Hello, dear readers. In this article you will find out the answer to the question.
A big statement? Is not it? Of course, after reading one article you will not become a master of sculpting, but you will find out the answers to the questions - what you need for sculpting and where to start.
Firstly, before you begin the sculpting process, you need to prepare. To do this, go to the nearest stationery store and buy yourself and a modeling board. Which plasticine should I buy? I will talk about this in more detail someday in a separate article, but here I will advise you to choose a set of 12 colors from such manufacturers as Gamma, Luch and Kalyaka-Malyaka. Why these? It’s just that in our stationery store, they don’t sell others.
In addition to plasticine, we also need a modeling board. It comes in different types. Most plastic boards in A4 and A3 formats are now sold in stores. The A4 format is smaller and the size of a regular landscape sheet, but the A3 is twice as large.
Therefore, I recommend purchasing a larger modeling board so that you have room to turn around. If you don’t particularly want to buy, then as a board you can use, for example, a sheet of plywood, pre-cut to the size you need and processed along the edges. This was exactly the option in my childhood.
There is plasticine and a board. What else? We will also need special sticks called stacks. You can find them in almost any set of plasticine.
A stack is a small stick used in the process of modeling clay or plasticine, with an extension at the end in the form of a straight, pointed, rounded spatula or other shape. The stack may have one working end or two - at both ends of the tool.
We will also need matches and toothpicks when sculpting. These elements are indispensable for fixing various parts of our crafts and plasticine figures. But since matches are not a toy for children, much less sharp toothpicks, they should be used ONLY under parental supervision.
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We are ready for sculpting. Now you need to take a piece of plasticine and break off a part of it. Hold it in your hands for a while and mold it into a ball and a roller - these are the basic initial forms of plasticine from which various figures and crafts are subsequently obtained. In addition, you can try making other shapes.
Once you learn how to make a ball and a roller, consider that you have already learned how to sculpt from plasticine. If you have any difficulties with the initial elements, then come visit us, watch the lessons and learn how to sculpt from plasticine. The main thing is that you still have the desire and then you will certainly succeed.
That's all for today. Until next time.
The wonderful works of sculpture masters can encourage you to learn a new activity. With the help of available materials and polymer clay, craftsmen are able to embody original ideas that delight connoisseurs of creativity.
How to learn to sculpt with polymer clay? Need to be inspired!
Where to start to create miracles?
To get started, you should get acquainted with the basic material. Polymer clay is a plastic material based on polyvinyl chloride, which allows you to create handmade products. In addition to PVC, clay contains plasticizers that provide flexibility and dyes. Material for modeling can be of two types:
1. Clay that hardens immediately after modeling.
2. Clay that requires baking in the oven to harden. It will be more convenient for a beginner to start with the second option, since he does not yet have the necessary skill, which appears over time.
For baking a molded product, a temperature from 110 to 140⁰C and a time of approximately 30 minutes are suitable. Higher temperatures will cause the clay to melt, releasing toxic substances. Therefore, you should not forget about thoroughly ventilating the kitchen after baking polymer clay.
Examples of works made from polymer clay can be:
Women's jewelry (rings, earrings, bracelets, beads);
New Year's toys;
Talismans, key rings;
Souvenirs (bouquets of flowers, miniature animals, vases).
Modeling tools
Modeling from a polymer material is a delicate work, requires deep thinking about the final result and cannot be done without tools.
1. A stationery knife for cutting out small parts.
2. Thick needle or wooden toothpick.
3. Acrylic paints and a brush to give the product expressiveness and make it realistic.
4. Fine-grained sandpaper to sand the surface and smooth out irregularities.
If you plan to devote a lot of time to modeling and make it your craft, then along with the clay you can purchase a professional set with stacks, rolling pins and molds.
There are a great variety: one of them is working with plasticine. This universal tool will help kids master the simplest elements, from which they will later learn to make various figures.
A large assortment of plasticine will allow you to choose the one that is suitable for creativity for young children. Pay attention to the following features:
- plasticine should be soft and flexible;
- no flavorings;
- do not leave marks on your hands;
- do not delaminate when sculpting.
If you have chosen this one, then it’s time to start creating! Prepare a plastic board for work: rolling out plasticine on it will be convenient for both the child and you.
Step #1: choose the color of plasticine that your child likes best
Even at a tender age, children already have their favorite colors. Invite your baby to choose the shade of plasticine with which he will begin to work.
Step No. 2: learn to knead plasticine in your hand
Pre-heat the mixture in your hands to make it more pliable. When the plasticine becomes obedient, it will be easier for the child to knead it.
Step #3:show how to pinch off plasticine correctly
Teach your child to pinch off small pieces of plasticine. Kids tend to do things with their nails. Demonstrate by example until the baby understands how to do it correctly.
Step #4: Roll into balls
Children may find this task difficult at first. Therefore, you need to show several options for rolling balls:
- between the index and thumb - if the piece of plasticine is small;
- between the palms - if the piece is larger.
Step No. 5: how to flatten the balls into “pancakes”
Ready-made plasticine balls are semi-finished “pancakes”. Show your child the slight movement with which he will turn the ball into a cake - simply by pressing with his index finger.
Step #6: stretch the plasticine over a sheet of paper
In addition to the plastic board, you will also need a sheet of paper. Warm the plasticine in your palms. Together with your child, tear off pieces of different sizes and place them on a sheet. And then stretch it in different directions with your index finger - smear it on the paper.
Step #7: learn to make flagella
This is a rather complex process that children may not master immediately. So be patient! This is where previously acquired skills will come in handy. Together with your child, pinch off a piece of plasticine, then roll it into a ball. After this, pinch the ball between your index finger and thumb and start rolling. This process can also be done on a whiteboard. And before the child’s eyes, the ball will turn into a flagellum. The longer you roll out, the longer and longer it will turn out.
What can your child sculpt from plasticine?
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Has your child grown up and started to get involved in creativity? Amazing! Your task is to be there, mentor and help. This is especially true for modeling. To do this, let's look at the main points.
Material by age
For each age, it is preferable to take “your own” plasticine. So, for toddlers it is better to make plasticine with your own hands. To do this, mix flour and salt one to one, add a little water and knead the salty elastic dough. This will be the first safe plasticine for your baby. Another advantage of this material is that crafts made from it can be preserved for a long time: just bake them in the oven, and after cooling and hardening, paint them with gouache.
If you don’t want to bother, then buy a special modeling compound in the store, intended specifically for very young children. This mass has softer and more pliable properties, and it will be much easier for fragile little fingers to handle it than with “adult” plasticine.
Has your baby grown up a little and crossed the border of the nursery group? Then choose German formoplast. Make it with your child and place the finished crafts in a container with hot water. This way the figures will harden like plaster and will delight you with their beauty for many years.
When buying plasticine for young children, be vigilant, do not be fooled by marketing provocations and do not purchase plasticine with fruit flavors. Yes, it looks and smells quite attractive and is quite suitable for older children. But if your baby is still trying to taste things that interest him, then be careful! As soon as you turn away for a second, a piece of fragrant plasticine will already be in your baby’s mouth.
Preschool children will love high-quality imported plasticine. It is less sticky and has richer colors. And at this age it is already possible and necessary to use cereals, beads, toothpicks, sticks, etc. to develop the child’s creative abilities in modeling.
Well, and of course, you can’t do without a stack, thick oilcloth or modeling board, which can be purchased at any stationery store.
How to teach a child to sculpt
A child of one and a half to two years old, getting acquainted with plasticine, will probably want to know its taste, scatter small pieces of it on the floor or simply smear it on the table. Therefore, firstly, of course, you should always be close to your baby during classes, and secondly, you need to give him specific tasks. This way he will be less distracted by extraneous actions. For example, invite him to complete the composition he started.
Now you already have a picture made of plasticine with a forest and animals depicted on it. Tell the child that the fox was going to pick up mushrooms, but it was raining and the path became wet. We need to help the fox not get its feet wet. And for this you need to lay out a path of pebbles.
Basically, children of this age can flatten circles prepared by adults into pancakes. Invite your child to play: “Let’s bake pancakes for the bunnies,” or “Let’s make wheels for this machine,” or “Let’s sew buttons on Mashenka’s doll’s dress.” Such playful moments will attract your child and encourage him to take active action. The activities will bring your child great pleasure.
Next, you can show how to roll a “sausage”. You can roll it out on the board, or between your palms. And now, from two elements, you and your child make a basket, which you fill with candies, circles - fruit, sausages - bananas. Do you agree, it’s interesting?
At three years old, a child can already roll balls independently (but under supervision). Invite him first to fashion doll vitamins, medicinal tablets for the elephant, then a bun, and only then a tumbler, a snowman, etc.
What to sculpt with children
Some children like to make pictures from plasticine, others prefer three-dimensional compositions. No two children are the same. Therefore, adapt to the child, take into account his wishes.
If the child prefers to smear plasticine, then you can add cereal to the work (under adult supervision!). Lay out various pictures from it on the blank.
As for voluminous works, here your imagination and the imagination of the child are limitless! Having mastered simple shapes, such as circles and sausages, and having fallen in love with modeling itself, the child begins to show his creative abilities. He pulls out the plasticine, pinches it, presses it, smoothes it, etc. And now, new, unique masterpieces are already appearing from under his fingers!
Now there are many websites and magazines on modeling. Let your little one watch and learn with you.
Never force a child. Be able to properly involve him in the process and then you will develop not only his creative abilities, but also prepare the muscles of his fingers for writing.
We teach children to make crafts from plasticine not only for fun. The fact is, such lessons are not only exciting and funny, but also useful. After all during creative work, such as lessons in modeling, weaving, drawing - our motor skills and coordination of movements are developed, and the concept of shape, color, and proportions is created.
Knowing the importance of such a lesson, many mommies wonder about how to learn to make crafts. In fact, everything is very simple. In addition, in stores there are a variety of types of such material of the entire color palette, as well as devices for working with it. This makes lessons very easy for beginners and gives them the opportunity to freely imagine. Of course, the complexity of the craft will depend on the age of the baby. It’s worth starting with ordinary products that are familiar and important to the child. Most kids love animals, so you need to choose this topic to work on. You should sculpt from plasticine in stages, showing your baby all your manipulations and giving explanations. You can create an elephant together; a New Year’s deer, or your pet, can appear from under your child’s fingers. Or maybe your child loves cars? Or pretzels? All these are motives for inspiration that can be used by a young walker when working with plasticine. And of course, you will need step-by-step instructions on how and what to do.
Before you start sculpting, you should check that you have everything you need:
- Plasticine (we take soft, pliable, normal quality, so that it is easier for the baby to knead it in his hands).
- Tools for modeling.
- Children should be reminded that putting materials in their mouth is prohibited. Moms need to keep a close eye on everything.
Gallery: modeling from plasticine (25 photos)
We sculpt from plasticine, craft step by step
If all materials are prepared, you need to sit comfortably at the table with your baby. We create animals from the material in stages, duplicating the child’s manipulations to show him an example.
We take a piece of any color, preferably dark (which the child will like) and make a couple of details.
At the same time, we learn how to sculpt the lightest plasticine figures:
- The oval is large for the body;
- Four small ovals (or sausages) for our paws.
- A small oval (or rolled into a rope) for the tail.
- Create a ball for the head and stretch it out a little on one side for the trunk;
- We make two small balls and flatten them (these will be ears).
- After this, we slowly assemble the main particles of the figure, that is, we attach the legs and head to the body.
- Attach the ears to the head and the tail to the body.
Next you need to sculpt the eyes, eyebrows, and claws for the animal. But mommy age should be taken into account and the child's capabilities. A very small child will not be able to create too small details. That’s why we create them ourselves from plasticine and help the child place them correctly on the figure.
Modeling from plasticine for children 2 and 3 years old
At the age of two to three years, the baby still cannot cope with normal material, so it’s worth taking special soft plasticine for small children.
Children are still learning how to control their hands and find it difficult to learn modeling. We select tasks that are not difficult for the child so that he can cope with them, this will make him happy, give him self-confidence and he will want to continue to engage in this interesting type of creativity.
By the age of three, the baby will already be able to:
- Tear off pieces from plasticine.
- Create balls from them.
- Flatten the material.
- Attach the material to the paper and roll it out.
- Crush the balls with your hands.
- Create sausages.
- Roll the sausages into rings.
- Combine all components into one piece.
- The parents' task is to teach their child this.
Show your child:
- How to cut a sausage and get rings.
- How to cut out shapes from a flat cake.
- How to cut dough into squares, triangles and other shapes.
- How to stick different objects onto plasticine smeared on cardboard, for example, seeds, beads, cereals, pasta.
Duration of sculpting lessons at age 1-3 years is fifteen minutes and depends on the child’s mood and desire to work with this material.
For this age, it is advised to take plasticine only in important colors, so as not to overload the child with too much variety and not distract from the modeling lesson itself. In addition, if you want, the colors can be mixed to create new shades.
Modeling from plasticine for children 4 and 5 years old
At the age of five, a child already knows how to handle a modeling knife, his hands are already stronger and he can work with simple plasticine.
Children of this ages know how to roll balls, sausages, and now it will be more important for them to create more complex and unique crafts themselves.
Invite your child to create a mushroom clearing or forest lawn with bushes and trees around. Maybe the child wants to make something of his own, don’t stop him from doing this. On the contrary, it is wonderful and improves his independence.