Business sale of figurines made of polymer clay. Creative business: making products from polymer clay

The demand for hand-made is constantly growing and it is worth paying attention to this species earnings.

You can earn good money on clay crafts and over time this business will become the main source of your income.

For the manufacture of original figurines, you can mix different shades of colors. This is how new masterpieces are born. Polymer clay is easy to use, this material is soft and pliable, like regular plasticine.

When the finished product dries, it becomes quite durable. Strength is also achieved by heating the product in the oven at a temperature of 130 degrees, but no more.

Polymer clay to be heated is available in a wide variety of colors and shades. You can use glitter, clear, or glow in the dark clay. Clay that hardens after drying comes in three basic colors: grey, white and terracotta.

Also, clay from different manufacturers is not similar to each other. According to the degree of hardness of products, there are especially strong or soft. According to the drying effect, the product can be matte or smooth (glossy).

There are quite a few types of polymer clay, and besides, you can adapt to mix different versions of it and choose the one that suits you best. At first, it is better to use ordinary polymer clay from the manufacturer Fimo.

After the product is ready, it can be varnished, of any color and structure, or with acrylic paint. You can decorate the product with sparkles, in general, it all depends on the imagination of the author. Separate parts of the product are interconnected with glue.

If your own imagination is not enough, you can always turn to the Internet for help. On special sites, the authors share their ideas and give recommendations for creating original products of excellent quality.

Once you have a catalog of your creations, it's time to advertise your products. If you are limited in funds, then you can place free advertisements online, with photos of your products. You can create a portfolio of made figurines or clay jewelry and put it in in social networks.

Then you can work in peace creative process, and your ads in the meantime, will help you sell finished products. Try to introduce friends to your business and hire them to co-create.

Recommendations on how to use polymer clay products.
Do not expose a clay product to prolonged exposure to water.
Clean the product with a soft damp cloth.
Do not glue the broken part of the product yourself with superglue, this will ruin the plastic of the product.
Do not heat the product
When using cosmetics, be careful, even a drop of perfume can ruin appearance your decoration.

Needlework from a hobby is increasingly turning into a job that brings stable income. Along with the traditional types of creativity - knitting, sewing, woodcarving - other participants appear on the handmade products market. Polymer clay is a relatively new material in Russia, so not all niches for those who want to make money are occupied. Creating polymer clay products with your own hands for business sales is a unique opportunity to receive both money and the pleasure of creativity.

Polymer clay is a sculpting mass that resembles hard plasticine. After heat treatment or when exposed to air, it hardens and takes its final shape. Craftsmen create from this material exact copies of natural flowers, figurines of people and animals, and unique decorations. With the help of clay, you can imitate stone, bone, metal, fabric.

Like any kind of needlework, polymer clay modeling can be learned. On the Internet you can find a huge number of master classes for every taste, including in Russian. Experienced polymer workers (or rather, polymer workers - as in any needlework that requires a developed fine motor skills, women predominate here) give lessons for everyone.

Benefits of Starting a Polymer Clay Making Business

  • Minimum costs for the purchase of materials and equipment. You can start by buying several colors of clay, and then get additional tools.
  • This is the perfect activity for a woman with young children to plan her time. Almost all entrepreneurs who have succeeded in this area are mothers who started working on maternity leave, and then left their main job for a more profitable occupation.
  • Modeling does not require a special equipped workplace - any table will do. Materials can be stored in any cabinet. Finished products are also not very voluminous, so the warehouse finished products easy to arrange at home.
  • All consumables can be purchased online, so you don't become a hostage to where you live.
  • Business in the future can be expanded through trade consumables and conducting master classes.

Cons that no business can do without

  • Don't expect immediate returns from your work. Much effort must be spent on proper organization advertising.
  • Creative work means at least you need to be able to create: you will have to spend some time on training. Accelerate his sculptural skills and developed spatial imagination. On the other hand, already the first more or less decent products can be given to friends for advertising purposes.
  • As a lone businessman, you will not only have to sculpt polymer clay products with your own hands, but also take pictures finished work, compose descriptions for them, write articles on blogs, communicate on handicraft forums, beautifully package goods, negotiate with customers, even act as an accountant. Although, maybe this is not a minus?
  • Polymer clay is safe correct application, but it is undesirable to give it to small children.
  • Much in this business depends on the unpredictable work of the Russian post office - sending goods to customers, purchasing materials via the Internet. This is perhaps the main disadvantage, because nothing depends on you here.

Consumables for working with self-hardening clay

To create naturalistic flowers and decorations from them, self-hardening clay is suitable. Among the craftsmen, mainly varieties of Asian production are popular - Japanese decoclay clay, Thai modern clay and others. Usually they buy white clay and a small amount of primary color clay: shades are obtained by mixing them. It is also possible to use oil paint.

Clay is purchased both in Russia and abroad. A pack of white clay, which is enough to make 10-15 roses without leaves, costs 400-500 rubles.

At first, start with colors that do not require veining with special forms- molds, which are very expensive. They can be made independently from fresh flowers, but this process is quite laborious. Stamens, floral wire, teip tape - these accessories can be found in specialized stores or in flower shops.

When creating an imitation of a living flower, it is difficult to develop a special creative style, so it is especially important to work with the composition here, including when assembling jewelry. Flowers made of self-hardening plastic are usually used as brooches or hairpins. It must be remembered that these products are relatively fragile and are afraid of water.

Consumables for working with baked clay

Baked clay is ideal for creating unique jewelry. An exact copy of real flowers will not come out of it, but a huge scope for creative experiments opens up before the master. As the name implies, this plastic after molding requires heat treatment - from 110 to 130 degrees, depending on the brand. When overheated, toxic smoke is released: the room must be ventilated immediately.

You can bake in a conventional oven with a temperature sensor, after the procedure it must be thoroughly washed. Ideally, it is advisable to purchase a separate mini-stove only for clay (from 3,000 rubles). Some prefer to cook the blanks, but since the boiling point is lower than recommended, the products are more fragile and not suitable for sale.

Polymers choose both imported brands (Fimo, Premo, Pardo) and Russian ones - Sonnet, Yozki. A Fimo package costs about 100 rubles, enough for a bracelet or small beads. Russian clays are almost 2 times cheaper. They are more difficult to work with due to some brittleness prior to heat treatment, but many craftsmen have adapted.

Additional materials may require varnishes, shapes, textures, stamps, molds. All kinds of paints, inks, inks are purchased as needed.

Manufacturers of jewelry need to take care of high-quality fittings. It’s definitely not worth saving on this: baked clay products are durable, but poor fittings can fail.

Two not very cheap devices will come in handy when creating a unique polymer clay product with your own hands. An extruder (like a large syringe with different nozzles) can hardly be replaced by a garlic press, and it is also unlikely to roll out equally perfectly smooth layers of clay by hand, as a pasta machine does. The cost of these devices reaches 2000 rubles.

Sales of finished products

You can choose one or several methods at once.

  1. Beginners prefer to distribute their work among acquaintances.
  2. The next step is to hand it over to the store for sale. In this case, you are unlikely to be offered a good price.
  3. Trade at handmade fairs that take place regularly in all major cities. Profitability largely depends on the organizational qualities of the founders of these events.
  4. Use all these options, but focus your main activity on the Internet.

Networking

All your actions on the Internet should be aimed at advertising yourself as a master and presenting your products. This requires not so much financial as time costs.

  1. To get started, create a free blog, for example, on LiveJournal, join all the communities of polymer workers so that professionals notice you.
  2. Create DIY polymer clay products to participate in all kinds of online competitions.
  3. Open your own store on a promoted Internet resource (at the "Fair Masters", for example). It costs from 60 rubles per month.
  4. Finally, after achieving some fame, create your own website with an online store.
  5. Go out with sales to foreign sites.
  6. Give master classes in different cities.

With great effort, you can reach level 5-6 in 2-3 years from scratch.

Latest news
  • What is "polymer clay"
  • DIY polymer clay
  • Reasons for the demand for polymer clay products
    • Why are clay products popular?
    • Why masters choose polymer clay modeling
  • What can be made from polymer clay
    • Interior and household decor items
    • Accessories and decorations
  • 6 tips for beginners
    • Workspace organization
    • Materials and tools
    • Firing equipment
    • Where to learn to sculpt from polymer clay
      • Free Learning Opportunities
      • Paid educational content
  • How to make money modeling with polymer clay
    • Selling through offline stores
    • Specialized Internet sites
    • Conducting offline training
    • Teaching distance courses
    • Selling through social networks
  • Conclusion

Polymer clay, also known as plastic, appeared in Germany in the middle of the twentieth century. Initially, it was used to create dolls and toys. Today it is one of the most profitable options for earning money in the handmade industry.

Products made of plastic will perfectly diversify the interior, decorate a demanding fashionista and simply delight the eye. Your talent can be turned into profitable business if you clearly understand the promotion mechanisms and ways to attract customers.

What is "polymer clay"

Plastic is like plasticine. It is also easy to work, elastic and resilient. The main difference is that under the influence of high temperatures or air, it becomes very durable. If you take care of the resulting product, it can retain a presentable appearance for many years.

Set: bracelet and earrings

There are two main types of plastic used in modeling - self-hardening and baked.

Self-hardening clay baked clay
Has not long term storageHas a long shelf life
It dries out over time, you need to take a responsible approach to storageDoes not lose its properties over time
The product must be formed in the time that the plastic remains pliableProduct design does not require compliance with specific time frames
Very elastic, stretchyElastic, not brittle
Does not stick to fingers and surfacesEasy to work, well shaped
Softer, lighter, suitable for most jewelry workIt rolls well, which is useful when working with small and thin parts.
When dried, it becomes firm, but more flexible than bakedAfter baking in the oven, it becomes very strong and hard, does not bend

Plastic is presented in all conceivable shades. There are even transparent types, as well as clay interspersed with sparkles.

DIY polymer clay

There is not always free money to buy professional plastic from foreign or domestic brands. The problem is solved simply - make polymer clay with your own hands.

To do this, you need to combine several ingredients:

  • PVA glue, corn starch and mineral oil (for example, baby);
  • corn starch, PVA glue and petroleum jelly;
  • PVA glue, potato starch and hand cream
  • glycerin and PVA glue.

Each of the methods requires the study of proportions, as well as the observance of elementary safety precautions. The mass is cooked in non-stick dishes over low heat. Then you should wait for the complete cooling of home-made plastic. If you touch the hot mixture, you can earn a serious burn.

Reasons for the demand for polymer clay products

Crafts and jewelry made of plastic look not only original, but also expensive. Masters of polymer clay are able to create real works of art from it.

Why are clay products popular?

It is human nature to desire to possess something special. The advantage of plastic products lies in the realization of the most daring ideas. People buy not only cute figurines of animals from the masters, but also abstract compositions, ornaments of unusual shape, fancy vases. It is not necessary that the vessel be completely made of plastic. It is enough that it is decorated with polymer clay decor.

Another plus of manual labor is attention to the wishes of the client. A person can independently develop a sketch, and turn to a professional to complete the work. His idea is slightly adapted to the possibilities of the material, they point out the shortcomings and create a unique creation.

Why masters choose polymer clay modeling

People who call plastic modeling their favorite pastime note the following positive aspects:

  • Free flight of fantasy.
  • The ability to make people happy with their work.
  • The development of fine motor skills, memory, attentiveness and perseverance.
  • A stable income for a pleasant business.
  • Lack of a regulated schedule, development of self-discipline.
  • Confidence in one's own abilities, reliance on one's own desires and goals.

The work does not require large investments at the first stage. average cost polymer clay is about 200 rubles for a set consisting of several colors. Ordering plastic via the Internet is always cheaper than buying in open points sales like "Leonardo" or "Children's World".

What can be made from polymer clay

Polymer clay has hundreds of uses. Every year people come up with new areas for its use. Let's talk about the most popular products made from clay.

Interior and household decor items

Initially, they began to sculpt cute figurines from plastic. Over time, this fashion has only grown in scale.

The most popular are figurines of animals, houses and flowers. Entire flower arrangements are created from plastic.

Any item can be decorated with plastic. On top of the standard drawing of an ordinary box, you can apply a mosaic from small pieces of multi-colored clay. After the efforts of the master, the storage for trinkets will look more expensive and more interesting.

A polymer clay mug is the first thing that will improve your mood every morning. The cost of the original cup is about 1,000 rubles.

Even the clock, which is often hung in the house in the most honorable place, can be made of plastic. This will be the most unexpected and memorable birthday present for a friend. The price of wall clocks starts from 3,000 rubles.

The window is the main element of any room. The masters of polymer clay know a secret that will further emphasize the main light source in the house. The best decoration for curtains is magnetic puffs, decorated with plastic elements. Clips for curtains made of polymer clay cost around 2 thousand rubles per set.

Collectible dolls made of polymer clay sell well in our time. Unlike "porcelain sisters", they are stronger and more durable.

Accessories and decorations

Every fashionista is constantly in the race for the most stylish look. Connoisseurs of fashion trends are sure that The best way stay in trend - use handmade.

  • no one will have exactly the same thing;
  • you can embody any stylistic ideas;
  • A palette of colors and a variety of shapes make it possible to create a unique design to your own taste.

What do the masters offer? polymer clay to your customers? The list is endless, so let's highlight the top positions:

  • A polymer clay brooch will decorate both a sophisticated blouse and a strict office jacket. Now brooches are on the most demanded stage in the fashion world. They are made from absolutely different materials: beads, leather, fabric, crystals, stones. Particularly stand out among the mass of various brooches are those made of thin twisted pieces of multi-colored plastic. The average price for a product is 850 - 1000 rubles.
  • A polymer clay pendant is the best gift for yourself or a friend. Due to the fact that plastic can be given an abstract shape, this accessory can become a feature of any wardrobe. Pendants with crystals are in special demand. Fans of esotericism believe that such jewelry helps to achieve success in business. The simplest pendants are sold for 1,000 rubles. If stones or crystals are present, the cost rises to 7,000 per item.
  • A plastic ring is a way to please any girl. Craftsmen often use polymer clay flowers in ring designs. At the same time, volumetric quadratic figures also remain relevant and in demand. For a small elegant ring with flowers, customers are willing to pay about 500 rubles. More original and massive jewelry is more expensive - from 1500 and more.
  • Polymer clay earrings amaze with their variety: from graceful studs to voluminous pendants. The price of the product starts from a minimum of 300 rubles. At the same time, there are no boundaries in working on earrings. For example, the use of transparent material interspersed with sparkles increases the price by at least 4 times.
  • Making bags with plastic is a modern trend in the fashion world. Not so long ago, professional needlewomen began to practice embroidery using polymer clay. That is, any plain leather bag can be decorated to your liking with unusual ornaments, drawings of animals and birds. Even a human portrait on a clutch bag will be realized by a polymer clay sculptor in a couple of days.
  • Wristwatches have been decorated with polymer clay for a long time. Mostly small flowers or plastic leaves adorn the straps. The dial can be decorated with clay beads.

The art of creating fine polymer clay items requires patience and a willingness to work.

For success, the master needs the very presence of a predisposition to manual labor and artistic talent. To sell products, a person needs to have a creative vision, be able to think outside the box, come up with unusual designs, combine textures and colors.

In addition to personal qualities, you will need to pay attention to a number of material points, without which the work will be greatly hampered and will not bring successful results.

Workspace organization

To work, you need to allocate a separate place in the house. Dining table is not the best option, because you will have to regularly rearrange all the necessary attributes from it.

It is important to arrange all the materials in order. This will reduce the time to find the right package of clay and other useful little things.

Also, do not forget about high-quality lighting. Working with polymer clay is a meticulous task. Here you have to strain your eyes when making miniature elements.

Materials and tools

For beginners, you will need a small set of the most significant items. With the development in the creative industry, it will be necessary to expand its stocks, to update materials that have become unusable.

  • Polymer clay for beginners - baked. It remains elastic until it enters the oven. There is an opportunity to correct defects as much as necessary.
  • It is best to start with popular brands: FIMO (Germany) or Artifact (Russia). They are available in all craft stores. The output is durable products. A wide range of colors that can be mixed with each other. To understand how much polymer clay costs, it is better to independently study sites and stores with goods for creativity. The average price is 150 rubles per pack with one color.
  • Plastic or glass surface. It is better to buy a special table cover, and a large one. Wooden and glass surfaces are not suitable for rolling clay.
  • Stationery knives of different sizes. The main condition is a sharp blade.
  • Pieces of sandpaper for grinding products.
  • Polishing cloth - velveteen, denim, suede.
  • Needles and knitting needles of different thicknesses are the tools necessary for making holes and recesses in the product.
  • Good glue to connect disparate elements.
  • Fittings for creating jewelry and accessories.
  • An extruder is a special tool that resembles a confectionery syringe in functionality. With it, you can create unusual shapes, decorate the product.

Firing equipment

Without an oven, it will not be possible to give polymer clay hardness and strength. After the product is completely ready, it is placed in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes at a temperature of 110 degrees.

A household oven is also suitable, but, of course, kitchen appliances were not originally designed for this purpose. Take, for example, the smell that cannot be completely eliminated.

It is more convenient and more aesthetically pleasing to purchase a separate oven or air grill. Experienced craftsmen advise not to save on basic equipment. For a purchase, you can always borrow money from friends, and even easier and more reliable - take a microloan.

  • Supra MTS-210 (price about 2,000 rubles).
  • Miraculous ED-030A (price about 4,000 rubles).
  • Assistant EDP-030A (price around 3,000 rubles).

Where to learn to sculpt from polymer clay

There are many schools and courses that will tell you in detail how to sculpt from polymer clay.

Free Learning Opportunities

Many masters post their lessons in the public domain. Some of them can be considered full-fledged educational videos, others are designed to encourage aspiring needlewoman to continue her education for money.

Of the free resources, YouTube channels are the most effective: “ Elena Kishinskaya », « Rusalina - modeling from polymer clay », « creative and crafts", " " And " Anna Oskina". In each of them you can find a visual study of clay modeling skills from scratch, ideas for creating interesting products, tips on choosing tools, as well as ways to find your first clients and promote your project.

Paid Education Content

There is an opinion that by paying for courses, a person learns more responsibly. If you want to become a sought-after master, there are few free videos on YouTube. Paid workshops on polymer clay, webinars from well-known professionals in the field will help you pump up your skills.

Elena Kishinskaya, who runs her own YouTube channel, has opened her own polymer clay modeling school in Moscow. good school with low prices for education in St. Petersburg - "ArtView". Classes are held offline.

You can also learn using online services - "

Surely, many of you could see a lot of products for sale. self made. The web is full of online stores that sell handmade products. This niche is very large, besides, the demand for such products is growing every year.

First, let's talk a little about polymer clay itself. It is also called plastic. This is such a plastic material that is made on the basis of polyvinyl chloride for modeling and modeling, which hardens in air or when heated (this depends on the type of polymer clay). If you do not go deep into chemistry, then in short we can say that this is a plastic mass that resembles plasticine. There are a sufficient number of polymer clay manufacturers, so it will not be difficult for you to find it on sale.

The plasticizer contained in polymer clay is removed in two ways: weathering in the air and baking in the oven.

The plasticizer contained in polymer clay is removed in two ways: weathering in the air and baking in the oven. The main difference from plasticine is that after the polymerization process, the product is durable and hard. And after that it can be processed with tools, and already finished products are easily painted with acrylic paints, glued together.

The range of colors in which baked polymer clay is produced is very wide - from ordinary and with the addition of sparkles to translucent and fluorescent. Self-hardening polymer clay is much poorer in terms of color.

You can purchase both imported and domestic polymer clay, the latter being much cheaper. Clay is different from manufacturer to manufacturer. One may be more matte when cured, while the other may be glossy. One may be softer to work with, while the other is harder. And many more differences. For beginners, it is best to use German Fimo polymer clay.

As you already understood, buying polymer clay and starting to make your own products from it is elementary. In addition, on the Internet you can find a huge number of sites where people share their "recipes" for making various crafts. As a rule, such instructions are quite detailed and it is quite easy to understand them.

In the pictures you can see what the final products will look like:

Surely many people are interested financial question. How much can you earn on such handmade polymer clay products? And you can earn pretty good money, because, for example, an author's pendant that will exist in single copy, can be sold for 10$-15$. For a month, you can make from 15 different pendants, chains, bracelets, earrings, etc. How much maximum you can do is up to you - how hard you will work. Even if you make only 15 items a month, you will earn more than $100 by spending about 2-3 hours every two days.

Hand-made (hand-made) has always been appreciated. This is a way to get something unique, creative - something that no one else has. The most common material for creating handicrafts is polymer clay. We have already written how to make such material at home (see Polymer Clay Business).

However, you can not only make polymer clay and sell it as separate item, but also create various things from this material yourself. It can be made from decorative ornaments(jewellery), key chains, photo frames, Christmas decorations, dolls, figurines and in general any things that can be useful for creating home comfort.

Polymer clay (plastic) is a soft material based on polyvinyl chloride. It is initially plastic and soft, so it can be molded from it like from plasticine. When the product is given the desired shape, it is heated, due to which it freezes and becomes solid. Some types of material harden without heating, simply under the influence of air. When creating things, you can use colored clay right away or just paint them after they are made, when they harden. Any acrylic paint will easily fall on it. If the crafts are not subjected to frequent blows and other damage, then they can retain their “presentation” for a very long time.

How to sculpt?

Art modeling is a creative process that requires certain talents. At a minimum, the arms should grow from the "correct" place. If you were praised kindergarten for the fact that you molded a plasticine man well, this does not mean that you will also succeed in sculpting from polymer clay.

If you are modeling purely for yourself, then you can do it however you like. But if you want to create your own business in the production and sale of plastic products, and make money on it, then your products must be at least competitive, and at the most, stand out sharply from the rest in better side. It takes practice to make significant progress. Therefore, if you feel that you are gaining mastery by practicing, then continue in the same spirit. In the opposite case, it is better to think about another form of earnings.

modeling

Thoroughly knead in your hands the piece of polymer clay with which you are going to work further. So the plastic will become softer, and it will be much easier to give it the desired shape. Start training with the simplest elements, gradually moving to more complex ones.

For example, the first thing you can try to make is a flower and a leaf. To make the leaf, use your fingers to shape a small piece of material into an oval, then lightly press it against your work surface to flatten it. On one side of the oval, make a sharper edge, on the other, leave it rounded. Using a toothpick, draw veins on the leaf with squeezing movements. You will end up with an element like this:

We move on to the next element of the flower - to the petals. Roll into five small balls, with your fingers, as it were, roll them out on the work surface. Try to keep the edges as round as possible. Now you need to form these petals into a flower. Since each petal is slightly stuck to the surface due to pressure, you can break its shape when you remove them. Therefore, it is better to do this not with your fingers, but with a blade or other flat object. Lay the petals in a circle one on top of the other, overlapping the edges. Then place the leaf under the finished petals.


Baking

Next, you need to subject the resulting object to heat so that it hardens. You can use a conventional oven for this. However, if you are using an oven in which, in addition to baking your work, you also cook food, then it is better to place the products in a container or food sleeve. When baked, plastic can give off vapors that will settle on the walls of the oven and adversely affect the quality of your food.

Although the desired temperature and baking time for specific type plastics are always indicated on the packaging, it is better to try first on a small trial piece. Try not to overexpose the product in the oven - otherwise it will burn (turn black) and emit a lot of smoke. In this case, it is urgent to ventilate the room.

Degreasing

You can remove excess fat from the gizmos with any detergent. Apply a small amount of product to cotton wool and wipe the product immediately after baking.

Grinding

Not every job will require such processing. This procedure must be performed if there are fingerprints, any bumps or lumps on the surface on the product. If you're just getting started with polymer clay, it's unlikely you'll be able to make things with a perfect surface right away. In addition, if you plan to cover the work with varnish or paint, then polishing is indispensable - the varnish will lie much better on a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, the ability to sand and polish will come in handy.

You will need sandpaper and a small piece of cloth. Denim is best suited (necessarily an old fabric, as a new one can leave traces of paint on a little thing), velveteen or suede. Take water at room temperature in a bowl, mix with it quite a bit detergent. Next, you need to dip the product into the water, wet the sandpaper a little. Start sanding from the edges and reverse side(that is, not facial) with coarser sandpaper. Rinse off dust and small pieces with water. then change the water and start grinding with sandpaper already with fine crumbs. Grind the front side as carefully as possible so as not to spoil the presentation of the thing.

At the end of grinding, rinse the thing again from the remnants of detergent and grains of sandpaper, and dry it. Next, polish it with a piece of cloth - just rub it on all sides with vigorous movements.

Varnishing

To cover the product, it is better to use special varnishes that are designed specifically for polymer clay. Some "masters" use acrylic-based nail polishes or decoupage, but this is not entirely correct. Such gizmos can only be made for themselves, but they are unlikely to be suitable for sale. Some works, after careful polishing with a cloth, no longer require varnishing.

In direct contact with the skin, the material may cause allergies or other adverse reactions. This doesn't happen often, but it's not worth the risk. Therefore, when performing your first work, it is better to use disposable medical gloves. It is also better not to use dishes that have direct contact with polymer clay when eating.

Tools

Each master has the following tools in his arsenal, which are very useful when working with polymer clay:

  1. Modeling surfaces. These are flat surfaces made of glass or plastic, preferably large. It is not recommended to work on a stone or wood surface.
  2. Blades, knives. They are needed in different sizes and thicknesses of the cutting part. All blades and knives should be as sharp as possible so that the product does not deform when cutting.
  3. Sandpaper. It is used for grinding or, conversely, to give things an uneven shape (for example, imitation of an orange peel).
  4. Fabric (denim, velvet, suede). Used for polishing and giving a radiant sheen to the surface.
  5. Spokes and needles. Need different sizes and thicknesses. They make through holes (for example, in beads) or small dents.
  6. Glue. It is necessary for gluing together individual elements.
  7. extruder. This is a special tool - a kind of large syringe from which material is squeezed out. For extruders, there are various nozzles with which you can get an element of the future product of the shape you need.

What can be made from polymer clay?

Plastic molding masters offer a variety of products. In the range you can find:

  • Earrings;
  • Rings;
  • Pendants, pendants;
  • Beads;
  • Bracelets;
  • Hairpins and hair ornaments;
  • Brooches;
  • Keychains;
  • Photo frame;
  • Statuettes, figurines;
  • Christmas decorations;
  • Dolls;
  • Paintings.

For work, you will need not only different polymer clay, but also additional elements. For example, chains for pendants, metal bases for rings, clasps for bracelets and earrings, hooks for Christmas decorations, threads (for example, for doll hair), various sequins, beads. All this can be purchased at any art store.

Who sells clay products?

A significant percentage of clients are young girls. Communities on social networks created by plastic sculptors are very popular now. There they place catalogs of their products, and each member of the community can pick up something and place an order. The main difficulty in this type of product implementation is to attract and retain social network users in the community.

Another way to sell your product is to participate in fairs and exhibitions of hand-made products. Such events are now in demand, they are periodically organized in almost every major city. Find out where such exhibitions are held in your city, follow the dates of their organization. Offer organizers your products as a commodity. If your products are of high quality, then most likely you will not be refused.

Also, in every city you can find shops that sell various souvenirs, jewelry, home decor items. Try to negotiate with such stores on the sale of your goods on mutual terms. In this case, you will act as a supplier of goods.

The main advantage of hand-made products is its uniqueness, which must be used to your advantage. Offer your customers unique products to order. It is better to offer such a service when you gain experience. The client describes his wishes to you, perhaps, shows approximate sketches of the work, and you make the product especially for him. Such works usually cost a little more than those done in advance, however, there is a risk that the client will not like the little thing, and he will refuse to pay for it. The moment, of course, is unpleasant, but you can easily sell such a product through a general catalog.

Videos sculpting

There are many videos on the Internet that can be a good help in learning how to work with polymer clay. At first, you can’t do without such videos. We offer you several useful training videos in which the masters clearly explain each step. If you have the makings of creativity, then learning how to sculpt beautifully from such videos is easy!

To inspire you to be creative, we offer you amazing works made of polymer clay by real craftsmen!







How much can you earn?

It depends solely on you. A package of imported polymer clay (for example, from Premo, Sculpey, Kato, Pardo, Fimo) costs about $2 to $6, depending on the volume. materials Russian manufacturers(for example, "Tsvetik", "Sonnet") are even cheaper.

The cost of additional materials will also be insignificant, especially since they are not required for everything (for example, for a simple figurine, nothing is needed except the material itself). And here is the price finished products may be different. Exclusive gizmos that are made to order can cost up to $15 each. Various earrings, pendants, rings are sold for an average of 4-5 dollars. If you learn how to work quickly and create quality things, you can make good money in this business.