If you ever try to buy clay in an art store, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the options. Traditional clay is earth-based, while polymer clay and plasticine are synthetic compounds. Even traditional clay is often formed from different types of material to create the ideal texture or to improve its strength, and there are all the other little details to figure out: firm, soft, tooth, clay-body, air-drying, ceramic, low-firing, and so on. Even knowing what these categories may be, it can still be hard to know what to buy. That's why we're here with suggestions for finding the best brands of air-drying clay, polymer clay, sculpting clay, and pottery clay.
Clay Body
The term clay body describes how the clay itself feels and acts. Some clay is firmer, making it a good choice for large, upright projects. Some clay has a very smooth grit and is ideal for using on a wheel while other clay is rougher, with a sandy grit which might make the clay great for modeling projects or sculptures. Even when you’re looking at a specific category of clay such as pottery clay, be sure to check the description of the material to make sure it has a suitable clay body.
Grog
Clay often has a gritty material called “grog” added to it. Because clay is a very dense material, the porous grog stabilizes it, making the clay easier to work with. Clay with heavy grog shrinks less when it’s drying, but can also be gritty and should not be used on a pottery wheel.
Cone
This only applies to clay you plan to fire in a kiln. The cone can refer either to the general temperature at which clay is fired or to specific types of clay, designating the range of temperatures the clay can be fired. Roughly speaking, the overall range of temperatures can be broken into low-firing (earthenware, around cone 6), mid-firing (stoneware, about cone 5), and high-firing (porcelain, cone 10, and above).
Clay Types
Air-Drying Clay
For beginning potters, this type of clay is a good, basic choice. It takes much less equipment and a lower learning curve than regular pottery clay since you don’t need a kiln to fire the clay. You may still need to experiment with it though since any clay can crack during drying if it isn’t shaped or handled correctly.
Polymer Clay
This is a synthetic formula created to act just like clay. The softer brands are a great choice for kids to play with since polymer won’t dry out like regular clay. Firmer clay tends to work best for professionals, though, since it holds its shape better. Either type can be cured in an oven.
Plasticine
Like polymer clay, plasticine is synthetic clay. Unlike other clay or polymer clay, however, this clay type is oil-based so it doesn’t dry out but it definitely can’t be fired. Because it’s a permanently soft mixture, it’s a great choice for kids to play with and popular for making clay figures featured in stop-motion animations thanks to its malleability.
Ceramic Clay
This is the traditional clay widely used for pottery as well as industrial models. It can be kiln-fired using a variety of glazes, although some clays are valued for their own natural coloring; in fact, earthenware and porcelain are two of the most common ceramic clays in pottery. Be sure to check both the color of the fired clay and the type and consistency of the grog before deciding on a clay.
Sculpting Clay
Sculpting clay is a broader category of clay that can be either traditional or synthetic. It tends to have a coarse grain as opposed to other pottery clay, but in reality, you can use any clay that will work well with your sculpting methods. For large sculptures, you’ll want to look for a sturdy clay, while slow-drying clays will work better for you if you plan to build your project slowly over several days or even weeks.
Paper Clay
Paper clay is made by adding cellulose fibers to a basic clay compound. Like grog, the fiber tends to absorb water better and can make the final product stronger. Paper clay requires more care when working with it, especially when it’s being thrown on a pottery wheel.