#fimo

who's your favourite char stage ? i think they're all very charming :3

“Reef Dreams III” Octopus Tea Cup by Sahasa [2023] Handsculpted from colored Polymer Clay.

Freya and Melinda with some Italian snacks I made a couple of years ago (mostly from Mulino Bianco and Ferrero + Ritter Sport chocolate because why not and some cannoli as well)

thanks for the q ; I have to be honest, my experience with salt dough is limited but I would generally reccomend investing in some polymer clay IF you can, here is why I think this (pro con list below);

salt dough vs fimo (or similar polymer clay)

polymer clay PROS

-lots of cool options for texture and colour (translucent, glow in the dark, super sparkly like opalite clay, rich tones/bright colours, etc)

-takes YEARS to dry out/lasts a long time when stored correctly (you can work on a peice/leave it out for days without it drying out)

-when done, can bake immediately and have project done immediately, takes glaze nicely, very durable when baked correctly. water resistant when baked

-can buff/sand/drill/etc when baked

-ready to go out the package

-really good for tiny detail work

polymer clay CONS

-while its marketed as ‘safe to bake in the oven’, if you burn it / overheat it , it can have toxic fumes (good ventillation is key)

-expensive, especially if you buy a lot (but you can make the body of projects with alumuim foil and use a thin clay layer for just exterior/shell)

salt dough PROS

-CHEAP! (especially for large-scale proejcts/group carfting)

-probably better for the environement in terms of biodegrading etc

-texture/consistency control

-safe option for making things like pet paw print charms and such (good non-toxic option for kids crafting)

-takes acrylic beautfiully

salt dough CONS

-personally i dont like the texture, it dries out my hands and feels ‘sensory bad’

-takes a long time to mix / get the lumps out

-takes a longer time to bake (or dry out)

-need to mix it as you need it (like you cant make a big batch and store it for weeks)

-have to paint it individually after (instead of making it with coloued clay off the bat)

-fragile; thin peices can crack easily

-must be sealed VERY well (to avoid absorbing moisture from air, if intedning to keep for a long time)

-can warp while drying/baking

BUT

it also really depends on your project/intention, if you want to make little detailed jewellery or charms or animal figures or whatever, (or something sentimental you REALLY want to last), polymer might just be eaiser. but if you want to make like, 50 gift tags in a cute star shape for an event, then id reccomend a salt dough, ya know?

last notes on polymer:

-different brands have vastly different textures/workability/softness, etc. It’s been a while since i used it, but just know some are way softer than others. id reccomend expirementing and finding what you like, sometimes some super soft ones are perfect for prohjects but sometimes they are annoying as piss.

-its possible my preference for polymer just comes from the fact im more expeirneced with it; for all i know theres amazing salt dough artists out there who swear by nothing else!

-maybe get like. One little pack of fimo. See how you feel ! Go from there :-) no need to splurge on a milllion clays right away!

ok, thats all i got. sorry for the big ramble, didnt realize i had so much to say. good luck!

As a thank you for listening, click read more to see some pretty clays I like :-)