Getting Started

Maybe you’ve finally succumbed to the allure of those colorful blocks of polymer clay you’ve seen lining the shelves of your local craft store. Perhaps you caught a rerun of The Carol Duvall Show and were so impressed by a project that you decided to take a closer look at this polymer clay stuff. Whatever has drawn you to polymer clay, you’re in for a real treat. The versatility of this medium is legendary—and it’s also just a whole lot of fun.

When taking the first steps in a new hobby, the variety of materials and tools available can be overwhelming. As with so many arts and crafts, it’s possible to fill an entire studio with polymer clay-related supplies—and spend a fair amount of money in the process. However, most crafters prefer to start with the basics and gradually add to their collection. The good news is that you won’t really need all that many supplies to get started.

Necessities and Nice-to-Haves

The absolute “must haves” for polymer clay include the following:

The clay itself-- It depends on the projects you have in mind, but a little clay can go a long way. You’ll need somewhere—-even just a few plastic bags—to store your leftovers between projects.
A work surface-- A variety of materials will work-- anything from a ceramic tile, an acrylic board, or a pane of glass (with its edges taped over to prevent cuts) to a simple piece of wax paper taped down to a tabletop. You can even use paper, but you won’t want to leave the clay sitting on the paper for too long, as the plasticizer (the stuff that makes the clay soft) can leach into the paper and possibly damage whatever’s underneath.
An oven in which to cure the clay-- An oven thermometer and a clay-dedicated cookie sheet, roasting pan, tile, etc. to put the clay on while it’s curing are necessary, and an oven mitt and oven timer are also useful.
Cleaning supplies-- Rubbing alcohol works well for cleaning tools and surfaces after contact with polymer clay. Baby wipes are also very useful for this purpose.

These, along with your most valuable tools—your hands—represent the bare minimum of what you need to work with polymer clay. However, you'll find a few more tools very useful, as they are required for many techniques. Try to collect the following items, as well:

Tissue blade(s)-- These are essential for some techniques, such as millefiori and mokume gane, but they’re also useful for anything that requires long, straight cuts. Tissue blades can be rigid or flexible. Some are even rippled or “wavy” (like corrugated steel). The non-rippled blade has a wider range of uses than the wavy blade.
Craft knife-- Any small knife with a non-serrated blade will do, but craft knives with interchangeable blades are ideal. They serve a variety of purposes.
Rolling tool -- You can use anything that will help you roll the clay into a flat sheet. Most people prefer an acrylic rod or brayer, but you can also use a straight-sided drinking glass or jar—or even a rolling pin.
Pasta machine-- This is the next step up from an acrylic rod or brayer. You don’t have to have both tools, but if you can get them, they’re both nice to have. The pasta machine is preferable to rolling tools for producing sheets of clay of uniform thickness, making Skinner blends, and conditioning large amounts of clay.
Piercing tool-- This is essential for bead-making (unless you want to drill the holes in your beads after they’ve been cured), but it can also be used by sculptors. You can use anything from a specially made bead reamer to a simple toothpick, skewer, knitting needle, or sewing needle. It is useful to have a selection of these tools in a variety of sizes.
Finishing tools and materials--Depending on what you’re making, you may want a few supplies for finishing your work.
- Sandpaper in a variety of grits smoothes slightly uneven surfaces.
- A soft denim rag is the cheapest way to buff clay for a touch of shine, but you can also use a few different power tools to buff the clay.
- For a higher shine, you may want to use a clay-friendly sealant.

Information and Inspiration

Now that you have your basic supplies gathered together, you’ll probably be looking for some information and inspiration. There are a variety of resources available—some of them are even free.

Free resources:

Your local library-- Check your local library system for polymer clay-related books and videos. You can also try an interlibrary loan, if your system doesn’t have much to offer.
Online tutorials-- Use a search engine to locate free tutorials. There are plenty of them out there, including the tutorials here at Polymer Clay Web.
Free video clips online-- Visit our list of links to free polymer clay demos.
Polymer clay-related websites-- There are a number useful websites full of information relating to polymer clay. Visit our list of general links for a start.
Discussion groups and forums-- Find an online e-mail group or forum where you can chat about polymer clay, share photos of your latest work, ask for advice, and maybe even make some new friends. These are great places for “newbies” to get almost instant feedback and support from more experienced clayers.

Other resources:

Books and Magazines-- Books and magazines are great ways to teach yourself new techniques and find fresh ideas for projects. There are more being published every year, so you’re sure to find at least one that interests you.
Videos and DVDs-- Ideal for those who learn best by watching a technique being demonstrated, polymer clay videos and DVDs cover a variety of styles and projects.
Guilds-- Polymer clay guilds offer a number of exciting opportunities for people who work and play with polymer clay. Some guilds hold regular meetings, while others are web-based. Most (if not all) charge an annual fee.
Classes and Workshops-- If you have the opportunity to attend one, a class or polymer clay workshop can be a great way to learn a lot and make connections with others interested in polymer clay. Just be sure, if you're just starting out in clay, that the content of the class won't be too far beyond your present level of skill. You'll probably get more from a workshop aimed at beginners.