Paper Clay
Paper clay is any clay body which has had processed cellulose (usually paper) added to
it. There are a few differences from paper clay to normal air dry clay such as
the presence of paper fibers, the thickness and stodginess of it and the colour.
“White” paper clay is usually a light grey in colour and lightens as it dries.
Even when it is fully dry, the colour of the “whiteness” can be
questionable
it. There are a few differences from paper clay to normal air dry clay such as
the presence of paper fibers, the thickness and stodginess of it and the colour.
“White” paper clay is usually a light grey in colour and lightens as it dries.
Even when it is fully dry, the colour of the “whiteness” can be
questionable
Price
Paper clay is usually bought in big blocks as opposed to polymer clay, which is
usually bought in small quantities. As paper clay is bought in larger blocks, it
is considered more cost effective – a 1kg block of paper clay can be bought for
around £3 in the UK.
usually bought in small quantities. As paper clay is bought in larger blocks, it
is considered more cost effective – a 1kg block of paper clay can be bought for
around £3 in the UK.
Availability
Paper clay is marketed as “air dry clay” in the UK and therefore is one of the only
available types of air drying clay in the UK. One brand is only available in the
UK, which is DAS, and can be found in most craft, art and hobby shops as well as
stores like The Works and WH Smiths. The same can be said for American and Asian
types of paper clay, with the exception of The Works and WH Smiths (as the
stores haven’t branched out to the US and Asia, as far as my knowledge goes) and
popular brands include Creative Paperclay and Pearl Paperclay.
available types of air drying clay in the UK. One brand is only available in the
UK, which is DAS, and can be found in most craft, art and hobby shops as well as
stores like The Works and WH Smiths. The same can be said for American and Asian
types of paper clay, with the exception of The Works and WH Smiths (as the
stores haven’t branched out to the US and Asia, as far as my knowledge goes) and
popular brands include Creative Paperclay and Pearl Paperclay.
Uses
Paper clay has many of the same uses as polymer and air dry clay, such as jewellery
making, charms, cabochons, beads, creating vessels and sculpting. It can be used
in moulds and also to create moulds but the clay will need to be varnished upon
drying and some form of release agent (such as baby powder) will be needed. Deco
artists tend to use paper clay to make sweets and other cabochons. The texture
of paper clay is also useful for sweet deco items such as bread, cake, biscuits,
ice cream and cookies.
making, charms, cabochons, beads, creating vessels and sculpting. It can be used
in moulds and also to create moulds but the clay will need to be varnished upon
drying and some form of release agent (such as baby powder) will be needed. Deco
artists tend to use paper clay to make sweets and other cabochons. The texture
of paper clay is also useful for sweet deco items such as bread, cake, biscuits,
ice cream and cookies.
Texture & Workability
In the UK, air dry clay is surprisingly hard to find, and because of this, a brand
of paper clay called DAS is marketed wrongly as air dry clay. Therefore this
article may be a little biased due to my lack of experience with other paper and
air dry clays as well as troubles with availability. I believe real air drying
clay is light, slightly sticking, flexible and workable and bright white in
colour. The “air dry clay” available in the UK is a dirty, unbleached grey in
colour (even though it is marketed as white) and lightens to a questionable
“white”colour as it dries. It is thick and stodgy to pull apart and fibrous and
mushy for the texture. You can colour paper clay with the regular substances
used for other clays, such as chalk, ink, paint, foil, embossing powder, etc.,
but it takes a considerable amount of chalk shavings or paint to get a strongish
colour. Because the original colour of the clay is a dirty colour to begin with,
you get a dirty version of the colour you are aiming for. The clay is quite hard
to work with too, with a texture and feel comparable to dumpling dough. It is
cold and wet to the touch and has a fibrous, uneven texture and feel to it. It
is hard to mould and create even simple shapes and does not take detail very
well. Because of the paper fibres, the surface tends to rip, tear and stress
when details are applied. As such, this is not a very popular choice to use
among jewellers and artists as it also cracks more easily and is uneven in
colour compared to other clays. Paper clay doesn’t shrink much, however, and is
very light in weight compared to polymer and normal air dry clay.
of paper clay called DAS is marketed wrongly as air dry clay. Therefore this
article may be a little biased due to my lack of experience with other paper and
air dry clays as well as troubles with availability. I believe real air drying
clay is light, slightly sticking, flexible and workable and bright white in
colour. The “air dry clay” available in the UK is a dirty, unbleached grey in
colour (even though it is marketed as white) and lightens to a questionable
“white”colour as it dries. It is thick and stodgy to pull apart and fibrous and
mushy for the texture. You can colour paper clay with the regular substances
used for other clays, such as chalk, ink, paint, foil, embossing powder, etc.,
but it takes a considerable amount of chalk shavings or paint to get a strongish
colour. Because the original colour of the clay is a dirty colour to begin with,
you get a dirty version of the colour you are aiming for. The clay is quite hard
to work with too, with a texture and feel comparable to dumpling dough. It is
cold and wet to the touch and has a fibrous, uneven texture and feel to it. It
is hard to mould and create even simple shapes and does not take detail very
well. Because of the paper fibres, the surface tends to rip, tear and stress
when details are applied. As such, this is not a very popular choice to use
among jewellers and artists as it also cracks more easily and is uneven in
colour compared to other clays. Paper clay doesn’t shrink much, however, and is
very light in weight compared to polymer and normal air dry clay.
Curing & Aftercare
Speaking from my experience, when the paper clay fully dried, it had visibly cracked and
had a chalky feel to it. It was very hard to the touch and lightweight compared
to other clays, however. The “white” colour is more like a very, very, very
light grey and can be questioned. Paper clay is usually air dry and dries pretty
fast, most items taking around 24-48 hours to completely dry. As with most air
dry clays, paper clay dries from the outside in, so you need to leave it a
little longer than when it looks completely dry on the outside. In order to dry
pieces faster and more consistently, I turned pieces over once a day. You can
paint, sand, buff, file, varnish and otherwise treat the clay once used but
sometimes the clay absorbs water based substances, causing it to have that wet
look again. You can also rubber stamp or use marker pens on this clay whilst
dry, but make sure to seal your work afterwards. You can also
rework and mould paper clay by adding more water to it before varnishing,
allowing it to return to a soft, wet state again. This is a quality that gives
it advantage over polymer clay.
had a chalky feel to it. It was very hard to the touch and lightweight compared
to other clays, however. The “white” colour is more like a very, very, very
light grey and can be questioned. Paper clay is usually air dry and dries pretty
fast, most items taking around 24-48 hours to completely dry. As with most air
dry clays, paper clay dries from the outside in, so you need to leave it a
little longer than when it looks completely dry on the outside. In order to dry
pieces faster and more consistently, I turned pieces over once a day. You can
paint, sand, buff, file, varnish and otherwise treat the clay once used but
sometimes the clay absorbs water based substances, causing it to have that wet
look again. You can also rubber stamp or use marker pens on this clay whilst
dry, but make sure to seal your work afterwards. You can also
rework and mould paper clay by adding more water to it before varnishing,
allowing it to return to a soft, wet state again. This is a quality that gives
it advantage over polymer clay.
~ written by Laura Haslam
