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Are you looking to get into pottery/ceramics on a budget but don't know which clay to use? Well I just went through my first experience buying cheap clay and I definitely need to warn my art friends!
Craft Smart air dry modeling clay vs Amaco air dry clay... oh boy do I have a lot to say about these two clays!
Craft Smart Air Dry Modeling Clay:
I was very excited to try this clay out because at the time of purchase I thought paying $9 for 2 pounds of clay wasn't that bad of a deal. And I just really wanted to get into pottery so I went into this very hopeful/blinded with excitement. However I did buy this clay at Michaels and I already knew that they sometimes overprice their supplies. But I decided to make the investment anyways and look for a better deal somewhere at another time. I did not expect the texture to make me feel an urge to bite the clay! I'm sorry okay but it felt like a giant candy-like marshmallow. But I'm proud to say I resisted the urge to bite. Hahaha leave me alone I'm a 23 year old baby...
Anyways, its nice and soft and very malleable. I start getting to work with the entire block of clay. I was building a life size turtle sculpture of my real turtle Finesse:
She's a very big girl so I planned to use the two pounds of this craft smart clay to create at least her shell. As I began to soften the clay and mold it into an oval shape mimicking a turtle shell, it proved simple to work with. It was going pretty well and I even got the flare of the outer shell looking realistic. Maybe 30-45 minutes in though, the clay began to crack...everywhere. I rubbed the entire heap of clay with a watery sponge. It worked for a couple of minutes but immediately started to crack again. I was like "oh my god I need to work faster!" I continued to shape the outer part of the shell and decided to scrape some clay out of where her head, limbs, and butt would be.
Once I finished scraping out the excess, I needed to dip into the next clay to create her limbs.
Amaco Air Dry Clay:
I was able to purchase a 10 pound box for $8 from my local hobby lobby in central florida. Originally the price for the box was $11 but they had a sale going on for clay a couple weeks ago so I took advantage. You can imagine how awestruck I was to find a better deal for eight more pounds for the same price as the craft smart clay! I will be buying my clay from hobby lobby from now on! But if any of my local artist friends in central florida know where to find clay for a better deal please let me know down in the comments below!
Back to the story! So as soon as I opened the cardboard box, I find a giant block of grey clay wrapped in a big clear bag. Which is nice so that I can wrap the leftovers back up so it doesn't dry out so fast. I grabbed a scraping tool and scraped off an entire edge like it was butter! It was so satisfying I had to scrape off some more so I could relive the satisfaction! I wrapped up the block and sealed it away and collected the strips of clay I had taken off. When I started to mold the strips into a ball...wow! The clay was very smooth to work with for the whole three hours I used it. It had very minimal cracking unlike the craft smart one. It stayed a nice, smooth, and somewhat sturdy texture the whole time. It was exactly how I imagined really good clay on a budget should be! I molded the head and limbs with ease and attached them to the inside of the shell. It stuck pretty well.
My Thoughts so Far:
So far I love working with the amaco clay because it's smooth like butter, doesn't crack so fast, and it's sturdy enough that it doesn't lose its shape. Near the end of the three hours, I noticed that the hump that I created on the top of the shell with the craft smart clay, sank and flattened. I may use the shell that is pictured up above as the base and then add amaco clay on top to give it a nice and sturdy exterior. It doesn't sound like a bad idea, using bad clay to make up most of the inside of the shell so I don't have to sacrifice so much of my good clay!
However, I think that the craft smart clay is useful for smaller projects that can be done within an hour or so. I decided to take on a pretty big project so the amaco clay's longevity to stay smooth is a pro for me. That high price for a small amount of craft smart clay makes me want to stay away from it. But for someone who is looking to use a very minimal amount of clay for one occasion may be just fine with a one time purchase of the craft smart one. For those looking to take on bigger projects in the beginning of their pottery journey like me, starting with amaco is a pretty good idea. If you have a better option, let me know down in the comments below!
I had to pause for the day and I still have yet to make the butt haha. I wrapped up my sculpture with saran wrap and tied it into a plastic bag. I will resume my project hopefully tomorrow. And perhaps by the next time I post a new blog I would have already painted my turtle sculpture. I will make another in depth review once I completely finish my sculpture and see how both clays come out when they completely air dry. Now I'm off to finish the turtle butt!
If you really liked this post, let me know by leaving a like! Comment down below what you think and let me know what kind of clay you like to use and which art supply store you like shopping at!
If you want to learn more about me, I have a whole Youtube channel for you to watch. Click right here to see my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzu-wdfiFwwQx3nDBpgG1HA
I also have an art gallery too!
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- Ana Zelaya
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