WORK SURFACE

• glossy white ceramic tile (8"x10")
• inexpensive from the hardware store
• easy to clean
• portable
• put the tile right into the toaster oven
• more detailed information

​CLAY

• Fimo soft clay (most used due to its balance between workability and strength after baking)
• Premo! clay (softer and therefore more likely to smoosh details and more fragile after baking)
• Sometimes, I blend Fimo and Premo! to make hard clay more workable for my fingers

TOOLS

• NEVERknead:  condition/soften clay
• Atlas pasta machine: condition/flatten clay​
• favorite clay tool: pictured above! Yours may be different :)
• acrylic paint: black for pupil and white for light reflection to give the figures life!
• plastic wrap: place over figures to keep off dust until ready to bake

HEAD MAKING

• tinfoil: small ball for the inner head - helps the face stay stable when shaping features and deters smooshing when connecting to body!
• toothpicks: connect heads/necks to bodies
• clay collars: put around the neck/body connection to help with stability for when little hands grab the figure by the head! Hair/veils also help with this.

FIGURE MAKING

• small bouncy ball: create a dome for the base (figures stand better with just an outer edge rather than the entire flat bottom)
• sleeve: make an open space (hole) and put the hand into it
• note card: use to keep track of size/amount of clay used for each part of the figure. This is helpful if you use a pasta machine and can measure the amount used.

BAKING

• toaster oven: I have one dedicated to just clay use
• thermometer: put in the oven for better accuracy
• wax paper: put between ceramic tile and clay creation to avoid a shiny surface transfer from the tile
• no matter the thickness, I typically bake for an hour
• error on the side of lower temperature when baking