Polymer clay - a wonderful medium for creative people

Polymer clay is rightfully called "a chameleon material". Things made of it can look like those made of wood, all kinds of stone, metals, ceramic, glass, or they can be completely unique. Polymer clay creations can even incorporate wire, glass, precious and semi-precious stones, wood, and even some glazes, resin, and plastic. What other material has so many possibilities? Oh, there is more! Polymer clay is good for jewelry, sculpture, vessels, doll-making, home decor items, and even some outdoor structures. When properly formed and cured, all those things become durable and water-proof. Their colors do not fade (did I mention that polymer clay comes in a huge variety of pre-manufactured colors which can be mixed together to obtain custom colors?). And my personal favorite quality of polymer clay - it has light weight, which is just a blessing for people who like to wear big earrings or necklaces with lots of beads.

Now is the best part: polymer clay is really easy to work with! Of course, you need to know what you are doing (just like with anything else), but you do not need any complicated or expensive equipment to work with polymer clay, and you can do it right at your own home. Polymer clay is available in almost any craft store (with more choices on-line), and a list of tools you will actually need to get started is very short. Again, just like for anything else, there is an endless variety of clever gadgets for every imaginable little task you may want to do with polymer clay, but the good news is that you will not need all of them right away (and some of them you will never need at all - depending on the techniques you are going to choose).

I hope this page will spark your interest in polymer clay and help you to get started. And for those who are already in love with this wonderful medium, I have a few exciting projects to choose from.

On my web site, you can find lots of useful information for people who would like to start working with polymer clay, but not sure where to begin. I also compiled a pretty detailed polymer clay glossary to help you navigate the common polymer clay jargon.

Polymer Clay: Where to Start
See a short discussion of tools for polymer clay and learn which ones and where to buy (also get an idea about the cost).

Polymer Clay Types
Learn about the differences among the common brands of polymer clay and choose the right one for your project.

Polymer Clay Safety
Learn the safety rules for polymer clay.

Polymer Clay Conditioning
Find out how to prepare the clay for your project.

Polymer Clay Baking
Learn how to properly bake the polymer clay items.

Polymer Clay Finishing
Learn about sanding, buffing, and glazing.

Polymer Clay Glossary
Check out a list of terms, tools, and techniques used by polymer clay artists. Learn to understand their language.