Matthew J. Levin, Sculptor

I’ve been asked if I could explain the process I use make colored clay sculptures.  So I figured I’d have a go at making a tutorial.  So, if all goes well, this will be part one.  With this first one, I’m going to go through the process of mixing colored clay and flocking.  Okay, here we go..

First, here’s what you’re going to need to make this happen.  A pasta machine, some super sculpey, some sculpey III or primo to provide the color, and some colored flocking.  I’m mixing up a basic skin tone, so i’ve got some beige sculpey and red flocking.  (So you know, beige sculpey III and beige primo are completely different colors.)

Here’s some pictures of all the stuff.

Okay, now it’s time to get to work, but first; go wash your hands.  They might look nice and clean, but the clay will pick up anything that’s there, and you’ll get a dirt smudge in your lovely sculpey.

Nice and clean, very good.  Now grab your super sculpey and run it through the pasta machine to make it a bit more malleable.  The super sculpey i’m using here is a bit old and crumbly, so I had to run it through a number of times to get some life into it.  If it’s really bad, you can add some castor oil, but for my purposes, a couple of extra runs through the pasta machine will suffice.  Here’s a picture of that.

I keep the pasta machine on its widest setting, so the clay goes through as easily as possible.  Also, if you’re using as much clay as I am here, you’ll want to pull the clay out from under the machine every couple cranks or so, otherwise it’ll build up and get stuck under the machine.

Alright, it’s time to add some color..  A little bit of color goes a long way here, and it’s a good idea to use less then you think you’ll need.  It’s way easier to add some more than take it away once you’ve started mixing it.  One of the main reasons to not use too much of the colored sculpey is that it is much more opaque than the super sculpey.  If you use too much, the result will be too opaque and you’ll have lost a lot of what makes it look life like.

I tend to work the color in by hand a bit at first..

Then I start running it through the machine, doing a bit more hand work between each pass…

Oh, here’s a fun thing..  after a few runs through the machine with the color, you’ll have nice marbling effect.  With the colors i’m using here, it could be wood.  Or you could use black and white and have something that looks like marble..

Once the color is mixed pretty well, you can grab your flocking.  Keep in mind the color doesn’t have to be mixed perfectly since you’ll be running it through the machine a whole bunch more times to get the flocking mixed in anyway.

Next, make the clay into a canoe shape, or really any kind of shape that’ll keep the flocking from getting everywhere.  Also, turn off the fan, if you have one on.  I made the mistake of doing this with a fan turned on once.  Not fun.

Then add your flocking.  I’m not using a huge amount here, you can go wild, but keep in mind that the more you use, the redder your result will be.

Now, close up the clay around the flocking, and start working it with your hands.  I don’t go straight for the machine here, because the flocking is very dry and will make the clay tear which gets messy in the machine if you don’t do some hand mixing first.

Now all you have to do is mix just like you did with the color.  The next photo is after a few passes.  It’ll be much more manageable again at this point.

And many runs through the machine later, here it is..

And a closer shot..

So that’s it,  you’re ready to go!