Polymer clay ‘miniatures’ can refer to anything from war gaming figures, to fairy houses, to miniature food and dollhouse accessories. For the purpose of this article, I’m looking at tools used to make miniatures for dollhouses, food, fairy gardens – so essentially anything small and cute!
The items included in the list are very useful for working with miniatures, but they will also come in handy no matter what size or type of polymer clay model you’re building.
So before, we get into this post, the two most important items you’ll need are obviously polymer clay and liquid polymer clay!
Best Polymer Clay For Making Miniatures
In my experience, the best polymer clay for making miniatures is Sculpey Premo – it’s very firm which makes it easy to work with and it means it can hold the intricate details need to make many miniature models. Another good option is Fimo Professional, again this is a firmer clay that’s easier to handle.
I did an experiment to find out which was the best clay for modelling miniatures and these were the results – the best to worst, from left to right:
You can find out how I did this experiment and how I came to chose Sculpey Premo as the best clay in this blog post – The Best Polymer Clay For Making Miniature Models.
If you’re reading this in the USA then Kato Polyclay probably your best bet for miniatures if you can’t get hold of Sculpey Premo or Fimo Professional. Kato Polyclay is a great clay for miniatures but seems to be in short supply in the UK compared to the USA – Clayaround have the most comprehensive selection of colours and sizes of Kato Polyclay and all other brands.
The Top 10 Tools For Crafting Miniature Polymer Clay Models
Now, on to the tools! You can use most of these tools for making any kind of polymer clay model, but some lend themselves particularly well to making miniatures.
I don’t use a lot of tools for the main reason that I don’t have a lot of space to store them, so you won’t find lots of weird and wonderful tools on this list, just the basics you need to make decent miniatures.
1. Acrylic Rolling Pin
One of the most basic, yet important, tools for modelling anything out of polymer clay is an acrylic rolling pin. Acrylic rolling pins are non-stick and don’t have any seams or cracks in the surface like wooden rolling pins do. As they’re transparent, you can see the clay beneath the rolling pin, making it easier to see how thin the clay is and if there are any bubbles or seams in it.
If you’ve ever bought a multipack of generic polymer clay such like this one from Amazon, then this probably came with an acrylic rolling pin. That’s where I got mine from and I still use it!
You can buy acrylic rolling pins from the main polymer clay brands, craft stores or you could use a fondant rolling pin instead.
Acrylic rolling pins are used to condition polymer clay and also to create super thin layers of clay for mini models – such as layers for miniature cakes.
I’ve written about how to stop polymer clay from sticking to rolling pins (and other tools) here so take a look if that’s something you’ve struggled with.
Below is a handy video from Sculpey demonstrating why acrylic rolling pins really are the best choice for polymer clay.
Many people who use polymer clay also have a pasta machine to roll and condition their clay. I’ve not included one in this list as… I don’t have one! It’s my aim to get one, but unfortunately I just don’t have the space at the moment!
2. A Non-Stick Surface
Making miniatures can be fiddly, so a simple way to make the whole thing much easier is to use a non-stick surface to model your clay on. You can use the smooth side of a glass chopping board, a ceramic tile, a plastic place mat or a melamine tray.
The advantage of modelling your clay on a ceramic tile is that you can leave the model on the tile and pop the whole thing in the oven to bake.
Whatever you choose, make sure it’s smooth and non-stick. You could even use your kitchen worktop, but place a sheet of baking paper down on it first to prevent the clay sticking to or contaminating the surface.
3. A Toothpick, Needle Or Needle Tool
I’ve found toothpicks to be invaluable for most types of miniature model making, for polymer clay, they work a treat for adding texture. Toothpicks are super cheap and ideal if you’re a beginner and don’t want to shell out on buying professional tools. They’re also much safer than needles for kids to use if they’re modelling with polymer clay.
Toothpicks and needle tools are used for many different things, including:
- putting holes in clay
- texturing clay – such as creating cake texture in a miniature cake or making lines in the top of miniature bread rolls
- smoothing clay by using the toothpick as tiny roller
- drawing feathering patterns on miniature cakes
- attaching different parts of miniature models together (connecting bits of clay together with either metal or wooden sticks is known as armature)
- drawing patterns on clay
- mixing chalk pastels with liquid polymer clay
In another useful video from Sculpey, you can see all the different ways toothpicks can be used with polymer clay.
Needle tools are used in the same way as toothpicks, some people prefer them because they have a stronger and finer point, they cost a couple of pounds from craft shops.
You can use a needle or safety pin instead of buying a needle tool. Or, you can make your very own needle tool with a needle or safety pin and polymer clay!
4. Ball Tools
Ball tools are used for making rounded indentations in polymer clay models – from eye sockets and mouths to tiny saucers and adding texture to petals and leaves. They can also be used for blending seams when joining pieces of clay together or creating patterns in clay.
Ball tools are great for using on very thin pieces of clay and can be used to tease out the edges of leaves and flowers so they look more realistic. The smaller ball tools can be used to create veins in leaves.
In the video below, you can see how you can even use these tools to apply coloured powder, paint or ink to polymer clay.
Ball tools are great for smoothing or adding texture to the edges of clay when making miniature food. In this video, the modeller uses a ball tool to smooth out the edges of miniature pancakes, to create the indents for egg yokes in mini egg whites and to add texture to miniature bacon rashers!
5. Soft Chalk Pastels And Paintbrushes
If you want to colour liquid polymer clay or add shading to raw polymer clay, the you’ll need some soft pastels. There are lots of different things you can colour liquid polymer clay with (I wrote in depth about colouring liquid clay in this post), but the most widely used and the one I like best is soft chalk pastels.
You’ll need a sharp knife to shave pastel dust either into the liquid clay or onto a work surface or container if you’re painting it onto solid clay. You’ll need to mix it with something like a toothpick.
You can also use coloured liquid polymer clay with a wet brush which will give you more control over where you apply it, this especially comes in handy when making miniatures.
6. Silicone Sculpting Tools
Silicone sculpting tools are a bit like a cross between a brush and a stiff sculpting tool. They have flexible ends and come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit different projects.
Silicone sculpting tools are used for a range of everyday polymer clay techniques including:
- blending seams between pieces of clay or to remove unwanted indents in clay
- creating patterns and indents in clay
- pushing clay into moulds
- smoothing larger surfaces of polymer clay
- smoothing edges
These tools have a flexible end and the stiffness and shape of this varies between brands and tools. The harder tips are better for adding detail, and the softer tips are better for softening edges and blending seams. You can wet the tips before using them too, some modellers swear by this technique for making the tools easier to use.
Silicone tipped tools can also be used to paint with, including painting on polymer clay.
I bought a set of five silicone sculpting tools from Amazon, which work fine, but they were a bit if a waste of money as I then bought the Sculpey ball/silicone tools! I didn’t read the description properly so didn’t realise the Sculpey ball tools had silicone tips on the other end, so I could have saved myself £5, but I’m sure I’ll use them at some point!
You can see the two ends of the Sculpey tools below.
You can actually make your own sculpting tools, but whether you save money this way or not will depend if you need to buy the materials to make the tools yourself!
7. Sharp Knife Or Blade
You could use an X-Acto knife or a craft knife for cutting your polymer clay, either works as long as they’re sharp! Knives are used for cutting shapes or patterns into polymer clay, for cutting polymer clay into sections or for attaching tiny pieces of polymer clay to your model.
Knives are extremely versatile but if you craft regularly, you might want to invest in a blade for polymer clay as well. Straight blades are particularly useful when working with clay and are great for cutting canes.
In the video below you can see how the modeller uses a blade when making a miniature cherry cheesecake, including cutting clay into shapes, shaving chalk pastels and chopping up a roll of polymer clay to use as cherries.
You can find out more about what knives to use with polymer clay and how to use them in my post Ultimate Guide To Knives And Cutters For Polymer Clay Miniatures.
8. Miniature Cutters
These are super useful for making uniform shapes, such as biscuits, layers for cakes or leaves. The main options for cutters are metal Kemper cutters and miniature cookie cutters, or plastic plunger cutters. You can find out everything you need to know about miniature cutters in my blog post Ultimate Guide To Knives And Cutters For Polymer Clay Miniatures.
I have the Premo Sculpey Basic Shapes Mini Metal Cutters pack which costs around £9. The shapes are versatile enough to work for lots of different miniature projects, including flowers, leaves and biscuits.
9. Storage Boxes And Bags
Storing polymer clay correctly will make it last longer. Store it in an appropriate plastic bag or tub or glass jar, away from direct heat or sunlight.
There are hundreds of different options for storing clay, as always, I say keep it simple and go for resealable plastic bags in a plastic tub. But if you want to find out more about storing clay and what plastic storage options to avoid, ready my post How To Store Polymer Clay So It Lasts Longer.
Remember, polymer clay won’t dry out if it’s not stored in a sealed container, but dirt and lint can be a problem if clay is left out in the open. Storing clay in a container can also prevent it becoming crumbly – although it’ll probably take a very long time for this to happen!
10. Wet Wipes
The least glamorous but one of the most important polymer clay tools, wet wipes are used for wiping clay, wiping tools and wiping your hands!
You can use baby wipes to remove paint from polymer clay, particularly splashes or any paint that’s gone outside the lines of a detailed design.
They’re particularly useful for cleaning clay off blades and reducing clay build up, which can lead to a knife or blade dragging through the clay.
Bonus Everyday Items You Can Use With Polymer Clay
There’s no limit to what you can use as a tool for working with polymer clay. You can use toothbrushes and tin foil to create texture, you can make a stamp or imprint out of anything from buttons to leaves.
For working with miniatures specifically, you can use the end of pens or mechanical pencils to make teeny circles in clay, or you can use the end of drinking straws to make larger holes.
Tweezers are great for attaching pieces of polymer clay together, or for holding clay in place while you add details to it.
Card stock is a great substitute for shop-bought rolling guides when you want to roll your clay to an exact thickness. You can find out more about homemade rolling guides in my post How To Use Polymer Clay Rolling Guides To Get The Perfect Thickness.
If you have hot hands or are using a softer clay that’s prone to fingerprints, then latex gloves will make it easier to handle the clay.
Finally, to finish with, I had to share this video about making miniature polymer clay tools, from polymer clay!
