Polymer Clay Snow People

Polymer Clay Snow People

Everyone loves to play with clay and polymer is the best.

I call my snow couple statue “Baby on the Way” because of the two little snowballs at their – um – feet.

It’s a good clay project for beginners because all it requires is an amorphous flattened shape for the base, several ball shapes and whatever embellishments you care to add.

Snow People Materials

• Polymer clay
• Toothpicks
• Short straight pins and/or wire
• Embellishments such as buttons and beads
• Two short pieces of wire – I used plastic-coated fun wire – for the mittens
• Acrylic paints
• Liquitex Super Heavy Gel

Snow People Directions

1. Form a flattened base for the snow people to stand on.

2. Roll four balls for the bodies and heads.

3. Cut two toothpicks in half; use one half to anchor each body to the base and one half to attach the heads to the bodies. This helps to support everything as the sculpture dries.

4. Use short straight pins to attach embellishments which have holes on top like buttons and beads for the eyes and “carrot” noses. Use wire to attach any embellishments that have holes on their sides, like the heart and flower buttons shown here.

5. Twist the pieces of wire into mitten shapes and insert into the clay bodies.

6. Add little snowballs, scarves and hats as desired.

7. Allow to air-dry (homemade clay) or dry in a low oven according to package directions (commercial polymer clay).

8. Paint your sculpture and let dry completely.

9. Coat with Liquitex Super Heavy Gel.

Optional: Sprinkle glitter or pearlescent seed beads onto the gel before it dries for a sparkly effect – like new fallen snow gleaming in the sun.

The example was made using homemade cornstarch-based polymer clay.

I was experimenting on how to get the controversial formaldehyde out of the traditional Pasta Francesa recipe.

My substitution of 1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar for ¼ teaspoon formalin is now included in the recipe on this website.

I much prefer using commercial polymer clay like Sculpey, Fimo or Cernit.

My little snow people made of homemade clay “melted” 35% by weight as they air-dried, causing some cracking. I filled the cracks with Liquitex Super Gel and proceeded.

You may be asking why anyone would use homemade polymer clay when they can buy something “better” at their local craft store.

Well, not everyone has a craft supercenter in their neighborhood.

Others need to save some money.

Some have concerns over the plasticizers used in commercial polymer clays.

Finally, if the project is small without a lot of detail, for example clay beads, the shrinkage is not a big problem.

Be sure to read my other articles about Home Cured Modeling Clays

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