It’s a brand new yr and I’m making an attempt a brand new artwork medium: air dry paper clay. I’ve been working with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) primarily based clay (which I’ll check with as polymer clay hereafter for simplicity) for about 20 years and am completely content material with it as an artwork medium. Nevertheless, there have been sporadic shortages of polymer clay throughout this pandemic which have led me to hunt out another for a few of my sculpting initiatives. These are my first impressions of working with paper clay.
So, paper clay, or perhaps it’s paperclay, all one phrase? I’m actually unsure. What I’m positive of is the clay I’m speaking about comprises cellulose and dries/cures in air at room temperature, i.e., it doesn’t get fired in a kiln. Actually, I’m fairly positive placing it in a kiln would burn it up. No, I didn’t check that concept as I don’t personal a kiln. However I do know paper burns at 451 levels F and that kilns attain temperatures in extra of that. Ipso facto, as they are saying.
The model of paper clay I attempted is Inventive Paperclay. This isn’t a product evaluate and I didn’t conduct systematic experiments. I simply opened the clay and began making issues. I’m pretty sure my normal observations would maintain true for different manufacturers, simply as I’m positive every model has its personal relative deserves and quirks. Why do I feel that? As a result of that’s been my expertise with PVC polymer clay manufacturers and merchandise. And since it simply is smart that variations in formulations would result in variations in issues like physique, energy, work time, and many others.
It’s Squishy: Straight out of the package deal, these items is pleasantly squishy. When you bear in mind Play-Doh out of your childhood, it’s a bit like that when it comes to firmness. Or like a stiff bread dough. This made it simple to form and easy with little effort. It additionally meant it was tremendous simple to deform my work once I wasn’t cautious. Because the clay begins to dry, it turns into firmer and fewer susceptible to unintentional smooshing.
As a result of squish-factor, I discovered it’s finest for me to work in levels, letting components of my venture partially or utterly dry. It was comparatively simple so as to add extra clay to a venture at any stage within the drying course of. I brushed or smoothed a little bit of water or slip (a slurry of paperclay in water) over the floor the place I needed so as to add recent clay and smoothed or pressed the moist clay into the dry. The recent clay adhered completely to the dry clay.
It’s a Little Toothy: When recent from the package deal, this paperclay had a floor texture I’d once more evaluate to agency bread dough. It’s somewhat moist, however not sticky or cheesy. Because it dries, it begins to really feel like, effectively, paper. Not slick like cheap copy paper. Extra like a premium cotton rag paper with a pleasant natural tooth to it. It undoubtedly doesn’t really feel like ceramic to me. Nor something like polymer clay, naturally. Additionally, not about texture per se, however I’ll add that paperclay feels chilly because it dries – even when your studio temperature is 62F. I’d vaguely recall the physics of why water evaporating makes one thing colder, however I gained’t bore you with that right here.
You Should Hurry (and Wait): As you’d anticipate, paperclay will get much less pliable because it dries and in some unspecified time in the future, sculpting is not an choice however I might nonetheless carve or reduce it. How shortly it dried trusted room temperature and humidity. No, I didn’t run exams of this. It simply is smart when you concentrate on it. I discovered I had about an hour to work out large-scale shapes (if I stored the sides moist) and a number of other hours extra for impressing or carving finer particulars into them. I’ll add that up till it was absolutely dry, I might by chance make dents in it with my fingernails or dislodge protruding bits of the sculpture. Sure, that occurred. Greater than as soon as.
For me, this implies I must plan forward extra when working with paper clay than with polymer clay. I assume I can reduce or carve away cured paper clay if I alter my thoughts about one thing, however I additionally assume repairing that spot can be tougher. It did stress me out somewhat, understanding I needed to “hurry up” earlier than the clay began to dry. I’m positive as I get used to it, I gained’t really feel pressured by the clay.
Cracks Will Occur: In response to my analysis, paperclay is susceptible to creating cracks because it dries as a result of it shrinks because the water in it evaporates. The water content material is what makes it attainable to mould and sculpt the clay. It is smart that cracks would occur if, for instance, there have been areas of uneven thickness such that the clay dried at completely different charges in several spots. I don’t know for sure what brought on the cracks in my initiatives. However crack they did. All of them.
Each the piece sculpted flat and the clay fashioned round glass jars developed cracks as they dried. In every case, the clay was rolled to the identical thickness and I didn’t add any water to the clay, apart from dipping my sculpting device in water sometimes for smoothing. The crack within the flat piece is barely noticeable and in case you didn’t know the way it regarded earlier than it dried, you may assume the crack was an intentional characteristic.
The clay fashioned across the first glass jar cracked considerably greater than the sculpture on wooden and in very apparent methods. A lot of the cracks have been across the circumference of the jar close to the highest. I feel additionally they roughly correspond to spots the place I joined items of clay as a result of I didn’t roll out a sheet giant sufficient to cowl all the jar. The excellent news is, the cracks have been simple to restore by merely brushing slip over and smoothing recent clay into them.
For the second glass jar, I rolled out a chunk of clay giant sufficient to suit all the best way round. There have been nonetheless cracks because it dried, however they have been fewer and finer and appeared to correspond to locations the place I had added extra clay over the bottom layer earlier than letting it dry. So, it’s attainable the uneven thickness was the wrongdoer there. Sorry, I forgot to take images of these cracks earlier than patching them. They’re seen from contained in the jar although.
So A lot Ready: Essentially the most difficult factor for me to adapt to with paperclay was ready for issues to dry. Once I wasn’t ready for the clay to dry, I used to be ready for a layer of acrylic medium to dry. Once I wasn’t ready for the medium to dry, I used to be ready for paint to dry. I feel the answer to this for me can be to have a number of initiatives underway at numerous levels. However which will require extra planning and organizational expertise than I need to apply to my artwork time.
In response to sources consulted, the clay must be utterly dry earlier than you can begin portray it. Sounds affordable. Certain, I might depart it white and name it a day. However needless to say if paperclay isn’t sealed, it’s susceptible to moisture and the sculpture is considerably extra ephemeral.
I’m not a painter. I imply, I’ve painted issues, however I’m not skilled in tips on how to use paints and mediums. However I did learn that it’s a good suggestion to prime your paperclay sculpture with gesso earlier than portray it. So, that’s what I did. I utilized two layers – permitting them to dry in between coats. Once I say “permitting them to dry” I could imply I dug my hardly ever used hairdryer out of the linen closet (what, isn’t that the place you retain yours?) to hurry issues up. Endurance shouldn’t be one in all my virtues.
After the gesso layer is dry, and after I used acrylic paints to present my sculptures coloration, I needed to watch for that paint to dry earlier than I might varnish it. Possibly I might skip the varnish? I don’t know. It appeared like a good suggestion so as to add a high coat although.
Sources Consulted: Earlier than I opened my first package deal of paperclay, I watched various movies on YouTube, some extra informative than others. I did this as a result of I prefer to know no less than somewhat one thing about what to anticipate, what instruments I’d want, and many others. I discovered some very useful info on this artists’s weblog. Her beautiful horse sculptures clearly display the potential of this medium. I additionally purchased a e-book by Rogene Manas, Clever Paper Clay: Strategies for Including Dimension to Your Artwork. Her rationalization of tips on how to use instruments to outline options in bass reduction was easy. And I primed, painted and sealed my initiatives following her course of.
Would I quit PVC polymer clay for air dry paper clay? Undoubtedly not. Possibly I’m biased as a result of it’s my first sculpting medium and I’ve been utilizing it for therefore lengthy, however I discover polymer clay to be extra versatile than paper clay for my functions. These functions being each sculpture and jewellery. I’m positive there are individuals who make jewellery parts from paperclay. I’m positive as a result of I requested Google and did a fast search of Etsy outlets. Nevertheless, I’m unsure I’d really feel assured that my paperclay items have been sturdy sufficient for jewellery. Possibly after I get extra acquainted and comfy with it I’ll change my thoughts. I reserve the suitable.
Nevertheless, I do see myself preferring paperclay in lieu of polymer clay for making sculptures within the warmth of summer season when it’s too scorching to fireside up the oven to remedy polymer clay. And assuming the pandemic-related polymer clay provide points will get sorted out, I can nonetheless see a spot for paperclay in my artwork provides typically. That place is at present a plastic shoebox holding a number of packages of Inventive Paperclay, one package deal of DAS modeling clay (I purchased two manufacturers of paperclay however have solely tried one to date), and bottles of gesso and gloss medium. All the opposite provides wanted for working with paperclay got here from the in depth assortment of instruments and media I already had for working with polymer clay.
Thanks a lot for stopping by my weblog at this time and following together with this latest chapter in my artistic journey. Truthful warning, I’ve obtained a variety of these empty glass jars (as a result of I devour a variety of salsa) and I purchased extra paperclay. So, it is best to anticipate to see extra experiments with this new-to-me medium. Please depart a remark if the spirit strikes you. And observe me on instagram @PaisleyLizard for extra images of works in progress and tales about my artistic journey.