An Intro to Air Dry Clay Jewelry

In today's Instructable, I am going to guide you through the beginning steps of learning to make jewelry from air dry clay. Clay has been a hobby of mine for a while now, and I wanted to share the joy with others and hopefully help them by clearly laying out things that took me months to learn. Air dry clay is a simple medium that can produce great results.
*This Instructable will be in sections. The "supplies" numbers indicate where to find what in each section, so feel free to skip to what you need to know.

Sections:

1. Air Dry Clay (types will be discussed)
2. Pros and Cons of Air Dry Clay
3. Clay tools
4. Modeling
5. Paint or other coloring mediums
6. Glues (for additions or fixing mistakes)
7. Drying
8. Varnishes
9.Jewelry Components and Tools

Air Dry clays have been around for centuries. Modern air dry clay is a bit different. There are different types made from slightly different materials, and that will affect how the clay is used and your results.
Types of Air Dry Clays:
Paper clays literally include paper fibers. This helps make them strong. Water can be used to smooth joins, make the clay malleable, and smooth the surface. These clays can be carved when dry. Examples are Hearty Paper clay, and Creative Paper clay.

Flower Clays or Resin clays are made to stay flexible after drying. Resin clay means they contain a polymer like oven bake polymer clay does. They are often used for making flowers as the name suggests. Examples are Modena.

Cold Porcelain Clay (homemade) is another way to go. Despite what some may say, you CAN make a good modeling clay at home.There are many recipes out there, but my favorites I have found from Russian/Ukrainian/Indian websites. It takes time to learn what recipe works for you, but it can be very worth it cost wise. A warning: don't use a recipe that contains water. It will crack when drying.

Pros:
- Often Less costly than oven bake clays (especially homemade cold porcelain)
- Does not require special equipment or baking in an oven
- Small pieces for jewelry are very durable

- Holds detail well (some types hold better than others)
- Can be sculpted into practically anything
- Can be colored in a wide variety of ways (acrylic paint, oil paint, mica powders, pastels..)
- Generally very lightweight (big plus for earrings)
- Very portable due to being able to cure anywhere in open air

Cons:
- Does take time to dry; oven bake clays are faster
- Can be brittle depending on how it was sculpted, type of clay used, and size and compactibility of the piece.

- Can crack while drying (some types more than others)
- Cannot be caned like oven bake clays
- Not waterproof; needs varnished

- May shrink slightly with drying (this depends on the type of air dry clay)

- Needs stored in an airtight container or it will dry out

Once you have your clay, you are ready to sculpt!
Literally, you don't need tools. You can just take off.
However, tools help attain detail, so you will probably want some.
My top four tool recommendations are:

- A roller
- A knife
- A stylus
- A ball tool.
These are mainly self-explanatory. A stylus is a pointed tool (like a pencil or pen) , and a ball tool has a rounded end used for smoothing the clay.
*Remember: you don't have to purchase these tools. You can use a wooden dowel or plastic rod for the roller, any knife, a pencil or other stick for the stylus, and any smooth rounded something for the ball tool.

Honestly, those tools are my favorites and they will take you far. Other tools that you might be interested in later include:

- A specific work board for your clay. I made mine from a plastic cutting board that I glued a piece of wood on for backing, but a plastic clipboard works really well.

- Molds or cutters to make shapes (useful for bezels and pendants)

- Foam mats for drying (discussed in "Drying")

* TIP: Searching for "fondant tools" will bring you lots of tools at a cheaper price than searching for "clay tools".

Learning to model clay can take time. You will find your own techniques as you learn.

Some tips I have for you:

Jewelry Sculpting:

- If you are going to use a jump ring to hang the piece (for earrings or pendants), make the hole in the clay BEFORE it dries. You can drill holes in air dry clay, but I find that making the holes first is way easier.

- Keep in mind how the piece is to be worn. Is it an earring? Keep size in mind. Not many people are going to want to wear an earring the size of a coaster, even if it is lightweight. How will the piece hang on an earring hook/necklace? Will it face the way you intend it to? Is the pendant too bumpy or awkward to be a comfortable necklace? You get the idea.

- It is easiest to insert eye pins in charms to attach them to things. Bend the end of an eye pin (the pointed end) into a 'Z' shape, then put it in your charm. That way the pin won't be able to be pulled out. For a tutorial on how to make your own eye pins or just how to modify them for polymer clay charms, check this out: Jewelry Basics: DIY Eye Pins for Clay Charms

General Sculpting:

- Go slow. I know you are worried about your clay drying out, but you have a bigger window than you think you do, and you can use water to help restore your clay.

- Use water to restore your clay. Use it sparingly; the more water you add the more likely a piece is to crack upon drying, plus it will get sticky and be impossible to work with. That is why air dry clay cracks, it is releasing the water from the clay that makes cracks. Just a tiny drop will go far.

- Start simply. Don't think you are going to sculpt a full fledged dragon right off the bat. Maybe go for a small lizard first, then you can do a iguana, then a komodo dragon, and then a fire breathing dragon. You will only get frustrated if you think you are going to be Michelangelo right away (trust me, I know).

- Look up stuff. When you are first starting out, look up other clay artists and learn techniques from them (I did not say 'copy', I said 'learn'. Don't just copy that same sculpt that you saw that Youtube artist do; learn how they made those dragon wings without having them droop, then go make your own dragon). I learned many useful things about modeling and coloring clay by watching others. (P.S: watch polymer clay artists, too. Most polymer clay techniques can also be used for air dry clay.)

- Don't freak out if you only use one or two of your tools. I used to get worried because I was only using the one tool (the stylus) for detail, for smoothing, for everything, and then I realized "Who cares? I'm able to make this stuff even if I only use one tool!" Just because one artist uses ten tools and the other uses two doesn't mean that the thing the guy with ten tools made is better.

- Make what you like. If you like rainbows or butterflies, make those! You will find learning a lot easier if it is something that you like and actually want to make.

There are many ways to color air dry clay. Some have more permanence than others, which is why I have NOT included Crayola marker. We are going for professionalism here, not after school project.

- Acrylic paint: It gets the top. Acrylic paint can be painted onto air dry clays or can be added into air dry clay to make the clay colored before modeling. Sometimes it is nice to have colored clay, other times it isn't necessary so painting after the piece has dried is better. I prefer to paint pieces after they have dried, but sometimes colored clay is a necessity. Just be warned that colored clay does dry faster than uncolored. Once the piece is painted, it will need varnished.

- Pastels: Soft pastels or chalk pastels, NOT OIL pastels, are used all the time in the polymer clay universe, but they can also be used on air dry clay. Pastels can be applied to air dry clay before it dries, and then varnished over after drying. Pastels can also be mixed in varnish for translucent glazes (as in for cherry pies or whatever other foodies need that stuff).

- Oil paint: I have not actually used oil paint, but that is the paint of choice for many in the flower modeling world. There are many ladies who sculpt flowers who can teach you how to use oil paints in air dry clay. Just google 'how to paint cold porcelain flowers' and oil paints will come up. It is used both in clay and painted on clay.

Sometimes you might make a mistake and break something. Or maybe you are joining two pieces in such a way that smoothing them together is not practical. Then comes out the glue bottle.

I recommend water based hi-tack glue for gluing air dry clay, especially for gluing dried pieces together. I use Aleene's Tacky Glue.

Sometimes I use Mod Podge when I have two pieces that I need to stick together quickly while I work on joining them. Mod Podge is very sticky and dries very quickly, so it is usable for that, but I wouldn't recommend using it for joining dried pieces together.

Once you have made something from air dry clay, it needs to dry.

The best way to dry pieces is on a foam mat. I have some that I bought that were originally intended to be made into couch pillows, but you can use a sponge if you can't find anything like that (a sponge is cheaper, too). Just have a flat, foam surface that you can lay the pieces out to dry on. The foam allows air to circulate completely around the pieces, which means they will dry evenly instead of drying too quickly on one side. That can cause cracking. Once I got those foam mats, I have hardly ever had a piece crack.

The foam mats also help prevent warping of the pieces. The foam is just sturdy enough to support the piece, but it is soft enough that it won't cause the piece to dent because of its own weight pressing against the surface.

I place my foam mats on a shelf rack just to further the efficiency of the drying.

Pieces that are about 1/2 inch tall and 1/2 inch wide generally take about 2 days to dry. This depends on your clay, and if you purchase clay it should give you a general idea of time on the package. Most air dry clay jewelry is probably not going to be more than 2 inches thick if that, but I generally let my pieces wait a week before I am certain they are dry. Drying time will also depend on the weather and humidity of your area.

* This link will give you an idea of what I use. I have a 2 pack of 2 X 14 X 14 squares.

After the piece has dried and has been colored, it will need varnished. Air dry clay is not water proof.

You want a sturdy varnish that will hold up to wear and tear. Polyurethanes I think are the best way to go, but make sure it is a water-based polyurethane, not oil-based. Oil-based will yellow.

I personally prefer Duraclear Polyurethane varnish. I have not had any issues with it and have been using it for years. Many polymer clay artists swear by Varathane polyurethane, but I did not like it when I tried it. It yellowed on paint, so it was a no go.

If you want to make jewelry, you will need some basic supplies.

1.A pair of pliers. I recommend round nosed pliers definitely. Mine is a "3-in-1", but I pretty much NEVER use the wire cutters and only sometimes use the flat nosed piece. I have a pair of flat-nosed pliers, and I honestly just shouldn't have even gotten them. I hardly ever use them. I use the round-nosed ones all the time.

*Wire cutters if you are going to be working a lot with wire.

2. Eye pins. A definite must if making your own charms from clay. Eye pins have a little circle at the top, headpins look like a funny little useless nail. Making your own eye pins is cheaper, but it is time consuming, so if you are just starting out, I recommend purchasing pre-made eye pins.

3. Earring hooks. I use ones that say they are nickel-free to try to avoid allergy issues for others. Buying in bulk will save you a lot of money, but you need to decide it that is really what you need. If you are mainly making necklaces, don't buy a ton.

4. Jump Rings. These come in varying sizes - choose sizes based on how you want the jewelry to be. A huge jump ring will dwarf a tiny charm.

5. Chains, cord, leather....etc.

This one is for necklaces, bracelets, anklets, or anything else that needs cords. This is personal preference.

6. Lobster clasps or other necklace fasteners. Once again, this is personal preference.

Enjoy making your own jewelry. With a little imagination, you can make whatever you want at little cost, and then you can gift them to family and friends, or perhaps even sell your pieces.

If you want further information, just ask in the comments. Here are also some references for using air dry clay that could prove useful.

Susie Benes sculpts from air dry clay and has several useful tips on her website.

Sangeeta Shah sculpts flowers from cold porcelain clay.

If you are interested, here are some of my Instructables that use air dry clay.

Easy Stamped Earrings

Flying Honey Bee Earrings