What can I use as an armature?

Aluminum foil is without a doubt, indispensable as an armature for any polymer clay artist. It has an expansion rate of less than 2% which means it won’t expand enough to crack your sculpt. You can use it as a core armature for figures, jewelry or anything else you are working on that has depth.

What gauge wire is best for armature?

In terms of general use, the best wire gauge to be used for armatures is around 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch. It is about the right size for a sculpture that could be around 1 foot high. Anything more than that may requires tools to shape it or use it for fairly large sculptures.

Can I use air dry clay as armature?

Handbuilding techniques such as coiling, slab construction, and sculpting work well with air dry clay. An advantage to air dry clay is the variety of armatures you and your students can use. Since the piece isn’t going into the kiln, you don’t have to worry about the armature burning or melting.

How do you support a ceramic sculpture?

Sculpting with clay often involves supporting the structure as it is created. Depending on the scale, form and composition of the piece, there are various methods of doing this. Small-scale pieces can be supported with scrunched up newspaper, pieces of sponge, or sticks with clay applied to each end.

What can I use instead of armature wire?

Iron wire: it is cheap and has the big advantage that it can be fold at the same place several times without breaking. So you can reuse it.

What is the strongest crafting wire?

The Best Crafting Wire for Sculpting, Jewelry-Making, and More

1. Benecreat Aluminum Wire. Benecreat’s wire is good-looking and easily bendable, making it a great versatile wire to keep in your craft kit.
2. TecUnite Craft Wire.
3. PandaHall Elite Craft Wire.
4. Darice Craft Wire.
5. Toner Crafts Fun Wire.

What clay is used for armature?

Epoxy clay – best permanent holder of anything (I use brands such as Apoxie Sculpt or Milliput) Aluminium foil – for bulking out the figure once the armature is complete.

Can you make large sculptures with polymer clay?

Large Sculptures can be made with polymer clay, from 2ft (0.61m) to even 4ft (1.22m). If the clay isn’t more than 1in (2.54cm) thick, is baked evenly at closely regulated temperatures and is properly supported with wire armature, then it is entirely possible.

Do ceramic sculptures have to be hollow?

When To Hollow Out Your Clay Sculpture. If your clay is too soft, it will be harder to keep it in the shape you sculpted and make reattaching more difficult. It’s best to hollow out your piece when it is leather hard. When your clay is leather hard, it makes it easier to work with.

How thick can clay be without exploding?

Don’t build thicker than 1 inch. It’s possible to fire a whole 25 pound bag of clay without explosions. But it takes some patience and a very long kiln firing time. But for most projects, less than 1 inch of clay thickness is a good rule of thumb.