I want to make clay models?

Question

my drawing skills are pretty good, but i'm getting tired of drawing, so here's what i want to do for a project: i want to make a little clay zoo with little clay animals(: what kind of clay should i use, and where can i get it? what kind of paint should i use as well? i also want to make cages for the animals to stay in, but i need the cage to be able to open so i can get the animals out and stuff, like, have a whole side slide open and slide shut. any ideas of how to do that will be appreciated(: thank you!

P.S. any tips would be nice on how to make the animals(:

Answer 1

If you can take a class that would be ideal.

If you are doing this on your own

If you don't want the clay to harden there are some modeling clays like plasticine that never harden.

If you want the pieces to harden then you could look at polymer clay like SCULPTY it needs to be baked to harden.  There are a lot of experts on polymer clay on Yahoo Answers

With Sculpty you can make an armature of wire to start forming the pieces.  With legs being thin the wire gives strength and support to the legs of your animals.  When the piece is baked the wire is a permanent part of the piece.

Sculpty comes in lots of colors or you could paint your piece after it is baked.

You could make cages out of the same wire you use for an armature.

You can buy the wire and the polymer clay at most craft stores.

EDIT If i were to do a saber tooth tiger I would get some wire (about 1/8 dia) Layout tools : wire cutter, needle nose pliers.

Make a framework for the tiger.  Wrap the wire with masking tape.  Start applying colored Sculpty.  Sculpt the image.

I would let it set a while then make changes

Bake per directions then paint with acrylic paint.   You may want to vist

http://www.fimo.com/home_eberhardfaber_c...

or

http://www.sculpey.com/projects_figures....

For a cage I would make a floor in sculpty on top of a corrugated pad And bend wire.  

I might bend wire to form the cage I might also do some soddering