Help with polymer clay....?

Question

Ok I am new to polymer clay, I am making minature treats, cupcakes, cakes, etc. and I so need to know how to texturize bread like for instance on a hostess cupcake or on any cake. I want to make it look more real.

Answer 1

You can do it in several ways. The most common one is to impress it with something like the eventual texture you want (for example, sandpaper, crumpled aluminum foil, a stiff brush pounced on, etc.).
But you can also do things like sort of picking and pushing at the surface with a pin, or put an "inclusion" of speckles or powders into the clay before shaping (colorless things like scenic sand, salt, etc., or somewhat sparkly mica flakes or powders, or fine-grain holographic glitters, or ground or grainy things the same color as your cake.
You can even create a spongy effect by mixing baking soda into polymer clay which has been soaked/diluted with paint thinner (...the baking soda will create many tiny bubbles in the clay during baking) --although that last one may be more trouble than you want.

There are loads of ideas, lessons, and examples of making miniature cakes and cakey-looks from polymer clay on this page of my site, if you want to check them all out:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/miniatures.htm
(...look especially at the categories called Donuts and Cakes... and perhaps also the breads one...)
This page has cookies, candies, and pies if those textures would help too:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/houses_structures_gingerbread.htm (bottom of page)


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

I'd recommend Amazing Mold Putty or Sculpey Mold Maker, which you can get with about $20 and $12 for the Sculpey to make your own molds. You can also buy molds that are already made on Etsy, a craft store, etc.. If you're not willing to buy a mold or mold maker, it is OK to make some with polymer clay. Roll your polymer clay into a ball and push down with whatever you're making a mold of. You can perfect the details of the mold with a needle tool or any other object that'll work. After your mold is how you want it, bake it, following the instructions on the packaging of your polymer clay. Before you use the mold, dust the inside of the mold with corn starch or flour to avoid getting your clay stuck. Press in your clay into the mold, take it out, and brush off the corn starch or whatever you used with any kind of soft brush or with your fingers gently. Good luck :)

Answer 3

you can roll the finished product over all sorts of things for a finish, the hostess cupcake, according to how small you are making it, will be hard to do with clay, if you mean the little white swirls, you might do well to add those with paint or ink after the cupcake is baked. polymer clay takes practice.

Answer 4

You need to find an item that will leave impressions in the clay. Perhaps a small rock to stiple the surface or a stiff brush. You can also use a stylus to make rounded holes just like in bread. If it gets too worked over, just use your finger to smooth it out a bit. Maybe a stiff sponge, like the kind you have to get wet to use it, will work? Just experiment with different items and see what works.

Answer 5

Isn't polymer clay fun!!!

Try a sheet of coarse grit sandpaper (180 or so)..that should give you a great texture. Even an old toothbrush could work.

Answer 6

A Kemper Klaygun is something you might want to get. Lots of help!

http://www.dickblick.com/zz303/19
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