Modelling clay
Encyclopedia
Ceramic clay
Ceramic clays are water-based substances made from clay mineralsClay minerals
Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, sometimes with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths, and other cations. Clays have structures similar to the micas and therefore form flat hexagonal sheets. Clay minerals are common weathering products and low...
mixed with other raw materials. They are baked at high temperatures, in a process known as firing to create ceramics, such as terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
, earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
, stoneware
Stoneware
Stoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...
, and porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
.
Oil-based clay
Oil-based clays are made from various combinations of oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
s, wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
es, and clay minerals
Clay minerals
Clay minerals are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, sometimes with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths, and other cations. Clays have structures similar to the micas and therefore form flat hexagonal sheets. Clay minerals are common weathering products and low...
. Because the oils do not evaporate as does water, oil-based clays remain malleable even when left for long periods in dry environments. Articles made from oil-based clays are not fired, and therefore are not ceramics. Because the viscosity of oils are inversely related to temperature, the malleability can be influenced by heating or cooling the clay. Oil-based clay is not soluble in water. It can be re-used and so is a popular material for animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
artists who need to rework their models. It is available in a multitude of colours and is non-toxic.
Oil-based clays are referred to by a number of genericized trademarks. Plastilin, was patented in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by Franz Kolb
Franz Kolb
Franz Kolb was a German pharmacist and the inventor of the modeling paste Plastilin. In English-speaking countries this material is also known as "plasticine." Because of different patent rights in Germany and England there are different views about who actually invented plasticine. In England,...
in 1880. Plasteline was developed by Claude Chavant in 1892, and trademarked in 1927.. Plasticine
Plasticine
Plasticine, a brand of modelling clay, is a putty-like modelling material made from calcium salts, petroleum jelly and aliphatic acids. The name is a registered trademark of Flair Leisure Products plc...
was invented in 1897 by William Harbutt
William Harbutt
William Harbutt was a painter and the inventor of Plasticine.Born in North Shields, England, Harbutt studied at the National Art Training School in London, and eventually became an associate of the Royal College of Art...
of Bathampton
Bathampton
Bathampton is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 1,504.The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the village and a toll bridge links Bathampton to Batheaston on the north bank of the canal.-History:Bathampton Camp is...
, England. Plastilina is trademarked as Roma Plastilina by Sculpture House, Inc. According to their website, their formula is 100 years old.
Being readily worked in fine detail, Oil-based clays are also suitable for the creation of detailed sculptures from which a mold can be made. Casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
s and reproductions in a much more durable material can then be produced.
Polymer clay
Polymer clay is a material that will thermoset, that is, harden permanently when baked at a low temperature. Despite being called "clay", it generally contains no clay minerals. Polymer clay hardens by curing at temperatures created in a typical home oven generally at 129 to 135 °C (265 to 275 °F) for 15 minutes per 6 mm (1/4") of thickness and does not significantly shrink or change texture during the process.Polymer clay is sold in craft, hobby and art stores, and is used by artists, hobbyists and children. Polymer clay is also popular in animation since it allows static forms to be firm and not be deformed by things like fingerprints and toolmarks while modifying the scene. Leading brands of polymer clay include Fimo
FIMO
Fimo is a name for a brand of polymer clay made by German company Staedtler . Fimo is sold worldwide. Its main U.S. competitor is the American brand Sculpey. The material comes in many different colors; there are many finishes to choose from, and even a softener to use with it because it can be...
, Kato Polyclay
Kato polyclay
Kato Polyclay is a brand of oven-hardening polymer clay. The concept of Kato Polyclay is created by the collaboration of Donna Kato, a polymer clay artist, and Van Aken International, a manufacturer of modeling compounds...
, Sculpey
Sculpey
Sculpey is the brand name for a type of polymer clay that can be molded and put into a conventional oven to harden, as opposed to typical modeling clays, which require a much hotter oven, such as a kiln. Until it is baked, Sculpey has a consistency somewhat like Plasticine. It is sold in many...
& Madello.
Paper clay
Paper clays are cellulose based substances which air dry firm. The finished sculpture is extremely lightweight. There are two major groups of paper clay/paperclay users: those using paperclay as an unfired body and those using paperclay in the ceramic studio to make sculptural and functional studio potteryStudio pottery
Studio pottery is made by modern artists working alone or in small groups, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by one individual. Much studio pottery is tableware or cookware but an increasing number of studio potters produce...
. Commercial air drying clay does not shrink noticeably when drying. This type of clay cracks more easily.
See also
- Papier-mâchéPapier-mâchéPapier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
(paper-maché), construction material made of paper and a wet paste. - Salt doughSalt doughSalt dough is a modeling material made from a mixture of flour, salt and water. Food coloring is often used to color the material.Due to its high salt content, it is not suitable for ingestion, although the salt also gives it an offensive taste making such attempts unlikely even among inquisitive...
, used for modelling, such as Play-DohPlay-DohPlay-Doh is a modeling compound used by young children for art and craft projects at home and in school. Composed of flour, water, salt, boric acid, and mineral oil, the product was first manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s...
and Kanten Clay StudioKanten Clay StudioKanten Clay Studio is a brand of safe modelling compound or clay for children, composed of agar , natural food coloring and brine. Distributed by BorneLund Ltd., a Japan-based company that imports and sells educational toys, it is made in Japan with a patented formula, and emphasizes its...
. - Clay (industrial plasticine)Clay (industrial plasticine)Industrial plasticine is a modeling material which is mainly used by automotive design studios. It was developed as an industrial version of plasticine or hobby clay....