Video #705: Pastel chalks stick surprisingly well to polymer clay. In this video I provide lots of ideas to try out for yourself.
In this video are examples of different brands of Chalk Pastels (Not Oil Pastels), and examples of finished polymer clay pieces that have incorporated Chalk Pastels.
In these examples from previous PcT tutorials, the chalk pastels have been used on both raw clay and mixed into liquid polymer clay.
Chalk pastels come in many colors and quality standards, ranging from Student Grade to Artist Grade. The artist grade chalk pastels tend to have a higher pigment level than the student grade ones.
Chalk pastels stick very well to polymer clay and usually don’t need to be sealed unless they will receive high wear, or you are worried about them getting dirty.
You can use any polymer clay safe finishes to seal your chalk pastels if you wish.
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- Related Video: Faux Raku Macrame Bracelet Polymer Clay Tute
- Related Video: Daisy Flowers Polymer Clay Tutorial
- Related Video: Poinsettia Christmas Charms Tutorial
- Related Video: Christmas Snowman Beads Polymer Clay Tutorial
- Related Video: Polymer Clay Tutorial Anjou Pear Fruit Beads
- Related Video: Cymbidium Orchid Polymer Clay Tutorial
- Related Video: Fairy Doors Video Tutorial
- Related Video: Faux Enamel And Viking Knit Polymer Clay Tutes
- Related Video: Sealing Polymer Clay Best Practices
Do you have any suggestions for videos on tips, techniques or products you would like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments section below!
My goal is to help you to learn quicker and easier ways to bring up the professionalism in your polymer clay art.
Oh and don’t forget to give these videos a Thumbs Up click at YouTube if you are enjoying them. The more Likes a video gets, the higher it rises in the searches. And that means even more people will be able to join in on this polymer clay journey of a lifetime.
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Looking forward to hearing from you!
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Have you used a product called the Best Glue Ever from ScraPerfect? I’m using polymer clay things in some multi-media pieces and I need a glue that will stick clay to canvas/metal/fabric. Thanks. I love your videos.
I have not used that glue before Joy, so I can’t help you with that, but I have used E6000 for situations like you have mentioned, and it works very well.
I had run out of red clay so decided to use chalk pastels and got my Artist Quality ones from the cupboard. As I wanted a bright red I shaved half a block of a red pastel and mixed into some pink clay.
(I though it would take that much!)
My hands turned red and it took a lot of scrubbing to get it off. So beware, you will only need small amounts as a quarter of what I mixed would have been too much, but it was a beautiful colour when baked. Should have waited until today, after this tute Cindy…Lesson learnt..cheers xx
Well it sounds like you learned something from your experiment Elaine… and that isn’t a bad thing. :)
Thanks, Cindy! I always wanted to know about the different chalk pastles. Glad the Michaels’ brand, Artist Loft, is a good and least expensive one to try. I’m actually getting ready to make some bracelets using the Faux Enamel and Viking Knit tute! I’ve done the Viking Knit but haven’t tried the Faux Enamel. It’s very gloomy and rainy here in MI so, it will be a Very Clay Day!!
Sounds like the perfect whether for claying Catalina! Have fun!
Cindy — just a note about Fimo liquid. ( I “think” it’s still called decorating gel), I have used it for quite a number of years because it truly IS transparent. It’s hard to find, though — I ordered mine online through Amazon because I can’t find it in the craft stores near me.
I bought Fimo liquid just to make dewdrops – it’s great for that!
Interesantisimo
gracias Wendy
Hi Cindy!
Thanks so much for the continuing expansion on products to incorporate into our ployclay-ing :)
I would be interested to hear about how & if the Oil Pastels fair – I have so much of those left over from other artist classes … and maybe what about regular crayons? or is the wax too much in baking?
Also does anything happen to the clay if you use too much – do you loose the ‘clay’ aspects? i.e. it gets too hard to manipulate or mold?
Oh aaaaaaaaaaand just because I am such a noobie here, the top coat or protectant is AFTER the clay with the chalk is baked correct?
thanks again!!!!
-Cris
Hi Cris, I have put oil pastels on the list of stuff to test. I have used crayons though. Just type crayon beads into the search box and you can watch a video on how to use them. And as far as how much of anything that you can add to clay… well that depends… You kind of have to play that one by ear. If it is getting too crumbly or too sticky (depending on what you put in it), then you added too much and you’ll need to add more clay to the mix, to get it to behave for you. And for your last question, yes you add the top coat after it is baked. Welcome to our community btw. I hope you enjoy it here!
Would be interested in the Kato liquid clay if it bakes up clearer. What about the time for baking and temperature? Would it still be the same? Thanks for the wonderful videos! Can’t wait for January.
Hi Cheryl, the Kato Liquid Polyclay is definitely clearer. The instructions say bake at 275F until set. (Which basically means bake until it goes clear.) I have found it is usually set within 30 minutes and you can always hit it with a heat gun to finish it off, if it is still a little cloudy.
I love this video, Cindy – best of all, it pointed me to other interesting videos I want to watch. I bought a set of chalks a year or so ago and haven’t used them much yet – partly because I didn’t realize how many amazing things you could do with them. I’ve always been fascinated with fairy doors and didn’t realize chalk could be so helpful with them.
Hi, I just found your site! Thank you for your amazing site and the terrific information you provide!
I’m especially interested in your video about using soft pastels with polymer clay…..
I’m an acrylic artist but I’ve always wanted to use soft pastels with polymer clay, but never dared. Didn’t know if it would stick. Now I know it will. THANKS!
BUT……. I have questions…….
I want to use the pastels dry and crumbled, on top of the clay, NOT mixed with liquid clay.
BUT……. Can I really do this? My poly oven is a convection (countertop, toaster) oven. Won’t the pastel dust just get blown around and WRECK the oven? And get in my house and LUNGS?
This is a serious issue. The high grade pastels I have can be super toxic because of the high pigment load containing things like cadmium, nickel, etc.. I know some pastel artists who actually work in haz-mat suits to try and avoid breathing the toxic dust. I don’t even use them myself because of the dangers. (They were a gift.) They just sit in their drawer, wasting space, lol.
Wouldn’t my convection oven just scatter it?
Thanks for any ideas you may have on this.
And thanks again for your awesome work!!!
Hi Sean, thank you for your question! I can understand your concerns, but let me ease your mind.
When you use the dry powder on a raw polymer clay piece, you will see that it adheres to the clay very well. In fact washing it off with water would even be a task, even before it is baked, so do not worry about it blowing around in your convection oven.
Secondly, I recommend that you tent your pieces using a tin foil pan, whenever you bake polymer clay pieces any ways to prevent your piece from getting scorched. Another reason why you do not need to worry about the chalk blowing around in your oven. There is a video on these tin foil lids on this blog, so just use the search box and you should be able to find the info you need.
And just so you know, I myself use a convection oven, with excellent results, so what you have is perfect. There is a video on that too if you want to look it up.
So there is no need to worry. You will not be creating a cloud of toxic dust in your lovely oven, so go ahead and use your chalk pastels on your polymer clay.
Thanks so much for the info. I’ll try this over the weekend!!! I’m excited to see what happens.
About the tin foil pan – does that work better than ceramic tiles and silicon sheets? I’ve used both. What is ghe relative difference between the three?
Thanks again for your quick reply!
Oh, and I should add that when I bake on ceramic tiles, I put a sheet of deli paper under the polymer piece between the ceramic and the clay. In fact I make everything on deli sheets, so it is already there. I just slide it onto a tile when ready to bake.
I’ll check out your recommended video though to see if it might work better, especially for the ones with a sprinkle of pastels. I’m really wanting to trap it, just in case. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think I have to trap it or abandon the idea, just for my own peace of mind!!!
Baking on a ceramic tile with deli paper on top is just fine. The foil lid goes over the top. Alternatively, you can get two foil pans, large enough to fit a til in the bottom and use one for a lid. Then use binder clamps to hold the top and bottom together. Make sure to do a search on baking. There are many videos to watch that will answer your questions. Good luck!
Hi Cindy,
Another Cindy here from Cape Cod.
I enjoy all of your tutorials. Everything I’ve learned about working with polymer clay has come from the internet and you are one of my favorite teachers. I love your scientific approach to using various materials with polymer clay and your product demos.
I have two questions.
First, have you tried these new uv curing glues that are advertised on tv, not sure if you have them in Canada. They have names like laser-bond. It is a pointy tipped glue applicator on one end and a uv light on the other. I used some to glue posts to some pc disks I made from molds I made of buttons and now I wonder if this was wise… I believe the cured glue is like a plastic so maybe it is ok?
Second, when applying powders (mica, pastel, whatever) to the surface of clay to highlight the texture, have you found anything that works like a fingertip but is more precise? When I brush my mica powder covered fingertip across a textured pc surface I love seeing the image pop. But sometimes my fat fingertip can’t be as precise as I want. However, nothing else I have tried works like a fingertip. Brushes get the powder into the cracks instead of only on the surface which can create an interesting effect but not what I’m looking for.
I have been making these cute 20cm-ish button duplicates in one color but some of the designs would look good in 2colors if I can figure out how to apply them.
Any ideas welcome and keep up the great work.
Always looking forward to your next video,
Cinth (a childhood nickname I like to use… kind of unique. To most folks I’m Cindy)
Hello to another Cindy on the opposite coast! I have not tried any of the uv glues yet, though that does sound interesting! Do let us know how your piece is after a few months. Sometimes it can take a awhile before you can see any long term incompatibilities.
As far as another tool you cool use for adding mica powder, have you tried a Q-Tip or a make-up sponge? I would think either would do the job nicely. I have seen a tool out there called Sofft for Pan Pastels which is basically a tiny makeup sponge on an applicator.
Cinth is a great nickname! My uncle used to call me Cin Cin and now that he has passed I often think about how sweet he was, and how he made me smile when he called me that.
Thanks for commenting!
That is a wonderful idea, Cindy! I’m usually pretty good at ‘finding’ things around the house to use in polymer clay and other crafts(you should see my collection of corks and those green Emerald nuts containers, and toothpaste caps… etc!) but I don’t wear makeup so none of those things are around my house! I think I tried a q-tip once and it was too fuzzy and , like a brush, it got the mica powder between the cracks. I think a foam applicator would work better since I recall they are less fuzzy than q-tips. But all q-tips are not equally fuzzy so maybe all applicators are not created equal either. When I get the chance to try it I’ll report back.
To get back to the UV glue experience….
I tried it this weekend on some button duplicates I wanted to make into post earrings. One problem is that ideally, no glue should show on the back, but the light has to get to the glue to cure it. I glued about 10 pair of earrings. They seemed pretty sturdy but I didn’t got so far as to try to pull the back off.
Next day there seemed to be a little bit of tackiness on some of them. I put them in the sun and zapped them with the UV pen again.
I wore a pair of them and when trying to take one of them off, it came apart. The glue that was ‘in the dark’ between the clay and the metal was uncured.
I don’t think there is a compatibility issue between the glue and the clay, or at least it is not yet apparent. But for connections where the glue is ‘in the dark’ it seems like a worse option than e6000 which I’ve used successfully in the past.
I’m not sure I’m prepared to rip the other pairs apart so I’ll let them be and report back after a while.
Looking forward to your next lesson!
Thanks Cinth for the UV Glue update. What you’re saying makes perfect sense. How would this glue work in most cases then, since I’m sure not everything you would want to glue wouldn’t be see through. Anyway, look forward to hearing how it stands up over time. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Cindy, could you help me? I want to use chalk pastel on my polymer (fimo) and want to keep the granulated look of the shaving of my chalk . unfortunately when I bake it it is not fixed and when I want to glaze it after it melt into an uniform colour. Any idea how to fix that chalky look? Could I try an hairspray? Will it not stay sticky? after curing sure?
Thanks a million in advance for your suggestions.
Kind regards , Francoise
Hi Francoise, that is an interesting question. You could try a couple of different ways to get that granular look. You could try coating your piece with liquid clay first and then adding the chalk. That would help the chalk stick better to the piece. If it sunk in deep enough You may even be able to add another layer of liquid clay to seal it. I have mixed chalk with liquid clay before and it tends to have a granular look to it when it cures. I think it is because it is oily rather than water based. SO the color doesn’t bleed that much… especially if the chunks of chalk are larger
Another way would be to ‘fix’ it like you suggested. I would not use hairspray. It would be very difficult to know what was actually in it and you may end up with some compatibility issues, getting sticky over time. I would use PYMII. It is polymer clay safe and you could easily add a thin mist to protect the chalk and then seal it however you like with your glaze without worrying about it bleeding out.
Just type PYMII in to the search box at the top of the page to learn more about it.
Do let us know how your tests go…
How do I make freckles on a terracotta figurine?
Thank you,
Jan
I have never worked with terracotta clay, so I am not sure how to help you. Perhaps someone else might know?
Do you know of a way to remove chalk pastels from raw polymer clay? Thanks
Hey please help.. I made Victoria doll with yellow clay now my client not happy she was red or green colour can I close baked clay doll with chalk colour mixing with liquid clay
Chalk pastels mix into liquid polymer clay nicely, though a little speckled. You can test it out on scrap clay and see if it gets the look you want. Good luck!
Hi Cindy,
I need your help dear. I have a small factory producing jelly slime for children. I am about to produce super light air-dry clay. Do you know ingredients and the process of it. I would appreciate it if you could help me. Thank you in advance
Hi Marzieh, I am sorry but I have never made my own polymer clay. Good luck with your business!
Marzieh:
Please be aware that there are patents on both the ingredients and processes for making air-dry clay. Before you start making clay for sale, it would be a good idea to do a patent search to be sure you aren’t infringing on someone’s invention. Otherwise, you could be subject to a cease-and-desist order or a fine.
Excellent point Nika! Thanks for bringing that up!
Cindy, I’m having a dispute with my niece about the different types of pastels… which ones work well with polymer clay, and which ones do not. Will you please explain so I can show it to her? in other words so she can hear it coming from you. Maybe then she will believe me.
Thanks
Kay Lynn
LOL There is a difference between the different types of pastels out there. There are the dry hard chalk pastels that I show in this video… which weirdly are often called soft pastels. (Maybe there are some pastels that are even harder that are called hard pastels idk?) Then there are the soft oil pastels that people use to make drawings with… you know the smeary kind you used in elementary school. I have only used the hard/soft chalk pastels with polymer clay. I won’t say the oil ones won’t work, because I haven’t tested that, but I do think they would play nicer with the clay if it were used on raw clay rather than baked clay… but I am only guessing.
What about acrylic pastels?
I didn’t know there were acrylic pastels. Unless you are talking about Gelatos. They work beautifully with polymer clay. You can put them on both raw and baked polymer clay.