10 Things You Must Know About Air-dry Clay

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I realised that some questions came up a lot in the comment section under my clay tutorials so I created this video to cover all the useful tips on air-dry clay! Air-dry clay is a fantastic alternative to polymer clay because you do not need to bake anything, it's cheaper and more versatile. You can use paint to mix almost any colour you need and this is exactly what I do when making Maqaroon jewellery.
For those who haven't been following me on Instagram, I have just found an office/studio for Maqaroon! This is really exciting because I can start building a team to help me manage the online shop thus giving me more time to focus on KZbin (which I absolutely love doing). But it also means on the short run I will be quite busy and won't be able to upload as often. So please be patient with me in the next few months and keep sharing & supporting the channel ^^!
SHOPPING URLs
Clay Tool (dental instrument): amzn.to/1mhQ57T
Mermaid Puffy Clay: tinyurl.com/k5xp47p
Modena Clay: tinyurl.com/mn9cfch
Macaron Bracelet: tinyurl.com/kv7pvgc
Needlefelting Eyes (4mm): tinyurl.com/lko2yxa
All Other Clay: tinyurl.com/k6qsyl8
Nail polish: Models Own - Hypergel Pink, The Hungry Asian - Bliss, Green drugstore polish, Ciate - Pepperminty, Ciate - Sugarplum Fairy
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There is often a lot of confusion in terminology for air-dry clay, not helped by the fact that manufacturers label their packages incorrectly. As a general rule, this is what I use in my videos:
AIR -DRY CLAY (DO NOT BAKE ANY OF THESE)
Paper Clay - This is soft and fluffy clay that uses cellulose (paper) fibers as a base. Popular brands are Mermaid Puffy, Hearty Soft, Fimo Air Light and Crayola Model Magic.
Resin Clay - This is the heavier version of air-dry clay which includes brands like Modena, Grace and Cosmos. It forms a soft tip when pulled apart.
Cold-Porcelain Clay - Technically, CP only applies to clays which use cornstarch as a base and can easily be made at home as well. However CP looks and feels extremely similar to commercial brands of resin clay which is why I often refer to both as the same thing.
OTHER TYPES OF CLAY
Polymer Clay - This are oil-based clays (Fimo, Sculpey etc) which needs baking in order to harden.
2-Part Resin Clay - This is a super strong and very expensive clay created by kneading two parts together (like casting resin). It's mostly used for jewellery making, and not practical for making charms/miniatures.
Ceramic Clay - This is the "slippery/muddy" sort of clay that you probably know from school art class. The air-dry version is very fragile and can break easily. They can be glazed and fired to make stronger ceramics but this process is usually too messy/complicated for everyday DIY.
Camera: JVC Everio
Software: iMovie 10.0.1
Music: Courtesy of Audio Network
*Contains Affiliate Links
This video contains sponsored products. These are the same brands which I buy and use myself on a regular basis.

[@naomisimon3199]

Don't throw away dry clay! It's still useful as a filler for a larger project - for example, if you are making a cat latte art, you can fill the head part with the dry clay, and cover it with the fresh one. This way you won't waste any material you spent money on.

[@kamsterd1884]

Naomi Simon EXACTLY

[@macirose7585]

OMG THANK YOU!

[@zie368]

Naomi Simon You are a genius!!

[@kimtran-lm9my]

THANK YOU!

[@theamalgamation5750]

you can wet it and make it soft again, too

[@stareofmedusa7087]

The packages look like chocolate *__*

[@chiarahx6327]

stare of medusa oh my, now that I think about it, it actually does.

[@sirinkhan4937]

IT DOES!!!....

[@chrisy1212]

stare of medusa so I'm not alone it really does look like chocolate

[@RedstoneNinja99]

One of them said 'this product cannot be eaten'

[@user-zz8fx3ij1u]

Yes the packages looked like chocolates 😂😂

[@quesadillaap]

One of the reasons I love your videos is because I get to hear the crinkly sound of packaging...is that weird? I LOVE IT!

[@judichristopher4604]

This is an EXCELLENT TUTORIAL... Thank YOU for sharing this.

[@SpiritedDancer17]

I really want to get back to sculpting, we can't turn the oven on in summer, so I'm looking into air dry. I feel like air dry will be SO much easier! And I really love how it can just set it out and it'll dry! I think I've found exactly what I needed! 😊💜

[@bedahnim6188]

wow.. you really know how to point things out in simplest way... love this.. 😘

[@SheryllQuesta]

Air dry Clay is amazing. I actually whipped up my first batch a few days ago. It was so much fun I even made a video. I ended up making some beach style ornaments. Got any tips for cracking? Awesome vid!😊

[@wonderwend1]

Brilliant! All the information I needed to get me started.It was great to see the difference in the finished articles. Thanks SO much for doing this video

[@freetch4fun]

this was so useful for me, thanks a lot for making this video, love your creations, subscribed! ❤

[@nerdburgercazz]

This was the best video I have ever watched on air dry clay. You answered every single question I have completely. Thank you

[@meerabzaidi9445]

This still remains one of my fav videos ❤

[@savannalist158]

This is very very helpful :) thank you . I've been deciding on what clay to get and learning how to use it.

[@teddy8311]

This video is really helpful for a beginner like me!!! Thanks for making it!!

[@DaniellaYunru]

thumbs up for the informative video!

[@debbieboring3422]

Thank you I just started to look at the air dry clay and this is very helpful.

[@thefruit2430]

for everyone in the US Model Magic by Crayola is also a paper air dry clay a good substitute if you don't use Amazon or Etsy

[@pink1cecream790]

It very much is! I've been using it to make small angel sculptures and it really works well. It can be smoothened out with just a bit of water. The only thing about it is that it does dry VERY fast, especially the smaller pieces.

[@dw9822]

I heard it's garbage.

[@carlycharlesworth1497]

Hi there. I have just joined your channel and I have to say that this info on clay was really helpful! Thanks for making this interesting video today. I loved it and wished it was twice as long! From a fan in South Wales. UK.

[@maryhurlbut9344]

thank you, I'm using paper clay with my students and this was a good refresher

[@Doyoufolkslikecoffee]

great tips. I only ever use polymer clay but I want to start using air dry for my dollaking. thank you for the information

[@alanayoung259]

Thanks to you, I started felting and crafting with clay! you are one of my fav crafty youtubers! you are so inspiring! keep doing what you do! ps I luv your vids

[@CheshireCesare]

All my ASMR peeps that came for the clay and stayed for the sounds ---- --- I see y’all, lol 💆🏻‍♀️🎧

[@thegglife7309]

This is one of my favorite crafting channels and I love it!!! Thank you so much Maqaroon!!!!:)

[@mennensart7936]

That was super helpful!! thank you so much😍

[@ashshepard4947]

Can you do a video on different resin air dry clays? Modena Lumina Cosmos Grace OAK Resin Mochi Clay

[@ismailgourouza8897]

I just found out about u and I. love the video they help So much:)

[@ConnyTachi]

I will be forever thankful for this video. BLESS♥

[@DOLLSILOVE]

Thank you so much for this helpful video ❤️

[@khunbabywaifu7086]

This video is satisfying 100%!! 2019??

[@personality5640]

2022

[@_The_Lizard_King]

2023!

[@lacelazier]

Thanks so much for this video! This would be a great substitute for polymer clay for me. The baking part of the polyclay always stresses me out, haha! I'll be sure to get some of this clay as soon as I can :D

[@myrandarosenbaum9332]

These clays are even kawaii with their fancy packaging! Kind of reminds me of chocolate wrappers. :3 I just got into using polymer clay you are giving me so many ideas!

[@christinacollett5515]

omg love your both your channels,your definitely the slime queen😁

[@curedreamfandubz4116]

1:09 OK so I have a question,, i’m trying to make cute little cat decoration for the bows (cuz I’m cosplaying Hiyoko) and I just want to know if paper clay is the right way to do?

[@kpoptrash4085]

@Mizumi Ch. 錦山湖 She probably already cosplayed Hiyoko lol

[@Dovlphixn]

danganronpa :o

[@bellaorchard4099]

Thank you so much now I know what clay to buy🍓🍓🍓

[@simplypastel142]

WOW THIS IS SO HELPFUL THANKS

[@annikavallurupalli5113]

Personally I like polymer clay better because it is stiffer, and i don’t have to worry about it drying out. But, I can still see why some may like air dry clay better.

[@aasthasharma529]

clay packaging looks like chocolate packaging

[@Nix-xb8ch]

This was a great video!! Now I know stuff about air-dry clay that I did not know about before!

[@jacklynreed8075]

Do you know the name of the song in the background? I play Alto sax and i play in a jazz band.

[@amayaharper3552]

Yea

[@carloneill8798]

Courtesy of network audio

[@artsislife2060]

Who else really love to hear the sound of plastic??not the ATTITUDE!!

[@0FuyunoBara0]

Thank you so much! this has helped me a million i just bought some hearty white to practice my deco making and was told by some resin based is better etc etc but seeing this has helped a million in understanding the differences and what to do with the clay's i have. Thank you so so much!

[@maqaroon]

Nicky Valentyne Yay so happy to hear that!! It's mostly personal preference, I like the heavier texture of resin for making very small sweet deco charms but I prefer paper clay for larger, kawaii pieces :D. Btw, if you want to try cold porcelain, FimoKawaiiEmotions YT just posted a pretty cool tutorial on how to DIY cold porcelain using only a pot & stove: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmW7mGBqo9l5atE

[@sandrasolaligue-perez4816]

I didn't even know there were so many brands of air dry clay. Thank you very much for the explanations.

[@justanotherchannel9479]

This has helped a lot, thank you!

[@MajorDad4ty4]

"this is the latte art bear I made 5 months ago" "BEAR in mind" ITS A PUN I THINK I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO SPOTTED IT

[@kazumii1457]

Jimmy F almost everyone noticed it 😂 (how come when I try to say something it sounds offensive )

[@VAMSquad]

Jimmy F I spotted it too

[@Gaby-N-Miklo]

Thank you! This has been so helpful!! 😍🤩

[@BlagakhsandiEllTesro]

Thank you for making this video! I’ve one question though: I’ve made keychains and small book charms before with paper clay, but i find that over time, the clay part would detach from the metal eye hook that I’ve secured on it, especially with the keychains because they’re more frequently handled compared to the charm bracelet (because i rarely wear the bracelets lol). Any tips on how to properly secure the eye hooks to the paper clay?

[@bellashealingartistry8934]

Thank you! This was very helpfull!

[@spaceowlmom8819]

thank you for this tutorial. I saw that the paper clay was more marshmallow like and knew to get that kind to resupply my daughter's puppy maker kit.

[@ItsBethx]

Your voice is very calming!! Love it!!

[@gracegrace790]

thank you just bought non fluffy air dry clay have to go pick it up, great tips that everybody can understand.

[@midhurikhanam7338]

Wow asmr!!!! The asmr for this video is lovely

[@kayleehogness7184]

i have been working with polymer clay for a long time but I don't often get the chance to do any projects because my house heats up horribly whenever I use the oven so I can only use it in the winter to bake my projects. This is a problem because I have school in the winter. So when I have time out of school to craft I don't an oven and when I do have an oven i don't have time. I was told about air dry clay by a friend who watches your videos and I had heard of it but I was scared to buy it because there was a lot I didn't know about it. thank you for this video I plan to get some now that I am a little more confident in working with it thanks to you.

[@MyDogIsYoshi]

Thank you for this. I had the idea to start making my own hair clips since I don't like the ones I find in stores. I saw that air dry clay was pretty cheap, but I didn't want to get something I'd use wrong. Thank you again!

[@maqaroon]

+MyDogIsYoshi Hi! you're welcome! :D

[@SabaBushnaq]

That's very helpful information! Thank you! Where can I find such a wide variety of clay?

[@Catellites]

very informative, thank you so much!

[@kthot2416]

This looks so awesome! I am totally subscribed now! Thumbs up on this video as well!👍👏 For Christmas im totally asking for clay!🌺🌸💐

[@user-tb4kx4fl2v]

That video was really helpful for my paper clay tutorials. I find it as useful as a book.

[@bostonblackie9503]

Thank you for the video! I know nothing about air dry clay, however, I have a lovely garden ornament of a Teddy Bear sitting in a chair reading a book. My puppy decided to bit on one of the arms and bit off a piece of the edge. The arm is hollow, would I be able to use air dry clay to place over the opening and let it dry in order to repair the figure? If so what kind of clay do you recommend? I don't intend to put it out in the garden again just keep inside. Any help would be very much appreciated?

[@dontyellatmeimsoft886]

this is so useful! thank you!

[@eros4570]

loved your tutorial. Thanks

[@spooky7030]

This video is really helpful so thank you

[@hafsahali2024]

I love your channel so much ♥ I just started watching your videos and I'm obsessed with them ! Have you ever tried Jovi clay ? If you did . Do you recomend them for projects like this ?

[@Lin-oi4mb]

Hi, thank you for making this video, it was very helpful!!! I was wondering, for sticking clay together, does your way also apply to resin clay? Or is it for paper clay only?

[@Pegatronus12]

I got some air dry clay from hobby lobby , I like that it air dried and was light weight but it always had these cracks and ridges like the surface was rough.

[@KaylaTheKind1265]

I just ordered Hearty and it's coming in tomorrow 😍

[@emianemone7197]

This video was so helpful! Thanks.

[@alexsartspace599]

So much fun for all ages!

[@jennylen16]

Very informative! Thankyou 😍

[@deniseberry8179]

Thank you! very helpful video. I've subscribed 😊👌

[@nancyz2837]

I bought some clays from 1127handcrafter. It's amazing! Love it. Thank u for your recommendation.

[@korisutaspencer8725]

This was so satisfying

[@chris1pham]

I have been taking photos of people's fun and cute crafts and art and I want to draw them onto paper on my channel and I hope you maquaroon make more cute crafts so I can turn them into a drawing

[@yslcynthia]

Hi, thank you for your wonderful videos. I really enjoy watching them. I have been using hearty for many years and have only come across with Mermaid puffy recently. They look very similar to me, can you tell me the difference between them?

[@Bruno0Brown]

Thank you for this video. Really helpful. Please what is that book you used. Love the look of that.

[@nidaansari8937]

I'm so happy that I found your channel! I really want to know where you bought this clay, is there a link for a website or something?

[@isabellar8297]

Actually i found this quite helpful. I was buying clay on Amazon and i didn't know which one will be good for using now i know

[@loubyloudoodles1432]

Oooo wow i shall give it ago thank you so much 😊

[@M.llie-4]

Thx sm! I was having trouble ❤❤❤

[@beansbeanie163]

You save my day. I aways use polymer clay but when I look at your videos I am very surprised how ari-clay work better then polymer clay. :> good video

[@gwynmann9113]

The little "bunny" (whatever) clay toys are so cute! ♥

[@elle-maypiper5429]

This vid was sooo helpful I cant count the amount of times I havent done some of these steps

[@nettefairy]

I'm planning to make a cosplay mask with paper clay so this was extremely helpful!

[@aohamer]

so helpful!! thanks much :)

[@jacksonnjohn8090]

Thanks for the tips that I never knew

[@anywaysso2108]

i miss the good old days but i still love your videos!

[@kaydenandfriendslol1268]

finally someone who does clay and has upload recently

[@SomethinSweetShop]

Great video, is resin clay lighter than oven-baked polymer clay when dry?

[@ArtsyChrissy]

Air dry clay is really the best! I am using that in my videos.

[@chariots8x230]

Nice video! But I have a few questions. What kind of paint do you use to color the clay? Are there any shiny & matte coatings that I can use to seal in the paint? Can I apply glitter, and if yes, how?

[@amenab.studio]

HI, What are you using to seal your clay jewelry pieces? and have you any idea how long clay last, once dry? Thank you

[@toninicolemarquez8389]

Ooo i like clay!! It makes me feel calm if i make a human made with clay i usually need help for making them be harder to bake

[@jujudevil4019]

Im planning to make this medium sized phoenix for my friends birthday out of air drying clay and is it okay if i used foil, wire or something of the sort to make its base to build upon (like its skeleton) as im reluctance to use polymer clay

[@ashleykohu4450]

omg thank you this has helped me so much because in my country oven clay cost $7 a packet and I can get this for $3 in my country

[@thereal_couchpotato]

thanks it was very helpful

[@anitamontella9039]

Very helpful. Thanks

[@lizzydraws4515]

This is very helpful

[@evabrill3531]

Congrats on almost reaching a million subscribers!

[@JulyTotoro]

Thanks heaps! It helped a lot xox

[@snowypawslps5397]

Hi i have 3 questions 1.Does crayola model magic good for little things like charms? 2.Can you paint over it and if so will it affect the clay? 3.Is Crayola paper clay?

[@zarumo7497]

Im new to the hobby and I would like to ask if paper clay has elasticity after drying? or is it hard as rock?

[@CaliDreaminxoxo]

hi! i love your channel so much! I was wondering if you ever tried daiso clay. I bought some and it quite difficult to work with. If you ever happen to get daiso clay, please make a tutorial with it!

[@popcorncraft4613]

I used it too! Maybe you bought the wrong one? If it's the one that had a bear and counting blocks, then it should be paper clay. I found it pretty good!

[@popcorncraft4613]

And I might make a tutorial on it...

[@maqaroon]

CaliDreaminxoxo Thank you!! I'm afraid I have no experience with Daiso clay because there aren't any Daisos where I live. However I have heard from several viewers who also had problems using it, and I suspect it's because the clay has already started drying out when they bought it. Paper clay only has a shelf life of 6-12 months, and if it gets left on the shelf in Daiso then it's very likely it will start drying out. Yes, it would great if @Popcorn Craft could do a tutorial, it might help a lot of crafters just so they know what the "right" consistency of the clay should look like when it comes out of the packet.

[@maqaroon]

Popcorn Craft Yep, that would be really cool! I suspect many people bought Daiso clay that had dried out and it would be quite useful if there's a video of how it should look when taken out of the packaging.

[@popcorncraft4613]

Maqaroon unfortunately, I used a zip lock bag since the package wasn't air tight, but I will find it somewhere. And iMovie isn't working either...