Manish YadavDIY clay tools are required for sculpting in any level of detail and for creating a professional-looking clay sculpture. There are hundreds of tools to pick from on the market, but many of them are unnecessary.
The key to effective craft is your understanding of using the tool to help you make something, not the extravagant tools.
Two Main Types of DIY Clay Tools
Although you’ll require a range of sizes and perhaps shapes when sculpting, there are only two general types of tools you’ll need:
Stick tools:-
These are typically utilized to add substance to whatever you’re sculpting.
Loop tools:-
These are typically used to remove material from what you’re sculpting.
Making Your Own Tools:-
Some of the best sculpting tools for your DIY project can be ones you can build yourself. This may be music to your ears if you are a DIY enthusiast- YES! You can make your own sculpting tools, and here are some ideas from those who have done so:
DIY Clay Sculpting Loop Tool:-
Simple materials such as brass or aluminum tubing, piano wire, bass guitar strings, epoxy resin, wire wool or dish-scouring pad, pliers, and a small adjustable pipe cutter or craft knife/blade can be used to build a loop sculpting tool.
Various Sculpting Tools:-
Pins, needles, clay, knives, brushes, pencils, toothbrushes, and nail tools can all be used to construct sculpting tools. The possibilities appear to be limitless! Look around your house for items that can be used to carve or stamp patterns into the clay, and see what you can find.
Buying Tools:-
If you’d instead use pre-made sculpting tools, we’ve got you covered there as well. Sculpting tools are frequently sold in kits based on the materials you’ll be working with or the type of project you’ll be working on. Alternatively, you can purchase them as and when you require them. Here we have some of the most frequently used tools:
Armature Board:-
Generally used for mounting and fastening your sculpture so that you may work on it in more detail without having to handle it.
Stainless Steel and Wood Modeling Tools:-
To finish your sculpture by adding material and molding it.
Aluminum Loop Tool:-
For sculpting and adding patterns and detail to your sculpture.
Copper Wire:-
To work with wax or clay, create a model figure or shape.
Smoother:-
To make the surface of your sculpture or figure smoother.
7 DIY Clay Tools
STEP 1: MATERIALS:-
A slew of miscellaneous items. Anything that would ordinarily be useless would form an excellent texture on clay. You’ll need something like this for the tools in this instructable:
- Old gift cards
- Skewers, pencils, or other “sticks” wire, pliers, and cutters pins (sewing, or fascinating pushpins) moldable plastic or polymer clay Model Magic Clay or cloud clay skewers, pencils, or other “sticks.”
- Sponge Foil and whatever else you can get your hands on can be used to decorate a piece of clay.
STEP 2: WIRE TOOLS:-
Wrap a piece of wire around a cylindrical object, such as a pen or a straw, and repeat with as many smaller or larger objects as desired. Tape these on a skewer or a pencil with duct tape. These can be used to achieve several effects, including ribboning and devoting.
STEP 3: DOTTING TOOLS:-
Make dotting tools with some spare sewing pins. You only needed two different-sized spheres, but if you need more, try gluing a bead to another pin. Secure the pins with tape in the ends of your skewers, pencils, paintbrushes, and so on. Wrap some Model Magic around the end if you want a better grip.
STEP 4: “RIB” TOOLS:-
Rib tools are typically constructed of wood and are used to cut and scrape clay, but they can also be made from used gift cards. Draw the desired shape on a piece of plastic (such as a gift card or takeout packaging) and cut it out using scissors. Traditional shapes were used. However the plastic could be sliced to create any texture you wish. Make sure there are no jagged edges by filing the edge.
STEP 5: TEXTURING TOOLS:-
These tools are used to give whatever you’re sculpting a stippled or roughened texture. They can add detail to rocks, mud, and even animal furs. Tape a piece of material to the end of whatever you’re going to use as a handle. You could use steel wool, crumpled tape, or anything else you have on hand instead of foil and a sponge.
STEP 6: CUTTING TOOL:-
This handy instrument may be used as a clay cutter. Simply tie two pencils together with a length of fishing line or jewelry wire, secure with tape for an even cut.
STEP 7: ALTERNATIVE TOOLS:-
Never be scared to use your tools in unconventional ways! You could even sculpt some out of polymer clay yourself. That would be a bit of a slap in the face.
You can find tools in the most unexpected places; here are a few of my favorites:
- Pedicure Tool. (Dollar Tree)
- Mathematical compass
- Paint-by-numbers scratching tool
- Crochet hook
- Guitar picks silicone smudger on old eyeliner pencil old pen
- X-acto knife old soldering iron tips cleaned seashells (nice scalloped texture)
- Unused toothbrush
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