by Mary Eccher - Page 1 of 3
Polymer clays are multi-purpose plastic mediums which can be hardened in minutes in your home oven. They are non-toxic, easy to use and come in a huge array of colors, which can be blended together to attain any shade or tone imaginable. Polymer clays can be stained, painted, glossed, texturized with fillers (such as sand), chopped, either baked or unbaked, and are completely adaptable for use with resin. Because of these features, they are a perfect medium for miniatures.....foods, dolls, animals, toys, plants, frames, etc.
OVERVIEW OF THE MOST POPULAR POLYMER CLAYS
FIMO - Stiff to work with (especially if one has cold hands!) but when mixed 1 part color to 1 part Mix Quick, a very workable compound can be attained, a true-colored clay, doesn't shrink during baking, detailed miniatures can be created beautifully. Colors can be mixed like paints, for example, green added to red gives you brown.
FIMO SOFT - You would think this is it! But...after baking, the miniature can have a translucent look. This may be fine for many things, but not so great for most foods.
SCULPEY - Soft and easy to work with, but colors can be dull after baking.
SUPER SCULPEY - Flesh colored, fairly firm, great for dolls when toned down with Champagne fimo.
ELASTICLAY - Beige-colored clay, stays flexible after baking - great for mixing into other clays where a bit of flexibility is important, such as the fragile fingers of a doll. Also good for molds.
PROMAT - Soft, yet firm enough for detailed miniatures. Some of the colors look a bit day-glo, and there is a smell of soap when baking. The yellow is wonderful for cheeses!
CERNIT - Soft consistency, colors are mostly realistic, again depending on what you are creating.....fine for most foods, not the best colors for food.
PREMO - Soft consistency, odd sort of array of colors, better for larger items, and not detailed miniatures.
Handcrafted Collectible Dollhouse Scale Miniature Foods, Beverages and Accessories
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