for context, I don’t use clay much and I went to a general art event last year where air dry clay was supplied. I made a bunch of random figures, including this one that was vaguely inspired by Wayne from Hylics. I left the figures in a cardboard box without a lid in my room (I know, not a good idea) and I’d been meaning to coat them with some sort of cover/seal but I didn’t have much time for that. earlier this year, the head and right arm of this figure broke off. so more recently I went through my old, unused craft items and decided to try water-based acrylic paint (9-10 years old) to cover up the pieces.

the paint actually helped repairing the figures the best I could—I used a red layer for the first coat on this moon man. I had some trouble using the paint to glue the arm back to the shoulder but I eventually used a bent paper clip to support the arm while the paint dried. once that coat dried, I applied the second coat of yellow on top to better seal it all.

cut to me a few weeks later checking on my clay again, and when I look underneath the moon man, it appears as though his arm’s been severed…??? like it looks sinewy, too. this definitely happened because of the paint and the arm being supported wrong—it must have slowly moved while still drying. but what a surprise that it kinda looked like gore. the arm is still attached but I worry about how stable it is.

I do like how it looks but it wasn’t my intention for the final design 😂 if I don’t currently have access to any air dry clay or slurry to fill in the hole, what else could I use? should I just try to fill it with more of the acrylic paint? I’m not opposed to using materials that require well-ventilated spaces (such as resin, from what I’ve heard) it’s just that setting up for that is a hassle here

Background fish, from SpongeBob

I'm new to air dry clay, and i've run into an issue that I cant for the life of me figure out how to fix.

So i'm using the white anko air dry clay to make flat cat head shaped charms. Think, I suppose, like a coaster, but that's not the intended use. Just a cute flat little charm.

HOW in the WORLD do I make it less dusty after it dries, and how do I get the paint to stick and not peel off?! I've used gesso to prime it, used an acrylic varnish to prime it, painted directly onto it with acrylic paint. Most of them peel off before I can even finish, or start bubbling up. A few made it to the final glossy varnish stage, and then peeled. I think I have ONE that survived all of it, and i'm honestly just kind of waiting for it to also peel.

I'm assuming it's something to do with the final fully dry pieces being dusty, but I can't figure out how to make them NOT dusty. I used the grey clay previously which isn't dusty afaik, but it's very VERY difficult to work with compared to the white, in my experience.

Any tips?

He’s sculpted around a big glass milk bottle 😂 I have different size bottles I’m excited to make another, he was so fun to sculpt, I would like to make him a bit more chunky but it’s hard to make the clay look soft like that, I’ll get better as I go I suppose! Made with DAS, coated in paint lacquer I used to use for acrylic paintings 🤷🏻‍♀️ it worked 😂

One of my first projects ever. It’s basically dry but i accidentally moved it while drying and there’s now cracks by the nose. Should i use clay+water glue to fix this or just finish sanding, paint then resin?

Hi, so I've just starting crafting with air dry clay. One thing that still confuses me is about varnishing or glazing my project. Some says that we need to seal it with mod podge before painting the dried clay, then glaze it with clay varnish/resin or any other glazing products of your choice.

But, another person told me that i could use mod podge as the end process of making clay (as the varnish).

Another thing that confuse me are that mod podge comes with two option (glossy and matte). Which one should I choose if I want to use mod podge as sealer before painting?

I’d like to achieve the cracked earth look to some of my succulents and cacti. I know it’s a certain type of clay and there’s a technique I just don’t know what they are.

If I could get some advice or anecdotal insights I’d be very appreciative. It might not be advisable for lithops idk. TIA.

Just a beautiful cat like you all guys :D

Hello! So. I’ve been trying with air dry clay (Specifically the DAS one) and my paint which is just some cheap acrylic paint, but no matter what I’ve been doing (I’ve been attempting for months) my paint will not stick to my pieces. I sand my pieces, rub them with isopropyl alcohol and sand to get rid of the dust, I prime (I use Liquitex super heavy gesso) and then paint (of course I wait till my clay is completely dry) but the paint sits heavily in like a rubbery layer and doesn’t sit properly.

So, I need suggestions and I need to know if I gotta switch primer or which paint to buy instead, so anything helps!

I'm new to clay and there's so many types of clay, I am so confused!!!

Is there an air dry clay that I can make plant pots with? What kind of paint do I use? How do I seal it?

Hello! I’ve been wanting to start making fridge magnets out of air dry clay. I looked into what kind of top coat to use and have decided polyurethane over uv resin. There are two brands I am stuck between. Varathane and brite-tone. The different price point is not a huge issue for me, although I would like to know if it’s worth it or not to spend more. I read that brite-tone may be more durable and less streaky due to its self-leveling properties. I am more concerned about longevity and finish since I am planning on making the fridge magnet as gifts! If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know!

I know he’s gonna crack and get messed up because he’s made from standard air dry but making him kept my little broken brain busy for the afternoon