Essential Modelling Supplies for Beginner Sculptors

Modelling with clays is one of the most amusing free time activities to nurture your creative flow and relax your mind. But just like painters and artists need painting art supplies to do their job, every aspiring sculptor also needs a couple of basic items to kick off with this creative hobby. So, if you were about to hit the market and pick something to build your creative kit, here’s what you’d need to start crafting beautiful sculptures:

Quality Clay

Before you decide to visit your favourite art store and get essential sculpture materials, it’s important to get to know the different types of clay so you can pick something that suits your preferences and needs. Hence, we can split modelling clays into a couple of general categories:

Water-Based Clay

As its name indicates, water-based clay is the type mixed with water. And due to this, water-based clay tends to dry out very fast as the water content evaporates, making it suitable for a smaller project that lasts shorter.

Water-based clay is very easy to smooth since it’s extremely malleable and easy to work with. Even though it dries out really fast, it can still be kept workable for a longer period if stored properly in a sealed airtight bag.

It’s also recommended to light-spray this type of sculpture materials with water before storing, but keep in mind that excessive moisture will make the clay stick and break apart. Aside from these properties, water-based clay is one of the cheapest types you’ll come across on the market, and as such it’s perfect to start off with.

Air-Dry Clay

Air-dry clay is very similar to the water-based type as it also dries out very fast without being exposed to high temperatures. The time needed for this type of clay to dry out can be different, depending on the thickness of your sculpture – from a few hours to a week to dry thoroughly.

However, air-dry clay also makes for a great type to start with, as it doesn’t require any special tools or skills to be handled; you’ll only need a knife and a simple rolling pin. Once the sculpture is thoroughly dried, it can be coloured with tempera, acrylic paints, marker paints or inks.

Oil-Based Clay

Oil-based clays are a combination of oils, waxes, and clay minerals, and unlike water-based ones, they never dry out in dry conditions and can’t be fired. In fact, the consistency of this clay is determined by the temperature. By increasing or decreasing it with the heat of your hands, you can tailor the malleability to your needs and preferences.

This type of clay is really popular with animation artists as it can be bent and re-used as many times as you need. However, keep in mind that oil-based clays are among the most expensive types and aren’t very recommended for beginner sculptors.

Polymer Clay

Polymer clay is actually a human-made clay as it’s a mixture of polyvinyl chloride and stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants and different pigments to give it colour. These clays are easy to handle, very soft and pliable, but only when they’re heated. Upon heating, polymer clays are drying out and hardening permanently.

Due to these properties, polymer clays are modelling materials widely used by kids, hobbyists, and model-makers. And even though they’re very safe to use, keep in mind that if you burn polymer clay, it produces fumes that can be dangerous.

Also, it’s not recommended to give polymer clays to kids without adult supervision as ingesting them can be hazardous. Aside from this, polymer clays are affordable, suitable for lengthy projects, and perfect to begin with.

Basic Modelling Tools

Modelling tools are among the most essential sculpture materials since it’s technically impossible to shape, carve, cut and give your sculpture a texture without them. As much as different artists may use different tools for different purposes, there are a couple of them not one can be imagined without:

• A rolling pin is the ultimate tool you need to roll out your clay. Even though some professional artists may use professional rollers or pasta machines for this purpose, a rolling pin is more than sufficient to begin with.
• A cutting wheel is used to make smooth cuts on long pieces of clay. If you don’t have one, a simple pizza cutter will do the job perfectly fine.
• A knife tool is one of the widely used modelling supplies for cutting and marking your clays.
• A tapered cone tool is commonly used to hollow up details or make holes.
• A needle tool or a small pointed tool is also used for making holes such as nostrils.
• Loop cutters in different sizes are widely used to carve into your sculptures.
• Some artists also use DIY wire tools or brushes to smooth out some areas that are hard to reach and create different textures.

A Sturdy Modelling Surface

Except for the crucial materials for modelling, an aspiring sculptor should also have a sturdy surface as a platform to work on. For this purpose, you can use a small piece of plywood or any other flat scrap wood. The surface should be big enough to accommodate your sculpture, and small enough to be portable too.

The dimensions depend on your needs and preferences, as well as the size of the sculptures you’re about to craft. However, keep in mind that if you’re about to work on more than one sculpture at a time, you’ll need more than just one board to accommodate all of your projects. Now that you found out about all the basic materials you’ll need, it’s time to hit your favourite art supply store and pick something to start with this amusing activity.