Can you mix paint "into" white clay to make it a color, and if so, what kind would be safe to bake?

Question

I'm making an Abby Cadabby figurine for my daughters first birthday cake. I need some bright pink and purple clay, but can't find any. I need to color it but I want to make sure that the paint I use will hold up and keep its color when I put the figurine in the oven.

Answer 1

Get red + blue to make purple, and then red + purple + white to make hot pink.

Answer 2

You don't say what type of clay you're using.

If its' a polymer clay (one which *must* be baked to harden and "cure") you can mix paint into it to change its color then bake the clay and it won't affect the color (as long as the temp doesn't get high enough in any area to have darkened the clay in the first place), but you must use  artists' *oil* paint (or alcohol inks), not acrylic paint.  

Acrylic paint can't be mixed into polymer clay (more than just a little) because the water in the acrylic paint will get trapped inside the oil-based clay and turn to steam and bubbles when the clay is heated.

You can mix acrylic paints into air-dry clays though, then put them into a low oven to speed up drying if you want and I don't think that would affect the color either as long as the temp is low enough (air-dry clays don't "cure" from heat though the way polymer clays do).

(So, it's "safe" to add mix paints into both kinds of clay, then bake or dry them.)  

However, you can also paint over baked polymer clay or dried air-dry clay with acrylic paints (usually two coats), and you can even bake the polymer ones at least for a short while to further "harden" the paint if you want.

If you want a "bright" purple and pink, your best bet would be alcohol inks, or just go for the most fluorescent purple or pink oil paint you can find.

You should be able to find a bright purple and pink polymer clay though at most any craft store, or hobby store, or even art supply store (Premo, Kato Polyclay, FimoClassic, FimoSoft, or Sculpey III).

If you want much more info on changing the color of polymer clays or mixing specific colors, or on baking clay without darkening it**, or even making small figures, check out these pages at my online polymer clay "encyclopedia":

http://glassattic.com/polymer/color.htm

or, if you want to paint over the clay:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/paints.htm

http://glassattic.com/polymer/baking.htm

http://glassattic.com/polymer/sculpture....

(...for that page, click on the subcategory called "Whimsical" under the Websites section for lessons, examples, tips, etc.)

**original white "Sculpey" (in the box) is the brand and line of polymer clay that darkens the easiest of them all, followed by SuperSculpey and Sculpey III... the others are better and about equal, but Kato Polyclay (Hobby Lobby) changes color the least of them all even without special baking techniques... more info on them here if you're interested:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/Characteri...

P.S.  If you are using polymer clay, it would be best to be uber-safe and sit or glue or attach your figure to a small wood plaque or a plastic disk, etc., just so the clay won't come in long-term contact with food

HTH,

Diane B.