How Can I Smooth This Polymer Clay?

First of all, the Toothless that you made looks amazing!! After the last movie came out, my daughter became obsessed with How To Train Your Dragon and watched the entire series on Netflix. I think you did a fantastic job and you should really be proud of yourself. I found this video on blending and think you might find it helpful:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+blend+sculpey+clay&docid=608010756309647684&mid=AB00F264B40DE6E52A4AAB00F264B40DE6E52A4A&view=detail&FORM=VIREHT

Hi Kim, You can paint polymer clay after it has been cured. Practice on paper or baked sheets of clay to get the effect you want, use acrylic paints. Use an armature of aluminum foil and wire to save money on clay. Buy bricks of white polymer clay to save money instead of buying the small squares. Paint instead of buying different colors of clay is cost effective since you are young and have limited resources. Sometimes ebay is a good place to buy your clay in the larger bricks..free shipping. Google is our friend :) Good luck.

Kim life is too short to be bored I know you are anxious to get info but you have a computer the internet has thousands and thousands of links about poly clay :)

polyform super sculpey - Google Search

aluminum foil armature polymer clay - Google Search

how to color polymer clay with acrylic paint - Google Search

acrylic paints for polymer clay - Google Search

Your model is something to be proud of on it's own. Great job!

OK, sugar, here's what you want to do... your white acrylic paint should not be thinned with water. With a nice small paint brush that has a pointy-but-slightly-rounded tip, paint the areas you want. Immediately, using another similar brush dipped in only water, sweep the area where the white meets the black. Only go in one direction and wipe the paint off the brush if you want to repeat the blend. Then go over it one more time with a clean dry brush. That should get you the look you want. BTW, the models in your photo were airbrushed - so you will never get the exact look. But with this method you will have white, an area of blended gray and then the black poly. And it's best to try this on some paper or other surface before you do it 'for real'. Happy crafting!

Hello again Kim, cut a small piece of sponge wet it squeeze it out really well and dab it on the areas you want colored. then take a q-tip and blend out the edges. It's not painting. Again practice on a piece of baked scrap clay and paper to get the effect you want. Actually using a brush for this is not really painting but blending and getting color on the piece of baked clay. Even just using a q tip to dob the paint on will work. Everything new takes practice. You had to learn how to work with polymer clay to get it to do things you want it to. Paint is just another form of manipulating the clay. Give it a try without thinking you can't do it before you talk yourself out of creating something special. You can use the Skinner Blend that someone suggested but realize that takes practice too and you are painting with clay with that method and laying the sheets on your armature. I just thought of something as I was writing the last sentence. Try getting a small piece of white clay and smooth it out on top of the black. The edges you will have to keep smoothing and working it to get it how you want it. Make sure the body in black has been baked first. Do not completely bake it until you bake it the second time with the white. This will take practice also. You can use water or rubbing alcohol to get the clay to do what you want in smoothing out but be careful using the alcohol. The last thing I can suggest is to roll out thin pieces of white polyclay andcut and place where you want as you did on the tail. you can add tiny balls of white for fingers but you will have to make sure they are on VERY well.

Just an aside I am sure your parents will allow you to buy acrylic paints if they know what you are making. You sound like you want to sell what you make. Polymer clay is not cheap how did you pay for that and your other craft supplies? Even though polyclay is non toxic you should be using a dedicated toaster oven to bake your pieces not the family oven for food. If you do not have one you can usually find one in good shape in 2nd hand stores. If your money comes from birthday and Christmas gifts ask your Parents if you can get an allowance by doing chores. Just suggestions. Good luck.

Hi Kim, I am proud of you for trying to make your own money. It is a responsible and adult thing to do. First thing you need to save up for is a mini oven / toaster oven. Ask Mom if you can pay her back if you find a good second hand one. Ask her if she can help find one with you. Yard sales, for sale ads, second hand shops and Craigslist.org has resources in the United Kingdom. Do not use your green cutting mat you need a non porous material such as a ceramic floor tile or a thicker piece of glass. I recommend the tile. You can get a white glazed tile about 30.5 X30.5 cm to work on. If there is a B & Q near you they should have inexpensive tiles. Smooth shiny finish. you can also get a small one to fit inside your mini oven/toaster oven when you get one. For your tools you can basically make your own. Google " how to make polymer clay tools" lots of Ideas. Not to worry about responding. Start small and work up to other tools. Practice sponging on paint. Good luck :)

Try to sell your tutorial on Etsy. If you decide to do this be very specific with your instructions have Mom / Dad edit what you write. Have plenty of photos or diagrams. Sell for Five dollars /or the equivalent in pounds. Good Luck!