What is paperclay? And how do you use it?  These are just some of the questions I am regularly asked when customers or visitors view my work with this medium. Paperclay is an air-dry clay, that requires no baking or curing such as polymer clays do.  The most spectacular feature of this air dry medium is its versatality in the use of creating stucco, stones, bricks, even wood in the dollhouse miniature hobby.  Shown is a picture of my most recent creation, Wisteria Cottage, using paperclay.

I have created many items in paperclay, in miniature, and the best tips that I can offer are this, buy some and experiment. Paperclay is available in many craft stores, such as Michael's, Joann's, Ben Franklin, Hobby Lobby, and many others, or on-line at the Creative Paperclay website.

  This website has many projects, a gallery, and links to artisans who use this fantastic medium to create dolls, scrapbooking embellishments for scrapbooks, and more. Paperclay is available in 8 ounce or 16 ounce packages that look like this:

The possibilities are endless with this medium in the creations in miniature.

Tips:

Paperclay is a water based product. Acrylic paints were used in Wisteria Cottage, seen above, to create the look of exposed brick, stone work, and stucco.  I used a series of what artists refer to as 'dirty washes' to achieve this effect. Dirty washes are diluted acrylics mixed liberally with water. One or two drops of paint mixed with 1/2 cup of water starting with a build-up of color. I started with burnt umber, black, slate blues, and hippo grey. Brands of acrylic paints vary, and all are good. My favorites are Folk Art and Delta.

Paperclay is an air dry product, and as such, dries quickly in a very humid climate. Since I live in an area of the USA that is on the East Coast in the southern region, humidity and dry time is high, therefore, I have learned to work quickly in my sculpting. Working in a cool environment with this product in a high humidity climate is an important factor, and also keeping the piece moist by applying water with your brush now and then. I always keep a clean cup of water available nearby, seperate from my 'dirty wash' bowl.

Paperclay is versatile in that it can also be sanded after it is totally dry! I have used both sandpaper, fine or coarse grits, depending on the amount of sanding needed, and also have used my dremel tool/sanding tip when I wished to carve more details. Whenever you work with paperclay and sanding this medium, be sure to wear a mask to avoid breathing in the dust, and also goggles  or protective eyewear to protect your eyes from particles.

 Tools:

Creative Paperclay in 8 or 16 ounce package

Ziplock plastic sandwich or freezer bags for storage of clay

Sculpting tool--These are also available in craft, art and hobby stores in plentiful supply. Michael's & Ben Franklin stores have specialty clay aisles, and sculpting tools used for polymer clays are also useful for paperclay too. These are the tools that I can't leave home without!

White glue--Elmer's glue, or Tacky glue. When applying to wood, Elmer's wood glue or Titebond is desirable. This adheres the clay to the wood structure.

Saran wrap or wax paper for covering your surface and protecting your workspace.

A roller  (for rolling clay out thinly, to the thickness of a pie crust)

Exacto knife

Toothpicks or bamboo skewers

Sculpting tool-- ( dental tools and picks are also useful, if your dentist throws them away!)

Brushes -A stiff bristled brush that is small is useful for creating the pores in stones, bricks, and stucco by  'stabbing' or 'jabbing' the clay gently. I get mine at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe's.  They should be bought frequently if you do alot of exposed brick, stones, and stucco as the paperclay will dry in the bristles, and fragments from past projects will spoil your work.  I use liner brushes for grout, and a variety of sized brushes for applying dirty washes, and paints.  A seperate brush should be used for applying water wash to your work to seal it and the sculpting into place.

Cups of water--Vital!

Optional--sandpaper or dremel tool for carving and sanding

Goggles if using your dremel!

Dry Time:

Dry time for a dollhouse miniature project is anywhere from 10 to 24 hours depending on your climate, the size of your project, and how thickly you have rolled out your paperclay. Recommended thickness is 1/8th of an inch thick, or the thickness of a piecrust. Experimentation will be needed to see what works best for you. NEVER apply your washes or paints to a piece before it is totally dry. Work in stages, allowing each side of your structure or piece to totally dry, this way if there are any trouble spots, they can be fixed, sanded, or re-done.

Troubleshooting:

There are some trouble spots in working with paperclay, just as there are other air dry and clay mediums. One main complaint with paperclay is the cracking, which CAN occur, and will. Learn to make this work for you, especially if creating a cottage with aged stucco, stones, or brick. Cracks can be made to look  'natural' as if you wanted them there, and no one will notice the difference! Cracks are easily repaired by rolling a small piece of paperclay, brushing on water to the cracked area, applying a small drop of white glue, and filling it in with your small filler clay and smoothing it out with your tool and brush. If you need to re-sculpt your bricks or stones, use your sculpting tool, and let dry before proceeding with your washes of paint.

Another tip I have found useful is to draw on a practice board your pattern for the stone work or bricks, and get comfortable sculpting  versus applying paperclay and then creating more work for yourself at a design or pattern that you dislike. This allows you to experiment and design a variety of patterns of brick and stone that you can draw inspiration from in real life! I use pictures in architectural magazines, books,  and  actual places that I have visited to create my structures exteriors in miniature.

I hope you have found my guide on dollhouse miniatures in paperclay helpful, and encourage you to try your hand at this fascinating and addicting medium for the dollhouse and miniature hobby! 

Wisteria Cottage is a one of a kind piece, created by Lisa Neault, Owner of Pumpkin Hill Studios on Ebay &   King William Miniatures & Collectibles.  Wisteria Cottage has since this article was written, has been sold. This one of a kind piece was debuted  at    Tyson's Corner Minaiture Festival    in McLean, Virginia on October 8th, 2006. Contact Lisa for inquiries for your own Wisteria Cottage, or a special commissioned piece, all inquiries are welcome.