My “First Impression” Notes with Some Comparisons to Premo Sculpey:
Well I finally got my hands on some Studio by Sculpey Clay, and have to say that it is wonderful! Although this is only my first day using the product, I’m already loving the smooth buttery texture and the soft matte finish.
As many of you know, I am a big fan of Premo Sculpey. And now it looks like the Studio line may become my other favorite. Here’s some “first impression” notes that I jotted down for you:
- Studio by Sculpey is much more opaque than Premo. In fact there isn’t even a translucent in the line.
- It comes in a larger sized package (2.8 oz) as compared to Premo’s (2 oz). Yeah… the more clay the better!
- The Studio Clay is divided into little cubes. Easy to break off a small piece and start using it.
- It’s quite soft. Feels a lot like an extra firm marshmallow. It has that smooth buttery feel in your hands.
- When it’s baked it has a matte suede-like finish that sands nicely. No matter how hard you try, you will not get a high gloss finish by sanding and buffing… but you will get a low satin sheen that is very nice. I could see using the Studio by Sculpey clay and Premo clay side by side. The contrasting finishes may create a very pleasing effect. Will have to experiment with that.
- There is a difference in the hardness of the clays when baked. Studio clay seems to be more flexible than Premo when used in thin sheets. The write-ups say it is more durable as well, in large pieces. But you know me. Test, test, test. Will let you know of my findings. By the way, I report on my experiments in real-time on Twitter. You can follow my updates here: PolymerClayTips [Signing up for an account is easy and it’s free].
- The colors of Studio are different as well. All extremely yummy, but since they are not based on a traditional artist’s color palette, it may take some getting used to as far as making color recipes with them.
Overall I am excited about the bead making possibilities with this new clay and look forward to much experimentation! I got a bunch of the Studio by Sculpey tools and accessories as well… so stay tuned for my thoughts on those.
Back in August 2008, there was a bit of discussion that started about the Studio by Sculpey line of polymer clay [SEE this link: Cane Making]. I’d like to revive that conversation here if possible. Curious to hear your thoughts and opinions. Please post your comments below.
The Polymer Clay Superstore now has Studio clay on sale for $1.47 (US). Check out their website or you can also order by calling 610-589-6321.
Since this clay finishes up to a satin sheen, it might be useful to make floral sculptures with the upcoming rose beads, as I discovered not all Capodimonte sculptures are glazed, especially the stand alone flowers. Might be interesting to try a “large” rose with the “studio” line of clay.
I tried Studio for the first time this weekend and loved it. It was easy to condition and the texture reminded me of suede. I ordered mine online at polymerclaysuperstore.com and it was on sale 1/2 price. Maybe it still is!
I have used Studio for caning.
I would not compare it to regular caning , where you want very define lines.
What I liked is the “musshiness”. It’s interesting to have a cane with floating lines sometimes and Studio does that when combined with Premo to make a spiral cane.
I mix it with premo without problem and love the interesting ways the colours come out.
With kids projects its better than sculpey at least if you want to divide the amount of clay in a precise way and to make a badge plaque it’s super resistent besides it’s so easy to condition.
I was working on some Donna Kato Skinner Blend Striped Cane beads a few weeks back, and I loved some of the colors Studio had. Not to mention they were on sale at Joanne’s. I am a big Premo user as well, and I wanted to mix them as well. I did not get a good effect, infact they did not turn out very well. When blended with Premo the Studio came out “dotty”. It has little dots all over it, as if I had mixed dust into the clay. That is the best way I can describe it. I would also say it is very weak. I was putting a focal bead in a necklace, and was gently pulling to get the knots I made snug, and the bead broke right in half. I do agree with Louise about the floating lines. On the same project, with the Kato beads and the dusty clay, then lines that had the Studio in it, were actually raised more on the beads. It was like it created its own texture.
Thanks for the notes Cindy. I’ve been wondering about Studio lately. I’ll have to give it a test run too.
I love the colors of the Studio Clay. When I went to Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts and saw the display I bought 10 of the colors!! I like working with the clay it’s easy to use. If there’s a downside it’s not being able to buff to a shine, but I’m sure some clayers would prefer that on certain projects. I’m still a Premo fan.
Cindy, I’ve been using the Studio Clay for a little over a year now and have made many beads out of it. I just did about 50 last night. I added some Premo Pearl to each color I was using and then did a 3 part Skinner blend with turquoise, white and purple. The beads turned out beautiful. The Studio by Sculpey texture sheets are great to work with also.
I love all the Studio tools. I use them all the time with my Premo. I have yet to use the Studio clay. I especially like the wheel with the different interchangeable textures. When I shop at JoAnn’s everything is always 40% off except the clay products, so I usually use my coupon on clay tools or glues.
I love Studio clay because my hands just can’t condition anything harder. I use Studio and Sculpey III for that reason. One improvement? Make more colors! Nicky
Thank you everyone for joining in on this Studio by Sculpey conversation. Awesome comments. Keep them coming!
Over the last while, I have been communicating with some of the polymer clay artists over in Russia… and wanted to add the following information that “EA” at the Emicraft blog shared about the Studio by Sculpey product:
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>> BEGIN QUOTE FROM “EA”
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“Good luck in playing with it! We are selling it during the year and I could say, that it is bestseller among clays. I think people choose it because it is little bit cheaper than Premo, colors are beautiful (great marketing work), not only colors, but also packages and colors names, shape and amount – everything is highly oriented to customer. It is enough soft even from package, but not sticky, very good touch feeling. I still prefer Premo, may be Studio is too soft for me. Did you try Ultralight? If Studio clay looks nice for you, may be Ultralight will also very attractive. (I often give here links to your blog, I try to monitor the clay blogosphere daily and visit your blog also every day.)”
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>> END QUOTE FROM “EA”
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love the clay…love the feel…love the flexibility and strength…only wish they had more colors for dollmaking and caning but what they have is cool.
I’ve been using the Studio clay for quite some time now…love the yummy colors, and love the way it feels and goes through the pasta machine so easily. I DO get a wonderful, glassy shine on my clay when I sand and buff with my Fordham…don’t know why you can’t. The matte finish is really nice, but the clay will buff very well. Wish I could send a photo of my results! Although I mostly use Premo, I can mix the Studio with that or Kato to get even more gorgeous colors, and it’s perfect as is for caning when used with Premo. Kato is too firm a clay to try and incorporate Studio into the cane.
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Okee-dokee… here it is! I used teal, a bit of light green (any one they want – it will affect the color!) and some buttercream. The lace cane is buttercream and Premo Frost. I sanded in the tumbler for 24 hours, then buffed on the Fordham. Cheers! Julie
@Rita: You can create your own colors by mixing them. I will play around with it a bit and come up with some color mixing recipes in the future. It may take a bit of practice since the colors aren’t based on an artist’s color palette but when I do come up with some good ones I’ll post them.
@Julie: How beautiful! You did get a really good shine on your clay there. I only got a nice sheen, but maybe I didn’t sand long enough, who knows! Is there any Premo in your Teal mix? Because the gloss of the Premo would definitely effect the Studio clay. I see you are mixing Premo and Studio together. Some people have said they won’t mix together and they will break easily. Have you had that problem at all? I haven’t tried mixing them myself yet.
Hey! No, the teal is nothing but Studio clay. I have had no problems with mixing Studio and Premo, though…they blend perfectly together…I guess that makes sense since the same company makes them both, huh? The Studio lends its “suede” quality a bit to the Premo when mixed, and the Premo isn’t quite as “sticky-mushy” when conditioned or warmed up. Any clay is going to break if it’s not handled properly (or cured properly)…and accidents happen even if it is! PC isn’t indestructible…just almost!! I would suggest curing longer to help strengthen the clay. I have found the “dots” in the Studio is nothing but concentrated color…blending is the key if those little dots bother you. I have to focus on blending when I use the Kato concentrates, too. Just takes patience.
Thanks Julie for the info on mixing the two kinds of clay! Bet those little dots could be used to your advantage in some faux stone techniques. Will have to experiment with that. Thanks for your comment!
I have been trying to find out how to make beads out of flowers, had several funerals in the passed couple of months, and thought that would be a good idea to give to the grieving person, instead of sending flowers, this would be something to keep…..forever. I have researched and researched and cant find out what to do with the flower and to do with it…..If you could give me some help i would appreciate, i am not here to make money of the beads, just as a sympathy gift to the people thats lost a loved one. I dont no where to look and what i would need, all i no is i need to hang the rose up and let it dry out or put it in the oven. Can you help me please, I would greatly apprecaite it.
Thank you so much
Deb
Hi Deb. There is a fair amount of info on how to do this in other posts. Just type the words “flower petal beads” into the search box at the top of the page, for a list of articles.
There is also a video on how to make them using translucent clay and dried flower petals. Click the link by my name.
Ristak, you have some wonderful necklaces and beads, especially love the way you combined color and shapes on the purple one.
More clicking, ah….it’s a pillow bead set. Very nice, and very nice shop.
Thanks for sharing. And another from Michigan? Wow. Very creative state, must be something in the water, lol!
Hello, I work with bread clay and make jewelry from it. I use basically the same information as for polymer clay. I have some bread jewelry that I have had for 20 years so it holds up well. I have been experimenting with different glazes. I found the Pledge with Future Shine takes many coats to give a good shine. I think the bread clay may be more porous and therefore it absorbs some in the beginning. I can’t use a tumbler as the bread clay will disingrate in the water- it makes the dough soft again. I have been using Triple Thick gloss glaze by DecorArt with success but don’t know the long term results of the product. In the 80’s I was doing something different and used a dullcote finish and one with an acrylic spray that was gloss, but because of my living arrangements now I have no where to spray so I need to brush on or dip, if possible. Just wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions or have worked with bread clay before and have more information. Thanks.
Hi Linda, I was hoping someone else here had worked with bread dough beads and could help you, since I haven’t worked with it myself. A new finish that seems to work great with everything, paper, wood, metal, polymer clay etc. might work really well for what you need. It is called Preserve Your Memories II (PYMII). It also comes in a finger pump spray if you don’t like aerosols. If you click the link by my name it will take you to a comment referencing the product. There is a direct link to the company that makes it there. Hope that helps!
I have found that Studio clay tends to darken more when it is baked. Am I doing something wrong with the baking or is this just ‘the nature of the beast’?
It is the nature of the beast carolyn. Many of the clays darken when baked, much like many paints dry darker.