Homemade Clay for Claymations?

Question

Ok, I am really in to claymations. And I am dying to get some good clay for them. Is there some recipe to make some really good clay. Something that you can easily make at home.
Ok, but if there is aboslutely, positively, no way to do that, what is the best clay that can be bought? I mean something really good, that comes in a large quanity. And is a reasonable price. And it is in a place that a lot of cities have. Like wal-mart, or k-mart, or target.

-Alphaspot

I heard about claytoon clay. And it said I could by 1 for 99 cents. How big is 1?

Answer 1

There are various clays you could use for "claymation" where you could change the position of the clay item for each shot. But the biggest problem is *heat*....from lights, warm hands or weather, etc.

Regular "modeling clays" like little kids have always played with can work, as can polymer clays (which are still raw), but both may get softer from the heat, etc., than you'd want, especially if there are thin or projecting parts, or tall skinny things, etc., trying to maintain their rigidity against gravity.

You could try the recipe for a homemade "better" animation clay that was given above, or you could just buy the type of clay that's used for animation.
One of the best ones is Plastalina, made by Van Aken:.

(this is Plastalina, VanAken's higher-quality modeling clay, made specifically for animators)
http://www.vanaken.com/plastalina.html

(and this is their ordinary-quality modeling clay made more for kids --it's more susceptible to heat, etc.)
http://www.vanaken.com/claytoon.html

(However, you cannot use an "air-drying" clay of any type --and that covers most of the clays that can be made at home-- because they will all begin to dry out way too quickly for animation purposes.)


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

Hi:

You can make clay like non-drying clay. Here is a recipe for a mixture similar to Plastiline - I can't remember where I got this. You could probably find a pretty white clay base, and use probably concrete colorings to color it a bit, and then use regular manufactured colored clay if you needed to get a specific color. If you need some sources of materials, you might try Laguna Clay, and the Compleat Sculptor. If you do mix up dry clay, please be extremely careful about creating any dust from it, and use a good dust mask, and clean up well, because clay dust contains silica, and is very harmful to breathe. Any equipment you use to mix, like bowls or spoons, should not be used for food afterwards.

Plastiline, or oil-based modeling clay, is basically clay powder mixed with oil and wax instead of water. Its advantage over water-based, or potter's clay, is that it stays workable for long periods of time, instead of drying and shrinking as it does so. One recipe is as follows:
10 lbs microcrystalline wax
1/2 gal. #10wt oil
4 lbs plain automotive grease
25 lbs dry clay powder (such as Kentucky ball clay)

Melt wax, oil, and grease together in an electric frying kettle; stir clay in slowly once melted. Pour into shallow microwave-safe plastic containers, or into a wet plaster mold.
This basic recipe may be modified for specific applications. One variation I have worked out uses beeswax for part of the wax component, substitutes petroleum jelly for the grease, and purified mineral oil for the 10wt. motor oil. This smells better, and doesn't have a problem with the rubber mold compounds I use, like most proprietary plastilines do. Varying the proportions of the constituents slightly will yield harder or softer clays.

Answer 3

You can use polymer clay, they come in different brands. Premo, Sculpey, Kato, Fimo, and they come in different colors. They have to be cure in a oven or toaster oven. You can buy them at Michael's Craft Store, Joann's Fabric and online. They are a bit expensive. Another clay that you can use is dry air clay that comes in white and terracotta and they are not expensive I buy them at wal-mart at the school section. I hope this help you.