use an example where you were sculpting the human figure. In our example you have worked out the details to the front of the torso and now need to move onto the other areas such as the back, arms and legs. To avoid any damage to your hard work, a heat gun will allow you to bake the sculptures torso so that you can comfortably work on the other areas. Now keep in mind that using a heat gun is similar to an oven and you will need to let the sculpture cool after it has been baked.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Using a Q-tip to smooth and detail a sculpture

As strange as it may sound, one of my favorite and most effective sculpting tools is a Q-tip. Q-tips, when soaked in 90% alcohol, are a great tool for smoothing, blending and detailing your sculptures. Before I go into the details on how to use this wonderful little tool, I’ll explain how I cam across the idea in the first place.

My first experience with sculpting was with water-based clay. Now there are a lot of properties that I personally do not care for with water based clays but one of the properties that I absolutely loved is that it is a very fast medium to work with. Another great property is that with a sponge and some water you can really smooth out and blend in different areas of the artwork. In a short amount of time I was at a stage where I could create a lot of detail in my sculpture using a combination of different shapes and sizes of sponges soaked in water. For smaller hard to reach areas I even used Q-tips soaked in water to create the detail in my sculpture. Which leads me into how I started using Q-Tips with polymer clay.

Now when I switched to polymer clay as my preferred sculpting medium, I ran into a challenge on how to blend and smooth out the clay. Initially I tried the Q-tip soaked in water technique on my sculpture but the results were marginal at best. After doing a lot of research I discovered that polymer clay dissolves in alcohol. So, putting two and two together, I started using Q-Tips soaked in alcohol to smooth out the hard to reach areas on my sculpture.

Popularity: 16% [?]