Hey guys! Brand new to polymer clay? Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s talk about what your first week might actually look like, so nothing catches you off guard. But before we dive into that, let’s address a tiny elephant in the room. I was supposed to launch the FullBobbin Hub & Shop today. But it’s been delayed. Again. Snippets, and plugins and code. Oh my! But seriously, building a site up from scratch without hiring a tech team takes time. And because the membership hub lets you choose your own files each month, I had to build that infrastructure right there alongside the ability to pay cash. It’s been very detailed work needing lots of testing. My sincere hope is that we launch on Thursday. Just 2 more days! I’ve got the virtual champagne chilling. 🍾 Now, back to beginner clay talk. =D
Expect your clay to be a little stubborn at first
Fresh from the package, polymer clay can feel firm, even a bit crumbly. And some brands can actually feel very soft, and even droopy. That’s the case for some of the less expensive brands. That’s not to say they’re not good to work with. I happen to really enjoy working with Michaels CraftSmart house brand. I just try to keep the handling time down. Working the firm one in your hands warms and softens it, and that’s called conditioning. Working the soft one too much will just make it misbehave more. So handle that one as little as possible. Be patient with it. Stubborn at first is normal. Further conditioning with a pasta machine is common practice when working with polymer clay. I’ve got a future post just about that planned. Or you can sign up for my newsletter and get a tutorial that has all the details. Free. Keep reading.
Expect your first pieces to look like first pieces
The gorgeous work you’ve been admiring online? Those makers have practice behind them. Start small and simple, and enjoy the process. Every piece teaches you something. I really can’t overstate this enough. With every single thing you attempt, you learn something. So don’t put off trying something until you “get better.” The only way to improve skills, in anything in life, is to practice it. But DO start small. The same skills you can learn by playing with an entire block of clay you can also learn by trying the same technique with just an eighth of a block. That gives you 8 times the opportunities to play and hone your skills. At no extra cost.
Expect to bake by the package
Brands differ, so your clay’s package instructions beat anyone’s advice, including mine. Check it every time. And this bit of advice comes with an extra bit of info. While I DO recommend you use the manufacturer’s recommended baking temperature, understand that polymer clay baked at its correct curing temperature cannot be overbaked. That just means that you can bake it longer than it says and it won’t burn, as long as you’re not exceeding the recommended temperature. But the opposite is not true. Do not bake it less than the time on the package. And do not think that 3 bakes of 8 minutes each equal 1 bake of 24 minutes. Polymer clay goes through a scientific transformation while it’s curing and it needs that minimum amount of time that is stated on the package, all at once. And yes, multiple bakes are OK and won’t harm the clay. It’s actually one of the wonderful things about this medium…you can form the torso of a fairy figure, bake it completely, then add a leg, and bake that completely and keep repeating the process. Why do this? Depending on what you’re creating or sculpting, you may want to preserve the core foundation from getting misshapen as you add other pieces to it. You can do that with multiple bakes. More details in that free tutorial I mentioned!
Calibrate Your Oven
This tip goes hand in hand with the baking times above. Calibrate your oven so you know that when you set it to 270 (or whatever #), it’s really reaching 270. Buy an oven thermometer. The kind that stays in the oven during baking, not the kind with a probe you stick into things. And leave it in the oven while you check to see how long it takes to reach the set temperature. Did it happen at the same time that the oven beeped to let you know the set temperature was reached? Did it actually read the same number on the thermometer as the number you set the oven to? Chances are it didn’t. Most ovens are slightly off. And that is OK. You just need to know how far off yours is so you can adjust the number you set it to when curing polymer clay. If you set it to 270 and the thermometer only reached 265, then test it again with a 275 setting and see if that gets the thermometer to read 270. Once you get the thermometer to display the temperature you need, make a note of the actual oven temperature you set it to, and bake at that number going forward. It’s just a simple adjustment.
Expect conflicting advice
Ask one question in an online polymer clay group and you’ll get five confident answers that disagree with each other. It’s exasperating. Sigh. When you’re unsure, read the package, test on a scrap, and see what works for you. Take advice with a grain of salt and test it yourself.
What to skip buying
Yes, I sell polymer clay cutter designs galore, and I’m telling you it’s okay to buy fewer of them! Newcomers do not have to feel like they’re missing out if they don’t have every gadget.
There are so many things around the house that work in unconventional ways. A manila file folder makes great templates for cutting earring shapes. A clean, dry sponge makes a fantastic texturizing tool. And the humble toothpick is one of my favorite sculpting tools, as long as it’s a round one. The 4-sided ones leave lines all over your clay slab. Nobody has time for that!
When you’re ready for cutters, start with a few basics you’ll use again and again. I wrote more about this in an earlier post: How Many Polymer Clay Tools Do I Really Need.
A gift to get you started
And to wrap up this quick guide, I’d like to provide details about that tutorial I mentioned earlier. And a second gift! Sign up for my newsletter and you’ll get 3 free files plus my 30+ page beginner’s guide to polymer clay. It covers the basics, lots of pro tips, and even has a full set of earring templates you can print on a regular home printer and use immediately.
So tell me: what’s the one thing about polymer clay you’re most nervous about? Tell me in the comments, and I’ll try to help!
Until next time!
A full life. A grateful heart. Full Bobbin.
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