Air Dry Clay - Testing with Various Paints

Air dry clay, there is a lot of information out there about using different paint types. Most people agree that acrylic is the way to go.

You never really know what is going to work best for you and your projects until you test out a few different options. So, that is what we are going to do in this video.

Armed with a few test pieces along with paints that are in my inventory, let’s do this.

Supplies:
Crayola Air Dry Clay - prepared test pieces
FolkArt Home Decor Chalk paint
Iron oxide
Ranger alcohol inks, blending medium, gold mixative
Artistry Watercolor Paint Set
Acrylic paints in various colors

Paint brushes
Water
Paint trays

Review:
Chalk Paint-
The general thought on the internet- chalk paint does not work well with air dry clay, the thought is that it chips after it dries. For this test, I did not find that to be true.

I contribute this to a few possible reasons:
The test piece was small, it was about 1 inch or so in diameter
The test piece wasn’t sanded, only painted
Wax was applied for the finish

This was my favorite method, and we will continue to work with it to see if that statement continues to be true. The chalk paint enhanced and created a beautiful surface using what would be considered flaws of the clay.

Alcohol Ink
This was interesting- the colors were so brilliant. My inventory consists of a total of three colors, a blue, a red, and a yellow. I loved the way the colors layered.

Two test pieces were completed, one with gesso and one without.

The one with the gesso provided the more authentic alcohol ink look that you normally see. The one without, the ink absorbed quickly into the clay, but the colors were still vibrant.

Watercolor
No, no, no, not my favorite! That being said, it was challenging enough to peak my interest. HHHHHMMMMM, how can we make this work better next time?

Water and air dry clay, for obvious reasons don’t mix. As time permits, we will absolutely jump back in just to see if more successful results ensue.
Once again, there were two pieces, one with gesso and one without. Neither were working too well for me.

As expected, the paint absorbed quickly for the non-gesso piece. The colors were much more vibrant than anticipated.

Acrylic
Again, two pieces, one with gesso and one without.

The gesso piece was just not coming together, so I tossed it. The gesso wasn’t the problem, you could say the problem was probably with the person holding the paintbrush!

The acrylic worked well with both the gesso and the non-gesso pieces.

Topcoat
Finally, a layer of clear coat was applied to the finished alcohol ink, watercolor, and acrylic test pieces. That layer seemed to diminish some of the fine lines in the clay.

Ending Thoughts
Gesso is your friend in most cases with air dry clay.

Where the air dry clay has flaws such as cracking, the chalk paint can enhance those flaws in a most desirable way.

The vibrant beauty of alcohol inks comes through even though the clay is porous.

#airdryclay #comparison #paint

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