I made my first miniature out of polymer clay a few months ago. I’ve learned ‘on the job’ and tried and tested many clays and accessories along the way, as well as researching extensively online. I would say I’m still at a beginner level and I like to keep things simple.
So the items I’ve selected below are not fancy or expensive, but have been the ones that have helped me perfect my polymer clay miniatures.
Best Tools For Conditioning Polymer Clay
Without a doubt the most important pieces of kit for modelling miniatures out of polymer clay is a glass chopping board to work on and an acrylic rolling pin to condition your clay.
I actually just use the rolling pin that came with the very first polymer clay modelling kit I bought, it’s pretty much the same as this Milisten Clay Roller Acrylic on Amazon.
As for glass chopping boards, you might already have one in your kitchen! We only had a wooden one, so I chose the Metaltex Chopping Board from Amazon. It had a textured surface, so I flipped it over and attached the rubber feet to the other side so I had a smooth surface to work on. You can read about the surfaces that didn’t work for me here.
Some modellers swear by using a pasta machine or clay conditioning machine to condition their clay. I personally don’t use one…yet. It is something on my ‘to buy’ list and when I do, I’m going to go for the Makin’s Clay Machine. It’s pricer than other pasta or clay machines but it has the best reviews and looks more compact.
Best Polymer Clay Tools For Sculpting Miniatures
Again, I like to keep things simple so I don’t have hundreds of different modelling tools. If you want to find out more about polymer clay tools, please read my in depth blog post Top 10 Most Useful Items For Making Polymer Clay Miniatures.
I have the following tools, all of which you can find easily on Amazon:
- Premo Sculpey Basic Shapes Mini Metal Cutters – 12 Pieces – it took me ages to find these as many of the recommended miniature ones weren’t much smaller than regular cookie cutters. These were the smallest I could find. I chose these as the designs are simple enough they can be used as a basis for making a range of miniature food, accessories and foliage.
- Fairie Blessings Moulds– I use moulds to make lots of miniatures without having to handcraft them individually. I’ve found that moulds from Fairie Blessings are ideal for polymer clay miniatures as they’re designed for cake toppers so are small and they’re oven safe so the polymer clay can be baked in it. There’s also a huge range of modern designs available. I’ve recently bought the miniature cutlery mould for adding some knives and forks to a mini DIY cafe kit I’m working on. As they’re so teeny, it’s best to use liquid polymer clay with them. Another recommendation for moulds is KandLMiniatures on Etsy, I’ve bought a few moulds from this seller and they’re excellent. Below is a tiny pond I made featuring a polymer clay koi I made using a mould from the company.
- Clay sculpting tools – these can help you make everything from the indented lines down a pumpkin to miniature petals for your flowers. Although I got a set with the first polymer clay kit I bought, they were plastic and very small (perhaps even made for children!). I decided to invest in these super smooth, wooden sculpting tools as they have a good selection of shaped ends and were more comfortable to use that the plastic ones. There are many more expensive ones out there but these do a great job for a great price!
- Ball tools for sculpting and embossing – I love these ball tools from Sculpey and probably use them more than any other polymer clay tools. They had great reviews and were very reasonably priced (especially as they have silicone tools on the other end!) and have been fantastic for my miniatures as they include a ball tool with a teeny ball.
- Silicone clay sculpting tools – I don’t like having hundreds of different tools, as we don’t have the space to store them and it can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right one for the job. I use this pack of five silicone sculpting tools to smooth out the joins between clay or for making very smooth lines. There are other options available where you can buy more tools for a few pounds more than these, but again, I don’t like to have loads of different tools so these work just fine for me! I actually bought these before I got the above ball tools with the silicone ends so I don’t use these as much as I used to!
Best Tools For Colouring And Sealing Polymer Clay
This is an easy category as I only use two products at the moment!
I use a set of these chalk pastels and use a couple of old make-up brushes to apply these. There are literally hundreds of different options available for pastels. But I didn’t want hundreds of different coloured pastels filling up my very limited crafting space. So I just bought a pack with 36 pastels in it and blend these as I use them. I originally used Pentel oil pastels but quickly realised how awful these were for mixing with liquid polymer clay. I’ve written a whole post on liquid polymer clay including a section on the best products for colouring it – you can read the post here.
I also use craft glitter or bio glitter to add a sparkle to my oilier clay creations (ideal for pretty cupcakes!). You can read more about using glitter with polymer clay here.
I don’t seal everything I make, so I don’t need to use a lot of glaze. If I want a matte finish, I use the classic Mod Podge Matte. And if I want a glossy finish, I use Sculpey Glaze Glossy.
Best Polymer Clay For Making Miniatures
This is a tough ones as the ‘best’ clay is really a case of personal choice. For example, some people swear by Sculpey III as it’s great for creating the fine detailing needed for miniatures, other’s say it’s too soft and sticky to work with.
I can tell you what I use (Fimo Professional), but you might find a different type of clay works for you.
I first used Fimo when I was about eight years old and crafted a teeny rabbit out of it. Many years later, I still love it, but I now use Fimo Professional. There is a multitude of colours to choose from and it doesn’t get too soft too soon when working with it.
There are kits of multiple colours, such as the Staedtler Fimo Professional True Colours pack of six colours. And individual packs cost around £3-£5 so are the pricer end of polymer clay, but Fimo Professional is a great investment and a really high quality clay.
The other clay I’d recommend is liquid polymer clay, this is basically the same as polymer clay but it doesn’t have any binders or fillers in it – hence it’s a liquid! In the world of miniatures, liquid polymer clay is mainly used as sauces or to drizzle over cakes for the perfect finishing touch. I mix a little of it up with some chalk pastel dust to add colour to the liquid clay.
The liquid clay I use is Translucent Liquid Sculpey which you can find on Amazon. It’s super versatile and can be used for bonding cured and raw polymer clay together and can also be used to seal clay, although when it’s baked it isn’t fully translucent and can have a slightly cloudy appearance.
I’ve written an in depth post, including experiments, on which is the best polymer clay for making miniatures, you can read it here.
Best Household Items You Can Use With Polymer Clay
Making miniature polymer clay models is a super accessible hobby as many of the tools are very affordable, or free if you have them in your home already!
Below is a quick hit list of just some of the items you can use with polymer clay which you may already have in your home. I’m not saying these are the best items, but rather they’re worth trying if you want to experiment with different textures or if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on your hobby.
Word of warning though, once you use an item with polymer clay, don’t use it for it’s intended purpose any more!
Texturing
- Toothbrush
- Toothpick
- Needle
- Tin foil
- Plastic bottle tops
Conditioning And Rolling
- Ceramic tile
- Melamine tray
- Fondant rolling pin
- Plastic or laminated table mat
- Pasta machine
Colouring
- Plastic or bio glitter
- Oil pastels
- Acrylic paints
- Make-up brushes
Cutting
- Sharp kitchen knife or craft knife
- Cookie cutters
- Metal ruler
If you want to find out more about the best tools for cutting polymer clay, please read my post Ultimate Guide To Knives And Cutters For Polymer Clay Miniatures.
Polymer clay modelling is a very individual hobby so you’ll no doubt find what works best for you. But if you don’t know where to start, then give my above recommendations a try!