The most popular two clays for crafters are Air dry clay & Polymer clay.
Polymer clay
Polymer clays are ideal for clay modeling. You can make crafts, sculptures, pottery, or anything with polymer clay. Most professional crafters prefer to use polymer clay in their work. The best part about polymer clay is that it doesn’t dry up on its own, so you can work with it for as long as you want. You can work on a sculpture for days with polymer clays. So it is easy for beginners to use since they have infinite time to work on their creations. Once you have finished working on your project, you will need to bake it in an oven at a temperature of around 130 degrees Celsius according to the thickness. But this baking can also be a hassle for some. And if you don’t have a baking oven it can be tough for you to work with polymer clay.
Compared to air-dry clay, polymer clay is a more expensive option, but it allows for professional-level work and better results for clay modeling. So for the best results with your clay models, I suggest using polymer clay.
Air dry clay
Air-dry clay is a popular choice for crafters due to its versatility. It can be used for both professional and amateur projects, and children often enjoy using it as a substitute for play dough. Air-dry clay is ideal for creating small models, miniatures, clay jewelry, and fridge magnets. However, it is not recommended for larger sculptures because it dries quickly, leaving little time for shaping, building, or texturizing. So it’s hard for beginners to work with air-dry clay because, once it’s hardened, you cannot bring back its softness and moisture.
But despite that, a lot of people, even beginners, prefer air-dry clay because it’s cheaper than polymer clay. So if you are a beginner or a student exploring clay modeling, you should start with air dry clay. It will not cost you a lot, also help you practice on your clay modeling skills. But when you’re moving on to a more professional use, you should switch to polymer clay.
