Mug decor with polymer clay. Master Class

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Polymer clay was invented relatively recently. Masters have known about this material for no more than half a century. Today, sculpting from it is a very popular hobby for amateurs and a professional activity for experienced designers.

Buying polymer clay a couple of years ago was very problematic. Residents of various Russian cities ordered it from the capital or from other countries. Now, almost all art salons or needlework shops offer such plasticity, where it lies next to knitting yarn, paints and floss that are familiar to us. Many interesting crafts can be made from this amazing material. These are not only souvenirs, but also a huge number of other things that will decorate our lives. You can also decorate the mug with polymer clay, the master class of which is described in this article.

Working principle

Today, polymer clay is one of the most common materials used for needlework. Masters are attracted by its elasticity and non-toxicity. In addition, crafts obtained from such materiallook fantastic.

Have you decided to decorate mugs with polymer clay with your own hands? Then you should learn to work with this material. Half the success of your event will depend on choosing the right polymer. It should be borne in mind that ordinary self-hardening clay can be used to decorate mugs and other dishes. However, this material hardens in air after a certain time, which is not enough for beginners, in order to give the product the necessary shape.

What is the best buy to make a polymer clay mug decoration? The material can be of any kind. The main thing is to study the instructions and learn the rules for handling it.

Polymer clay brands

Today, art salons and needlework stores offer their customers many varieties of material. Which one to buy to decorate the mug with polymer clay? Consider the grades of this material in more detail:

1. Domestic manufacturer offers St. Petersburg plastic called "Tsvetik". This is the cheapest option, but working with it is somewhat difficult. Products of the brand "Tsvetik" are quite solid and easily soiled. However, a person who has patience and skill can make beautiful things out of them.
2. In order to decorate a mug with polymer clay, you can buy material from the German manufacturer Cernit. For some, it may seem, on the contrary, too soft in work. However, many craftsmen are attracted by the quality and color range of thisplastics.
3. The most popular brand in our country is Fimo. It is produced by the German company Eberhard Fabe. There are several varieties of this polymer. So, "Fimo Classic" is more solid. The Fimo Soft brand is soft and easy to knead. Both types of material are available in a wide range of colors. The manufacturer offers polymer clay with sparkles, transparent, and also luminous in ultraviolet. All these types are perfect for those who decide to decorate the mug with polymer clay.
4. Some masters use material brought from America. This is polymer clay of two brands - "Kato" and "Scalpi". It is not offered in Russian stores, but those who were able to purchase it need to be prepared for a fairly strong smell of the material, similar to the smell of Soviet gouache. In terms of other qualities, this polymer is similar to other brands.
5. The whole polymer line is offered by Poliform Products. But this material is usually chosen by sculptors.

In addition to solid, all of the above companies produce liquid plastic, which is a gel. This is a viscous transparent material that hardens after heat treatment. Decorating mugs and spoons with polymer clay can also be done using a gel, the possibilities of which are also endless.

Before you buy this amazing material, you should choose a product that will be decorated. Based on its color, you will need to decide on the tone of the plastic. Let forthere will be two or three at the beginning. Among them should be a white bar, which can be diluted with more saturated colors.

Lacquer

If you are decorating a mug with polymer clay, how to make the finished thing the most attractive? To do this, it should be varnished. This will give the mug a gloss and more expressiveness of the colors. In addition, varnish is necessary to enhance the strength of things. In addition, he fixes the tinting paint on it.

What are plastic clay varnishes? The manufacturer offers matte, semi-gloss and glossy coating material. Such varnishes are sold in hardware stores. What can be done to make a polymer clay mug look the most attractive? Experienced craftsmen advise purchasing acrylic water-soluble varnishes with a polyurethane base. Such material is practically odorless, dries quickly and is easily washed off the brush. In a day, a mug with a polymer clay decor, covered with a similar varnish, will become resistant to mechanical damage and moisture.

Those who are engaged in such work for the first time should remember that before applying varnish, the surface should be washed with dishwashing detergent or degreased with alcohol, and the coating process itself is best done with a synthetic brush.

Work surface

How to prepare for polymer clay modeling? To work with this material, you need the smoothest possible surface. It can be glass or ceramic tiles, as well as a simple sheet of white paper. The main condition for suchsurfaces - no pores that plastic can eat into.

Knives

A block of polymer clay must be cut into pieces of the required size. To do this, the master who decorates the mug with polymer clay (see photo below) will need knives.

They should be sharp enough. This will prevent deformation of the product during cutting. To decorate the mug, a regular stationery knife or blade can be used.

Rolling pins and stacks

These tools do not have to be purchased in art salons. The stacks when working with plastic can be knitting needles or toothpicks.

In order to roll out plastic, many fans take a glass bottle. Other improvised material is also suitable for these purposes, which can be, for example, a bottle of hairspray or deodorant.

Gloves

After heat treatment of polymer clay, it may leave fingerprints of the master. In order for the product to be neat and not to spend too much time polishing it, it is necessary to wear latex gloves. You can buy them at any pharmacy. Sometimes they are not very convenient when sculpting, but they greatly increase the quality of the work done.

Gloves should be selected according to the size of the hand. After all, the tighter the latex adheres to the fingers, the more convenient it is for the master to decorate the mug.

Other

What other materials will be needed to complete the planned work? In general, in order to make a thermoplastic item, you can use:

• special shapes (boats), with which figures are easily cut out;
• special syringe (extruder), equipped with various nozzles;
• paste machine;
• texture sheets;
• powders, etc.

However, all this can be bought after you understand that sculpting polymer clay is your calling.

What a beginner will need

As a rule, girls' mugs are decorated with polymer clay. A master class on carrying out such work begins with an explanation of what beginners in this business should prepare:

• the mug itself;
• nail polish remover or glass cleaner;
• polymer baked clay;
• wooden skewer or toothpick;
• clean wet cloth;
• epoxy-angesive adhesive;
• stationery knife;
• varnish for plastic clay.

Preparatory stage

So, you have decided to decorate the mug with polymer clay. How to do this work with your own hands? To begin with, you should take some boring mug, which should become bright and original.

It should be laid on the surface in such a way that it is as convenient as possible to work with. For this, a baby blanket can be used, for example.

Getting Started

If your idea is to decorate a mug with polymer clay, how to make this work? To begin with, a piece of plastic of the desired size is cut off. Further itshould be well kneaded. Only in this case, the clay will become soft and plastic. To improve the working properties of the material, you can use a special tool. It's called a plasticizer. Experienced needlewomen are advised to purchase Moldmaker brand products. A few peas of this product are enough to soften a whole pack of clay. Vaseline or creams can serve as alternative materials. Suitable for softening and warming procedure.

It happens that clay, especially fresh clay, sticks to hands very strongly. In such cases, experienced craftsmen mix it with a harder brand or leave it on a piece of paper for several hours. However, it should be borne in mind that all the above manipulations will not help a material that has already got paint.

It is very important that no air bubbles remain in the clay. In the future, this will ruin your product. When heated, the air will expand, which will warp the plastic.

After that, you should take a cotton swab and soak it in nail polish remover or glass cleaner, wipe the surface of the mug. After that, we make an application on it.

Baking

A mug with polymer clay applique should not be afraid of water, fade and lose its original appearance over time. To preserve all these qualities, the product must undergo heat treatment. What device is suitable for this? For baking polymer clay, use a gas or electric oven, as well as an electric mini-oven. Microwaves are not suitable for this purpose. The hardening process of polymer clay occurs only whenexposure to high temperature. The principle of heating food in the microwave is to create waves. However, there are exceptions to the rule here as well. Some models of modern microwaves are equipped with a function that allows you to set the desired baking temperature. If there is such an opportunity, then clay can be placed in this household appliance.

What else should be considered when decorating a mug with polymer clay? MK (master class) involves accurate monitoring of the temperature indicated on the clay packaging. Exceeding it will cause the material to burn and release toxic substances. As a rule, this temperature is in the range from 110 to 130 degrees. That is why it will be very convenient for the master if the oven he uses has a built-in thermometer. Clay is baked for a short time. The curing time of the application applied to the mug is ten minutes.

End of process

After heat treatment, the mug should be removed from the oven. From it you need to carefully separate the baked application. Next we need epoxy glue. It is made independently, adhering to all the requirements of the instructions. A thin layer of glue should be applied to the reverse side of the completed application, as well as to the mug, which we wipe again with nail polish remover or glass cleaner. After that, the appliqué is pressed tightly against the mug and further keeps on it very well.

At the next stage of work, you will need a matte or glossy varnish. They cover the finished application. varnishwill protect the surface of the product from damage.

How does the application behave in operation? A cup made in this way can be safely washed. But do not put it in the dishwasher or use abrasive products on the decor.