Making Christmas tree decorations from polymer clay
It is a pleasure to sculpt Christmas tree toys from polymer clay! This kind of creativity brings a lot of positive emotions, both during and after work. There are several advantages to sculpting:
- no need for a large number of tools;
- you can sculpt anything;
- cheap and affordable material;
- minimum labor.
We prepare the workplace and start
By and large, the manufacture of such crafts is no different from modeling from plasticine. The only difference is that the toy will need to be baked so that the clay hardens and the craft retains its beauty. Before work, you need to prepare the place. Place all the necessary materials and tools on the table:
- polymer clay;
- some flour or talcum powder;
- small knife;
- paints;
- paper clips;
- threads.
We will sculpt figures from clay. The knife will come in handy for leveling the surface, as well as drawing patterns, indentations, and so on. The paper clips will play the role of the ears to which we will tie the thread. Talc or flour perfectly removes the adhesion of clay to the hands or table, which prevents modeling.
We will paint the crafts after the clay has hardened.
Wash your hands thoroughly before sculpting! Clean hands is the basic rule of sculpting. Not a single speck should get into the clay: this material adheres well, thus it will "collect" all the debris. This also applies to the workplace, which should also be as clean as possible.
Let's start simple
You need to start by making the simplest clay Christmas tree decorations. For example, from ordinary balls. In addition to the items presented above, you will need a foam ball.
Please note that the balls cannot be made entirely of this material, as it will be impossible to bake them properly. The maximum thickness of the clay should not exceed one centimeter! To make three-dimensional figures, use a "filling" from another material, for example, from foil or foam.
If you don't have a styrofoam ball, use foil. Make a small ball of foil, 3-4 centimeters in diameter. Cover it with clay and roll it all in your palms to make an even ball. Take one small paper clip and stick it into the ball so that the ear of the mute sticks out. Roll the ball in your palms again: the paper clip will securely fix in the clay. Everything can be baked (read the baking rules in the next section).
After firing, wait until it cools down. It remains only to decorate our toy. It is better to apply the background color with spray paint. After it dries, you can paint with other colors (with a brush) whatever you want: a symbol of the year, a snowflake, a snowman or Santa Claus. Insert a thread into the eyelet of a staple and tie a loop. A beautiful handmade Christmas ball is ready, just like a factory one! In a short time, you can make dozens of different toys, without much difficulty.
Learning to make various figures
The simplest of these are flat toys. This requires a little clay and one little secret. Culinary cookie cutters, with which we will literally stamp blanks. We put clay on the table and begin to roll it out like dough. We take tin molds and "stamp" blanks: hearts, Christmas trees, diamonds and so on.
Insert paper clips or wire loops into the upper parts. Place them on a baking sheet and bake like cookies. Further - only your imagination. You can glue or paint something on them.
Do not forget to sprinkle flour or talcum powder on your hands while sculpting. Without this, the clay will stick strongly to the fingers and the table, making it much more difficult to make the craft!
Complex (voluminous) Christmas tree decorations made of clay require a little more attention and perseverance. You may need to sculpt individual parts from polymer clay, and only then assemble a whole figure from them. For example, this snowflake. It is assembled from a base, many different petals and circles.
Or, for example, a figurine of some animal, where the body, head, paws and tail are molded separately, and only then they are assembled into one. It is better to use matches here as a reinforcing material.
A beautiful house from a fairy tale.
A little patience and a cute owlet, a wonderful bird, will appear in your hands.
Firing rules
Deserves even more attention, compared to the modeling of Christmas tree decorations from clay with your own hands. Incorrect baking can lead to very unpleasant consequences. Agree, it will be a shame if the craft that you have been working on for a long time simply falls apart. Therefore, you need to adhere to the rules.
What to use for baking
Earthenware plates, ceramic tiles or the simplest steel baking sheet are used as utensils for firing. Be sure to put parchment for baking on the last one, and only on top - crafts. It is better to put several layers of paper so that the products do not deform.
What temperature is needed and how long
It depends on the craft itself, or rather, on its thickness and type of clay. Such data are always written on the packaging, be sure to read them before firing. Usually the optimum temperature is 110-130 degrees Celsius.
It is best to use an oven thermometer to monitor the temperature.
When the craft is delicate, for example, a flower or leaf, then the required time will not exceed five to eight minutes. For massive textures, it sometimes takes half an hour. If you decide to burn something voluminous, use toothpicks, as shown in the photo. This is done so that the craft burns evenly from all sides.
If fired incorrectly, poisonous gas can be released from the clay! Keep track of the temperature and time, be sure to follow the recommendations. Do not bake polymer clay crafts with food.