What is the best sculpting clay?

[yaris]

I'm new to using clay and I just got some cheap ($12 for 2k) air dry clay and I'm using that. It drys nice and hard, but can be reactivate with water. I eventually want to paint it.

Is that the best kind/type of clay to use???

thx in advance

 

[mcusanelli]

If you're doing a 'one of' figure to finish and paint, you might want to look into Super Sculpey, a clay that can be baked to a nice hardness, carved, sanded added to and baked again - Great stuff, stays pliable 'till you're done. It's a pinkish flesh color that is semi- translucent, so i would recommend adding some Sculpey 3, maybe brown or black to give it a darker color that your eyes can 'read', in other words, you can easily see the surface well, so you can get rid of tool marks and fingerprints when you smooth it out.
There is a bit of a learning curve, but it can be used to make great sculptures. Just don't take it out of the oven right away when you finish baking it......LEAVE it alone for a couple of hours so it doesn't go into thermal shock and crack apart! I learned that the hard way!!!

 

[division 6]

Most professionals use Super Sculpey as Mcusanelli said and Epoxy Putty like Aves or Magic Sculpt.

 

[yaris]

thx for the advice, but the clays mentioned are like $150 for 2kg.....I got air dry clay for $12.....obviously the expensive ones are better, but why are they better??

thx agian

 

[RKS]

I use DAS clay. Water based and soluble. It's a children's toy but it's great nonetheless. You can file it, sand it, paint it, machine and turn it (cover the equipment though), recycle it. AND it's dirt cheap in relation to other clay. No baking required.

 

[Dave Vader]

I use magicsculpt.

It retains its shape and can easily be smoothed off with water. Sets solid like resin!

here is my sculpting using it :-

 

[darth_myeek]

Shrink rate may be a major difference to consider.

 

[mcusanelli]

In reality, if you find a material you can work efficiently in, then go with it! I used to sculpt everything in Super Sculpey, then Plumbers Seal brand epoxy putty, then modeling clay, a quick mold, and finish in wax, now I use Castilene for everything -You need to mold this stuff and pour a resin casting to paint or finish as a master. The more materials you learn to use, the better! See what works for you, and what you're comfortable with. If you do use epoxy putty, Magic-Sculpt is fantastic, and Aves is too.

 

[yaris]

Thx everyone for your advice

Got some cracking going on but nothing I can't fill, the expensive clay is probably way better, but because I'm a rookie at this, it don't really matter

 

[division 6]

For something that large you would be better off sculpting with WED clay then making a silicon mold with a fiberglass jacket and casting it or if it needs to be light you can fiberglass into it.

 

[mcusanelli]

You know, you can bulk out the majority of the sculpture with aluminum foil, and just use a thin layer of epoxy putty, and that would make even a large sculpture more economical. Another thing you can use for you project is a paper mache' material called celuclay, it's paper pulp that you mix with water and a blob of white glue, and schmeer all over the foil, or even el cheapo styrofoam, and it gives you plenty of time to detail and sculpt with if you do it in sections. i once built a life size 'ET' with this, and it was a pretty stable tough figure!

 

[yaris]

For something that large you would be better off sculpting with WED clay then making a silicon mold with a fiberglass jacket and casting it or if it needs to be light you can fiberglass into it.

umm...I don't really think I could do any of that as I just want to make a one off thing and I don't really know what you're talking about.....but thanks for your advice

You know, you can bulk out the majority of the sculpture with aluminum foil,

I like the idea of ally foil, but how would it stick to the surface?....I suppose it doesn't have to really stick, but be a reasonably solid surface to cover with clay??.....thanks for your advice.

 

[mcusanelli]

You could use the inexpensive styrofoam from a craft store, and rough out your shape...This stuff is very porous so there is a lot of texture that the Celluclay will grab onto, and the fact that you're going to mix white glue into it, gives it some extra adhesion.