Tips For Painting On Polymer Clay and Working With Mixed Media (2024)

Date Published: 11/19/2020

Table of Contents:

• Select Quality Paint
• Use the Right Tools
• Let the Clay Cool
• Sand the Surface
• Paint Before You Bake
• Create Texture With Paint
• Add an Antique Finish
• Seal the Finished Product
• Working With Mixed Media
• Craft Colorful Creations With Sculpey

Can you paint on polymer clay? Yes, you can paint on polymer clay! Painting on polymer clay is completely safe and can help bring your vision to life. You can use hundreds of color combinations and painting techniquesto create unique designs. Try painting over light-colored clay to make your design pop or colorful polymer clay to create a vivid color scheme.

You can add facial features to your sculptures or create a bold pattern on clay jewelry.However you decide to paint your creations, it’s best to apply the paint after baking the clay. The paint could change color or prevent your clay from setting in the oven. To avoid burning your fingers, allow your cured polymer clay to fully cool before you start painting. Paint adheres best after the clay has cooled down.

Painting polymer clay puts the finishing touches on your project. Create little details on miniature creations or add gradients of color to handmade jewelry. You could even use paint to simulate other materials, like wood or stone. The possibilities are endless when you use mixed media in your projects. First, check out our different polymer clay options, and then begin painting!

If you’re ready to get painting on polymer clay, prepare with a few tips and ideas to gather all the inspiration you need. Discover polymer clay painting tips below to help add the perfect finishing touches to your creations.

1. Select Quality Paint

Now that you know that you can paint on Sculpey®, you can start your project with quality Sculpey® clay, you should use high-quality paints to add color and details to your crafts. Getting the right paint for your projects may take a bit of testing or research. What you select will ultimately depend on the look you want for your finished craft. For most projects, you should select quality paint with:

1. Opacity:Depending on the look you want for your clay project, use quality paint with a strong opacity. This paint will provide good coverage and pigmentation on your project. An opaque finish is especially useful to paint a light color onto dark clay or to cut down on how many coats your project needs.
2. Fade-resistance:Paint colors fade over time, whether with handling or exposure to the air or sun. Working with a quality paint could help your creations last longer. Look into paints with pigments instead of dyes and consider heavy-duty options if you want your clay craft to last a long time.
3. Smooth texture:Try to find quality paints with a smooth texture rather than a lumpy one, unless that’s the finish you’re after. Smooth paint makes it easier to add color to your projects, especially small ones or detailed areas.

Many crafters select acrylic paint for their projects. They’re affordable, opaque and easy to work with. Acrylic paint is easy to find and comes in a rainbow of colors, ideal for endless projects. For the best coverage, consider heavy body acrylic paint, which has a thicker consistency. You could consider using oil paints for painting clay, but be sure to test different types of paints and look into how to use them.

You can test your paint’s quality by applying a small patch on the back of your creation. Gently sanding the surface of your sculpture can help the paint stick better. If the paint dries to your liking, you are safe to finish the rest of your design.

The tools you use to paint your clay will depend on what you’re making and the area you need to paint. Using the right tools can provide precise results. Paintbrushes and tools are easy to find and come in an array of shapes and sizes. To get the best tools for your clay projects, you should:

1. Use quality brushes that won’t shed hair, as that would create unwanted texture in your paint.
2. Select a small detailing brush if you’re working on a small creation or delicate details in a larger piece.
3. Pick a large brush to cover larger areas of your project efficiently.
4. Use a dotting tool for precise dots, whether you’re making eyes or a polka dot pattern.

3. Let the Clay Cool

If you decide to paint your project after you bake it, let the clay cool before adding color. Letting the clay cool is an essential step to ensure you won’t burn your fingers on hot materials. It’s also crucial for a better paint application. Paint can change consistency or adhere incorrectly to the surface of your project if it’s still warm. Give your creation time to cool once it bakes. The larger or thicker your project, the more time it will need to cool.

4. Sand the Surface

Some paint and clay varieties may not adhere well once you cure the clay. If you realize the surface of your project is smooth after baking and the paint won’t stick, lightly sand the surface. That roughens up the texture slightly and gives the paint a surface to grip onto.Use ahigh-grit sandpaper, like 400 or 600 grit, and work lightly so you don’t alter any details you put into the clay. If you have intricate details, you may prefer to test different paints and types of clay to find the right combination instead of sanding.

If you do sand your project, wipe off the surface and clean up any dust at your workstation before breaking out the paint. Painting over the clay dust can create unwanted texture as it mixes with your paint. Place scrap paper under your project to help gather the dust and throw it out. Do not rinse clay dust down the sink as the particles are too fine to remove from wastewater.

5. Paint Before You Bake

Polymer clay doesn’t shrink or expand as it cures, meaningyou can paint it before you bake. Unbaked clay may create a better bond with paint as it cures. Test different types and brands of paint to find the best results. While paint that’s baked onto polymer clay will rarely burn or bubble, it can change colors as it bakes. For creations that look the same after baking, choose paint that won’t change color with heat.It is important to run a test on a small piece of scrap clay as some paints do not react well to clay or heat.

Remember to follow the package instructions when baking your clay, even if you’ve painted the surface. When using Sculpey polymer clay, set your oven or toaster oven to275 degrees Fahrenheit. From there, baking times will depend on the product you’re using and the thickness of your creation:

• ForSculpey III®,Super Sculpey®andOriginal Sculpey®, bakefor 15 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness.
• ForSculpey Premo™andSculpeySoufflé™,bake for 30 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness.

Bake your products on a metal sheet, a ceramic tile, oven-proof glass or aSculpey Oven-Safe Work Mat. If you place your clay project on the surface and paint it before baking, wipe excess paint off the baking surface before you bake the painted clay.

6. Create Texture With Paint

Some crafters desire a crackled finish on their creations, and paint helps achieve that. Choose a variety that doesn’t stretch much once it dries, like acrylic paint. Paint a layer on a sheet of raw clay and let it dry. Once the paint dries, roll out your clay using a rolling pin tool or a sheeter. You can then cut shapes from the sheet or form it into the shape of your choice. Play around with color combinations and try metallic paint for a shiny and crackled effect.

You could also try mixing paint into uncured clay for a different way to add color. Mixing water-based paint into polymer clay can have varying results. As you bake your project, water in the paint will turn to steam, and that can create bubbles in the clay. Some crafters are after that texture, especially if they’re replicating materials like stone. If that’s not what you need for your project, mix a small amount of heavy body acrylic paint into the clay.

7. Add an Antique Finish

You may want to create an antique finish on beads, jewelry or other clay items. Antiquing adds dimension and age to a piece that you’ve just created. All you have to do is dilute acrylic paint or start with a thin paint. Brush the wash onto your creation, and wipe off anything on raised areas before it dries.

This process works especially well on stamped or carved designs in your clay. The watered-down paint will lay in the crevices and enhance the detail you worked hard to create.

8. Seal the Finished Product

Once you’ve painted your polymer clay craft and it looks how you want, let it dry. When it’s ready, you can seal the finished product. You’ll find various glazes and spray varnishes out there, but look for products that work on both clay and the type of paint you used.

When you’re working with Sculpey clay, we recommend using our glazes to finish off your creations. Apply two to three thin coats, waiting at least 30 minutes between each layer. We offer two glaze finishes, perfect for different results for your creations:

• Sculpey Gloss Glazeadds a high shine.
• Sculpey Satin Glazeadds a beautiful matte finish.

No matter what type of seal you select, test it on a hidden part of your project or a scrap piece of clay you tested paint on. Check that the glaze dries and isn’t sticky. You should also make sure it doesn’t affect the paint, either by lifting it or changing the color.

Working With Mixed Media

Tomake mixed media work for polymer clay,you must know which media will make the best pairing. Playing with mixed media in polymer clay is a lot of fun. If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest experimenting with it and seeing what you can create.

What Is Mixed Media?

Mixed media art is defined as a combination of different materials being used together to create one piece of art.

Mixed media is a vast field that freely borrows products and inspiration from all kinds of art forms.If anything is added to polymer clay, then by definition a piece of mixed media art has been made. This could be as simple as adding a little paint, chalk, or ink to your piece, or more elaborate by adding inclusions like glass, sand, flocking powders, embossing powders, or combing it with fabric, wire, metal, paper or resin. The list is endless.

Some examples of techniques thatare already popular in the polymer clay communityinclude the following.

• Mokume gané:a metalsmithing technique
• Millefiori:a glassmaking technique
• Carving:a woodworking technique
• Surace techniques: adding chalk, paint, and foil to the surface of clay.

Polymer artistsare notorious for borrowing and adapting skills, traitsand techniques from other fields. Agenuinemixed-media piececombinesmany different kinds ofmediainto one finished element. This postaimsto help you quickly narrow down your search at the craft store or online shopping center you like to frequent.

Which Products Work Well With Polymer Clay?

The following products are safe to use with polymer clay to create a wide range of mixed-media projects.

• Paints: Water-based acrylic are great to use with our different polymer clays. Remember to paint the clay before the project is baked.
• Metals: Metals are hugely popular in clay work. They can withstand the low baking temperatures we use with clay and look stunning when combined correctly with polymer clay.
• Chalks, chalk pastels, and mica powder: Chalks are fairly affordable and last an incredibly long time if you use them in conjunction with a nice soft brush. You can also useChalk Pastelsfrom the art section of your local craft store. They workequallywell, thoughtheymay not be quite as intense. Mica powders arealso a belovedchoice among polymer clay artists.
• Inks: There are so many different kinds of inks available to artists today. Knowing which one to use and when is the challenge and the trick of mixed media. The tried-and-true for all clay types are alcohol inks.Chalk inks are great, but you can also use pigment and dye-based inks with polymer clay. Not all inks will “dry” on all clay types. Somemust beheat set after application,soyou need tobakeyour item for the ink to dry completely.The environment, type of clay, humidity levels, and the technique you use will impact the finish of your ink.Be sure to try a “test piece” before committing any unknown ink on any polymer surface for a large project.
• Stamps: You can use stamps to transform your clay with the following techniques: stamping inks, adding powdered products like chalks and mica powders, embossing the surface, and adding paint.
• Stencils and Masks: Stencils and masks are great ways to spruce upthesurface design of your clay. You can use your stencils on polymer clay with chalks, paints, and masking fluids like repel gel.
• Glass: You can mix many shapes and forms of glass with polymer clay. Glass has long been a favorite of crafters because of its versatility and the vibrance and elegance it adds.

Craft Colorful Creations With Sculpey

If you’re ready to create colorful projects, select Sculpey, the best polymer clay on the market. Want alternatives to painting on polymer clay? Our clays have the best color palettes available, meaning you can find the colors you want for your projects, no paint necessary. No matter what you make or how you make it, we supply the tools, you supply the creativity!

Check out our polymer clayto find the perfect Sculpey materials for your next project.