Creative Paperclay® air dry modeling material: Tori's Tip

Hi, it's Tori again, still experimenting with and learning new things about Delight™ air dry modeling compound. When I started on the Design Team more than a year ago, I had very little experience with this material, but I am finding new uses for it all the time. My tip for this month is to try your hand at drawing on dry clay. You may fall in love, though it takes a bit of getting used to.

As you can see in the work-in-progress flower drawing, the technique consists of layering the pencil(s) very gently at first, a little bit at a time, then varying the pressure to create a dimensional drawing. Fill in larger areas with the a dull pencil tip or the side of the pencil.

I particularly love this for black and white doodles, using pencils of various hardness. A kneaded eraser works well for making changes or correcting mistakes in the early stages, but of course won't restore the clay once it has been pressed firmly. You can also use blending tools as in drawing on paper, but again, start with a light touch and apply pressure when you want to indent areas of the image.

Here is a close-up of the doodle in the picture - which I will probably use for a pendant at some point. For now, I'm just having fun with the process and seeing how far I can take the medium. I can foresee many uses such as scrapbook page embellishments, jewelry, decorative objects (because you can still draw on it even if it isn't flat!), etc.