Soccer ball made of polymer clay. MK

I really wanted to make a soccer ball like this for a keychain, because... I support football. I present an excellent MK.

For such a ball we need a hexagonal sausage. I don’t have such a syringe attachment, so I made it myself. I found a set of these keys from my husband, they are all hexagonal and of different sizes.

I took the one with a side of 4 mm. I put a piece of unnecessary plastic into the removable part of the syringe into which the nozzles are inserted.

Then I carefully inserted the key to create a hexagonal hole and bake)

Squeeze out the white plastic. The sausage is slightly rounded, probably the key needs to be inserted straighter. I did not straighten it, so as not to deform future hexagons.

Now the main thing is that you need to bake for a minute or two so that the plastic remains flexible, but does not deform when cutting. I succeeded) Cut the cooled sausage with a blade.

Now you need to determine the required amount of black plastic for the base. In my case, I needed a ball with a diameter of approximately 20 mm. If 5 hexagons fit tightly to each other, then the diameter is chosen correctly.

Cover the entire ball.

Roll it in your hands and bake it. Then we fill the pentagons and the joints between the hexagons with black plastic.

We bake again, sand, varnish... and rejoice! Good luck!
I forgot to write, you need 20 hexagons, and then there will be 12 pentagons.

The task “Surprise for your beloved man” is coming very soon!
And so I decided to make my husband a soccer ball and make a keychain out of it.
I sculpt from Fimo clay for the first time in my life and it immediately turned out to be a master class)) Funny))
I think for the first time I can be forgiven for any unevenness, so please don’t pay too much attention to them. Since I only had chocolate and vanilla clay, the ball turned out to be “edible”, and I decided to add popsicle, toffee and candy to it for a keychain. To make it tastier))

Materials:
baked clay Fimo soft chocolate and vanilla color
base for a keychain (I took it from an old keychain)
a piece of thin wire (since I don’t have any pins, I decided to make do with improvised means)

How to do:
Knead a piece of brown clay thoroughly in your hands. Then we roll it into a ball.

Then we make 12 small dark balls and 20 light ones (check the quantity on the ball). The size of small balls relative to large ones was done by eye.

We take 1 dark and 5 light balls and stick them, not pressing too hard, onto the large ball. Looks like a flower with petals)

Cover the entire ball. In this case, you will not have a single small ball left. We try to sculpt evenly, with equal intervals.

It almost looks like a ball)). Now we roll it into a ball. All irregularities should be equalized.

Then we prepare the keychain. I have this ring with a chain. We bend the wire in half and thread it through the ring of the chain.

We twist the wire.

We stick a twisted wire into the ball.

Then I made more tasty treats and now the whole thing needs to be baked. I took a baking bag, put the product inside, and tied the bag on both sides. It is very convenient and safe, the oven does not deteriorate from baking clay and it does not need to be washed thoroughly after that.

Working with polymer clay is easy and pleasant. The process of making earrings with your own hands will remind you of your childhood and modeling from plasticine. The necessary materials can be easily purchased at craft and creative supply stores.

Materials and tools:

Ear hooks - 2 pcs.
Double ring - 6 pcs.
Screw pin - 10 pcs.
Fastening cap - 10 pcs.
Fimo Effect polymer clay
Water-based polymer clay varnish
Clear adhesive (for metal or plastic)
Stationery knife
Toothpicks
Foil
Work surface (glass, ceramic tiles)

If this is your first time working with polymer clay, be sure to first carefully study the information on how to handle it.

Making ball earrings from polymer clay

Knead the clay in your hands and roll out a “sausage” with a diameter of about 1 cm on a work surface. Cut the tip evenly with a knife. Place a ruler nearby. Cut the clay with a knife: 2 pieces of 2 cm, 2 pieces of 1.5 cm and 2 pieces of 1 cm.

Roll each piece into a ball in your palms, trying to keep it even.

Carefully insert pins into the largest 2 balls from one edge exactly in the middle. Insert the pins into the other 4 balls on both sides: top and bottom, trying to ensure that they are located exactly in the middle of the balls.

Then the pins will need to be carefully removed from the balls.

Unwind about 1 meter of foil and crumple it. Insert 6 toothpicks into the foil. The lump of foil should be stable.

Use a toothpick to slightly widen the holes in the balls. The pins will need to be glued in, so there needs to be room for the glue. Secure the balls to the ends of the toothpicks.

Place the foil on a baking sheet and bake in the oven. See the polymer clay packaging for baking time and temperature. Do not exceed the permissible temperature, as if it is exceeded, the clay will begin to burn and evaporate toxic fumes.

If your oven does not have a thermometer, then you will not be able to bake the clay. Don't even try. In this case, the clay can be boiled. But this method has disadvantages. Firstly, the boiling point is only 100 degrees. If baking polymer clay requires 130 degrees, then you won’t be able to cook such clay either. It will not harden properly and will crumble. Secondly, after cooking, a white coating appears on the clay. But after varnishing, the color is restored and becomes bright.

For Fimo clay, the baking temperature is 110 degrees. These earring balls were welded.

How to cook polymer clay:

You will need small metal utensils (for example, an enamel mug with a capacity of 250 ml) and a spoon. This eating utensil can no longer be used. Pour filtered water into the dishes. You need enough water to cover the products by two-thirds.

Calculate the cooking time: for 1 centimeter of product - 1 minute. Add another 3 minutes to this time.

So, 2-centimeter balls will need to be cooked for 23 minutes; 1.5 centimeter balls - 18 minutes, 1 centimeter balls - 13 minutes.

Place a container of water on the stove. When the water boils, carefully lower the beads. Reduce heat, but keep the water boiling constantly. If the water begins to boil away, stir gently with a spoon (without touching the beads) or remove from heat and then immediately put back.

If you cook all the beads together, then after the cooking time has elapsed for each pair of balls, you need to take them out with a spoon, and leave the rest to cook further. After removing from the water, immediately rinse the balls under running cold water and leave to cool.

After 10-15 minutes, wipe the balls with a soft cloth (for example, velvet).

Secure the balls back onto the toothpicks in the wad of foil. Take out one toothpick at a time, coat the ball with varnish and reinsert the toothpick into the foil. So cover all the balls with varnish. It is necessary to apply 3-5 layers of varnish with an interval of 20 minutes for each layer so that the varnish dries before the next layer.

Let's start assembling the earrings. Place 2 pins on 4 rings. For 2 rings - one at a time.

Then insert the pins into the mounting caps.

Before gluing, bend the fastening caps so that they fit snugly against the balls. Insert pins into the balls to ensure that the holes in the balls are wide enough. Remove the pins and start gluing.

You can glue a cap with a pin, and then fasten the pins together with rings. You can glue caps with pins already connected by rings. As you prefer. Instead of double rings, you can use single ones. It is easier to connect the balls with single rings than with double rings.

Don't forget that the pins must be inserted into the fastening caps.

Insert the pin into the neck of the tube of glue and lightly press on the tube. The leg of the pin should be covered with glue so that it fills the hole in the ball. Insert the pin into the hole, press the cap with the pin and hold for a few seconds. If the glue comes out, carefully remove the excess. However, it’s good if you get a drop of glue on top of the cap - it will be stronger. Transparent glue will not spoil the appearance of the product.

Glue the pins into the largest balls.

Then into medium sized balls on both sides.

And to the smallest ones.

Leave the earrings for 24 hours to allow the glue to set (or for the time indicated on the glue package). If after a day the pins turn in the holes, it means they are poorly glued. You'll have to take them out and re-glue them.

Then assemble the balls together into rings (if you glued pins with caps without them) and put earrings on the top rings.

Polymer clay ball earrings are ready.

If you have clay left over, you can make beads from it (the holes in the beads are made with a toothpick using a gentle screwing motion before baking or boiling). From the beads you can weave a Shambhala bracelet, which will be an excellent addition to the earrings.

And these are the earrings after almost 5 years of wearing them. The fittings, of course, have changed color, but overall they still look very good. Nothing came off or cracked.

Elizaveta Rumyantseva

Nothing is impossible for diligence and art.

Content

Recently, handmade products have been in great demand. Modeling from polymer clay and cold porcelain is very popular; any novice needlewoman can make such crafts with the help of master classes and even without tools. In order for the finished product to be of high quality, it is necessary to follow a certain technique and sequence of actions.

What is polymer clay

This substance was created artificially by a German woman, Fifi Rehbinder, to create heads for handmade dolls. Polymer clay for modeling has a specific herbal smell and contains plasticizers, which give it plasticity. When baked, they are absorbed, the mass hardens and can no longer change its shape. Polymer clay (or plastic) comes in two types: self-hardening and thermoplastic.

The latter requires heat treatment, but you can sculpt anything from it - from small parts to large figures. The self-hardening material dries naturally in the sun, which will take at least a day. If you have not heard about the properties of clay before, then know that after drying, the finished product decreases slightly in size, the surface is uneven, but it can be drilled and processed with a file. This type of material is more suitable for sculpting dolls and other large crafts. The mixture should be stored in closed packaging.

What can you make from polymer clay?

Modeling from polymer clay opens up great scope for imagination. You can make anything from fine jewelry to handmade dolls and figurines. Thanks to the unique properties of plastic, working with it is easy and simple. Some types of thermoplastics can imitate the properties of various natural materials: stone, wood, metal, fabric. For beginners in sculpting, it is better to start with simple techniques and techniques, gradually moving on to more complex ones.

Products

Decorations, costume jewelry, key chains, pendants, souvenirs, and refrigerator magnets are often made from plastic clay. Plastic is non-toxic, so it can be used in games with children. It’s easy to teach a child how to make vegetables, fruits, and simple flowers. More experienced needlewomen sculpt complex items from polymer clay, such as doll heads, arms and legs. The properties of the mass allow you to make crafts as similar and realistic as possible.

Ideas for modeling with polymer clay

Inspiration for creating masterpieces from polymer clay can be drawn from various sources. There are special printed publications on sale that teach such modeling. There you can find a lot of useful information, step-by-step instructions and many craft options. Modern needlewomen find ideas for modeling on the Internet, where there are photo/video instructions with a detailed description of the actions.

How to sculpt from polymer clay

To create with polymer clay, you don’t need any special skills, because the mass is similar to plasticine. In your hands it becomes soft and pliable, ready to create any crafts. To make the product beautiful and durable, choose high-quality material for your creativity. There are many types of polymer clay: Sculpey, Cernit, Viva Pardo, Deco (Japanese), Kato Policlay, Sonnet, Pro, Flower (sold in sets) and others. Most jewelry is created from Decoclay and Fimo clay.

Tools

Polymer clay tools can be purchased at any arts and crafts store. Some items can be replaced with improvised materials, but some special tools cannot be done without. Before starting work, you need to prepare for the process. You will need:

Large work surface made of glass or plastic.
PVA glue. It is useful for connecting thermoplastic parts together.
Sharp knives, maybe stationery ones.
Sandpaper to remove roughness.
A piece of suede fabric that adds shine to the finished product.
Toothpicks, rolling pin for rolling.
Cutters are special molds for cutting out figures.
Extruder, rolling pin.

Modeling techniques

There are several popular techniques that are used in creating crafts from different types of plastic:

Smooth transition. The method is to mix two different colors.
Sausage (sape, cane, millefiori). Several layers of different polymer clay are combined, and then the mass is rolled into a roll.
"Kaleidoscope". Multi-layered, using the kaleidoscope technique, the pattern is symmetrical and multi-colored.
Watercolor. A technique for smooth color transitions when sculpting.
Filigree. Complex, requires professional skills and patience.
Salt technology. Salt is used in sculpting to add texture to the creation.
Mika-shift. Creates a 3D effect.
Mokume Gane. It consists of layering several layers of plastic clay of different colors.

Some parts need to be glued together after firing to avoid damage during baking. Use liquid or gel glue for this purpose; it is better if it is fast-acting and will set in 15-20 seconds. This way you will have the opportunity to fit the parts as best as possible to each other. Do not apply glue in strips to avoid smudges, do it in the form of separate droplets.

Baking

This process requires certain conditions to be met. The most important thing is to adhere to the baking temperature indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer. If you violate this indicator, the product may not bake or change color. It is better to bake the mixture in the oven on a ceramic tile or a regular baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Small parts need to be pinned onto a toothpick and placed on a ball of foil, so they are baked better. Flat parts are laid on a flat surface.

Complex crafts can be baked in several stages, for example, if they are made using the filigree technique. Each stage lasts a certain amount of time (from 1 to 15 minutes), and the total duration of the process can take up to half an hour. It is also necessary to remember that in its raw form the material is not toxic, but when heat treated it emits an unpleasant, harmful odor. Follow safety precautions: ensure the room is ventilated, remove food from the kitchen, and wash the oven after firing.

Varnishing

Finished products are coated with a special varnish, which gives them a finished look. There are matte and glossy varnishes; you need to choose them based on the desired effect of your craft. Many plastic manufacturers also make varnishes, so you can purchase products from the same brand. It has a composition that will not fade over time and will not begin to stick to your hands. Some needlewomen varnish their creations with water-based varnishes for wooden floors. The main thing is that they do not contain latex, which is incompatible with thermoplastics.

You can apply the varnish with a brush, but it is better to “put” the product on a toothpick and dip the whole product into the liquid, twisting it around its axis. This way the substance will be distributed evenly and the excess amount will drain off. Next, the toothpick with the craft is inserted into a piece of foam plastic (or other material) and left to dry. If after a while a drop of varnish forms at the bottom, it must be carefully removed. It is necessary to cover the crafts in several layers, drying each of them for a certain amount of time (indicated on the packaging), sometimes this time is several hours.

Safety precautions

Working with any material, even food, has its own safety rules. If you decide to sculpt from plastic, take the following precautions:

After sculpting, be sure to wash your hands with soap, or better yet, wear rubber gloves.
Do not burn the mass in the oven where you cook. If there is no other, and you are forced to do this, wash the oven thoroughly and ventilate well.
Observe the baking temperature, and if the material is burnt, be sure to ventilate the room and wash the oven.

Having prepared all the necessary materials and tools, you can begin to create various masterpieces. Watch a few simple modeling lessons and start with the basics, moving on to complex crafts as you gain specific skills. Over time, this exciting hobby can grow into a small business that brings in a good regular income.

Polymer clay crafts for beginners

For those who have basic knowledge and are starting to work with plastic for the first time, a simple master class on sculpting a refrigerator magnet from polymer clay will help:

Stock up on: self-hardening polymer clay in pink, yellow, white, green, light green colors, a soft magnet, acrylic paints, glue, scissors, toothpick, beads.
Roll small balls from yellow, white, pink polymer clay, form a drop out of them, cut the thick edge into 4-5 pieces with scissors.
Flatten them and give them relief with a toothpick. You will get flowers.
Form droplets from green-colored material, flatten them, and make veins with a toothpick. These will be the leaves.
We make buds: we press stripes on a white droplet, imitating unopened petals. We wrap the bottom of the workpiece with a piece of green mass.
Paint the magnet with paint of a suitable shade and glue the resulting blanks onto it, creating a composition. Complete it with decorative beads. Leave until completely dry.

New Year's crafts

An excellent New Year's gift would be a magic ball made at home from polymer clay:

Prepare: a small transparent spice jar with a screw-on lid, plastic (white, black, red, pink, beige), glitter, glitter, glycerin, vodka, pin, glue.
Roll 2 white balls of different sizes, put them on a pin (thin wire) to make a snowman.
Make indentations for the eyes and insert 2 black balls there. Insert a carrot made of red plastic into the recess for the nose. Draw a smile.
Roll 4 white balls, flatten 2 on one side - these are the legs. From the rest, make elongated droplets - these are hands. Build a snowman.
Roll out 2 thin long sausages from beige and pink polymer clay. Twist them with a rope. Form them into a scarf and hat for a snowman. In the same way, we make a candy in the form of a hook (we use red and white mass), insert it into the hand. Bake.
Coat the inside of the jar lid with waterproof glue, place a snowman in the center, and sprinkle glitter around it.
Pour different medium-sized glitters into a jar, pour 1 tbsp. l. glycerin and vodka, add water, taking into account that the snowman should still fit.
Coat the lid threads with cream, tighten, and let dry. Shake, turn over.

Decorations

As a decoration, try making a simple “knitted” bracelet for your wrist that imitates real yarn:

You will need: a base for a bracelet, plastic of the desired color, liquid gel plastic, an extruder, a knife.
Place the plastic mass into the extruder and extrude. Take 2 strips and twist them into a rope. Do the same with the other two strips, twisting them in the other direction.
Coat the surface of the base with gel, apply the first tourniquet, cut the required length. Then attach the second tourniquet as tightly as possible to the first one, cut it off.
You will get an imitation of knitting. Repeat the steps until you have knitted the entire bracelet. Do the same on the inside (optional). Bake it.

Toys

Modeling toys using thermoplastic is a great pastime with children. Try making a turtle like this:

Stock up on baked polymer mass (blue, light green, pink), a brush and 2 small black beads.
Make 4 large drops from the blue color - this is the preparation of the legs.
From a piece of light green plastic, form a blank in the form of a bell with a recess inside - this is the future shell.
Place the legs side by side with the wide part down and put the shell on top. Using the handle of the brush, holding it vertically, make a depression in the front of the future turtle - a place for the head.
We form a head blank: roll a ball and a cylinder out of blue plastic, connect them. You should end up with a head on your neck. Attach it to the body.
Roll pink balls, flatten them, stick them to the shell - these are spots. Make eyes from beads. Roast the turtle.