Modeling plastic products is a simple process, but fascinating. In art stores in the "hobby" section are sold different kinds plastic. Let's try to figure out what plastic is and make a decorative plastic figurine with our own hands.

All about plastic

There is plastic for further heat treatment, but the simplest type of plastic is self-hardening. Its plus lies in the fact that there is no need for additional processing after the manufacture of the item. When working with self-hardening plastic, having created a figurine, relief, beads, you just need to wait 24 hours (and as practice shows, often less) and your product will be ready for staining, varnishing and use. However, there are a few small complexities that it is better to know about before you start creating.

Plastic is sold in special packaging. If you violate the integrity of the package, the plastic begins to harden. Accordingly, before opening the package, you need to imagine what exactly you want to create. Despite the fact that the “block” of plastic does not look that big, in the process of work it turns out that all the ideas have already been exhausted, the eyes hurt, the hands are tired, and there is still a lot of plastic. There are several ways to solve this problem. The best option is to free up a lot of time, plan a fairly large item (or several items), or create not alone and with good music. In extreme cases, it is possible to leave plastic in water (as clay is left), then it will not harden. However, plastic is still not clay; it cannot lie in water for a long time, starting to dissolve in water. After a maximum of two days, you must start working again, after squeezing water out of the plastic with a rag.

Master class: plastic modeling

Before you start sculpting plastic products, you need to prepare workplace.

You will need

• board (plywood, wood, etc. - whatever)
• paper - for finished products or parts
• a plate of water
• wet wipes
• a finely ground wooden stick (for example, for sushi), a pencil may also work;
• toothpicks

The main sculpting work will take place on the board. You need a knife to cut pieces of plastic from the main bar.

Hands must be moistened with water before work, the product must also be moistened, otherwise the surface will be uneven, as if cracked. In the process of sculpting from plastic, smooth out irregularities with your fingers, smooth details, such as handles, legs to the body. Try, however, to work with a single piece of plastic, as when dried, parts attached from other pieces may fall off. Another option would be to make all constituent parts separately, and then gluing them after drying.

A sharpened wand will be needed to create reliefs or to draw fingers, nails, facial features, images of animal fur.

Toothpicks will come in handy if you are modeling beads. A ball “dumped” in a circular motion of the palms is pierced with a toothpick. Please note that the toothpick can only be removed after the beads have completely dried, otherwise the plastic will expand when it dries and the hole will “grow together”.

Wet wipes are needed in order to periodically wipe your hands, plastic quickly sticks to them, and it becomes difficult to work. Hands will need to be thoroughly washed from time to time.

Any product can be created from separate simple geometric shapes. You can easily remember modeling lessons at school and be able to “roll up a sausage, a ball”, make a square. From these "figures" it is already possible to make literally anything. "Sausages" - handles, legs, ponytails, a ball - bodies for animals, heads, spouts, ears, fruits, baskets, plates, etc. etc., the squares are the same. It all depends on the goals you set for yourself.

So, let's try to mold a sleeping cat figurine from plastic.

1. We imagine the approximate dimensions of the future cat. We cut off a piece of approximately the same size from a large bar of plastic with a knife.
2. Wet a piece of plastic and hands with water.
3. We form a ball from a piece of plastic with rotational movements of the palms.
4. We put the ball on a wooden board, press it, thereby forming a flat base for the future product.
5. We carefully outline the contours of the “cat” with our fingers, i.e. head, paws, tail. From the part of the head with two fingers, carefully make cones - ears.
6. With the help of a toothpick, we make the contours clearer, draw the details of the muzzle (although they can be drawn later). You can draw a nose or roll up a small ball beforehand and attach it to the muzzle. Although, most likely, when the figurine dries, the spout will fall off, and you will need to put it on glue.
7. We smooth out all the bumps with our fingers dipped in water. On the contrary, you can depict hairs with a wooden stick, “ruffling” the surface of the plastic.
8. After waiting for the product to completely harden (it should become solid and change slightly in color towards lighter), paint it. This can be done both in a realistic manner and by depicting something unusual on the cat, including inscriptions.
9. Painting is worth doing acrylic paints, or any other, but necessarily intended for clay or plastic.
10. After the paints have dried, the product can be additionally varnished.

Plastic or polymer clay- This is a material that resembles in its appearance the usual children's plasticine. But unlike plasticine, plastic is able to retain its shape without deformation. This can be achieved with the help of special processing - baking. What can be done with plastic? The most popular items are jewelry. Earrings, beads, bracelets, rings - all this skillful hands created from polymer clay. Also popular are miniatures that can depict anything. Any work made of polymer clay will become an original decoration, accessory or gift, and the process itself will be exciting and interesting. hobby.

Plastic flower - an original gift

How is plastic molded?

Sculpting from polymer clay is not difficult, but this activity requires accuracy and imagination. Start doing something weird hobby better on the informational side. To get started, learn about types of plastic surgery(it usually happens for different skill levels), about its features.

For the first experience with plastic you will need a clean, smooth surface (preferably made of plastic, on which you can sculpt and roll out the material), a knife for cutting plastic (a clerical one is also suitable) and an ordinary kitchen oven. Also, if necessary, you can take accessories for earrings, if there is an intention to mold them, for pendants and so on. At further stages, you can use beads, beads and other jewelry - everything that fantasy tells!

Modeling polymer clay jewelry

You can sculpt with your bare hands or with thin surgical gloves so as not to leave fingerprints. Time to create a masterpiece is not limited, because polymer clay does not have the ability to freeze on its own, as many do. Finished work you can not even heat treat it right away, but wait, redo it later if you don’t like something. Plastic feature is that its colors can mix and produce new shades. This polymer clay resembles paint.

Plastic jewelry

Detail for plastic decoration

After creating the desired figure, the most crucial moment comes - this plastic baking. There is a lot of debate about how best to do this. Usually plastic requires a certain temperature and baking time, which are indicated on the package, but quite often it is necessary to reduce the time spent in the oven. The finished figurine is polished sandpaper(the smallest) and varnished. Also plastic can be painted and glued, so a part that has fallen off during baking is not a problem.

(polymer clay, fimo) - a plastic material based on polyvinyl chloride for modeling (small items, jewelry) and modeling, hardening in air or when heated (depending on the type of plastic).
Without delving into chemistry, polymer clay is a plastic mass, most of all appearance and tactile sensation reminiscent of plasticine. It contains a special plasticizer that evaporates either in air or in an oven (usually at 130°C). According to the method of removing the plasticizer from the material, plastic is divided into two main types - baked and self-hardening. After polymerization, the material becomes durable - and this is the main difference from plasticine. At the same time, self-hardening polymer clay is made similar to gypsum or wood and can be processed with the appropriate tool. Baked clay is harder, and resembles plastic. Finished goods can be painted with acrylic paints, glued together and with other materials.

Baked polymer clay comes in a wide range of colors. These are ordinary colors, and with the addition of sparkles, and translucent, and fluorescent. Self-hardening plastics are much narrower in color - white, gray, terracotta.

Plastic different manufacturers somewhat different from each other, both in work and in the final product. When sculpting, it can be harder or softer, after polymerization it can have a glossy or matte surface, there are some other differences. Over time, everyone who is passionate about sculpting from this material chooses the most suitable brands for themselves, or else finds their own “formula”: clays from all manufacturers mix well with each other, which can give very interesting effects when sculpting and at the end. For beginners, we recommend buying Fimo - the de facto standard in polymer clay.

How it was...

The triumphal procession of this material, invented in the thirties of the last century in Germany, began in 1964, when the Fimo trademark appeared. On the this moment The German company Eberhard Faber is the largest manufacturer of polymer clay, and the word "fimo" itself has become a household word. Also in Runet you can find the terms "plastic" and "thermoplastic", which are synonymous with the general designation of the material. It's under different trademarks- for example, Cernit, Sculpey - produced by several American and European manufacturers. In Russia, there is the only plastic manufacturer in St. Petersburg. The “Artifact” and “Sonnet” produced by him are currently somewhat inferior to foreign brands, but the recipe is constantly being improved, while the price of domestic polymer clay is significantly lower.

MATERIALS

baked plastic

Plastic, or, as it is also called, polymer clay, is a plasticine-like synthetic material that hardens after heat treatment at temperatures from 100 to -150 C. In other words, you can bake it in a conventional oven. There are quite a lot of such plastics now, I will tell you about those that I am familiar with.

fimo- at first glance it seems hard and brittle, but if it is properly warmed up in the hands, it becomes quite plastic. Based own experience I will say that it is difficult and unpleasant to work with him, you mold like from bitumen. It is difficult to smooth out, there are folds and seams. But after firing it becomes quite durable, this is a plus. In addition, this material does not lose fine details in the process. Good for shaping clothes folds, etc.

Fimo Soft- very soft, not suitable for fine work. But when mixed with Fimo, it makes it possible to obtain plastic with excellent (as they say, I have not tried) qualities. Actually, for these purposes it is usually used.

Cernit- plastic with a translucent, wax-like structure. It quickly reacts to the warmth of the hands, “floats”, I do not recommend it for beginners. But mixing with other plastics to give the desired color is quite. Friends with Fimo, Fimo Soft, Super Sculpey. After baking, it becomes quite strong.

Super Sculpey- in my opinion, almost perfect. Moderately soft, moderately hard, holds its shape well, does not float, is friendly with all of the above plastics, and can be mixed in any proportions. I recommend.

To the everyday question: How much? I answer - expensive. On average, a box of good plastic costs 300-400 rubles, and it is enough for a maximum of three dolls. That's if you're lucky. But recently we have small packs, 60-90 rubles each. One in a good scenario for a small doll is enough.

So, we figured out the import. Now with regard to the fatherland. Here the choice, alas, is small - Plastic (St. Petersburg), white and terracotta. If you mix them (a lot of white and a little terracotta), you can get a good flesh color. There is also a color of six colors - but the shades are very poisonous, so it's more for children's creativity. Although, if you dilute it with white, maybe something worthwhile will work out, but I have not tried it. And more recently, another material has appeared (also from St. Petersburg) - Miracle plasticine "Flower - six, eight or twelve flowers" In this set, the colors are more pleasant, and there is black and dark brown. The processing mode is close to "Plastic", and, what is most pleasant, these two materials are mixed in any proportions. But my advice to you, do not mess with our plastics unless absolutely necessary. You can buy them only if there is absolutely nothing to choose from. It sticks to hands, does not hold its shape, you can sculpt from it only if you periodically put it in the freezer (I'm not kidding). The fact is that from the warmth of the hands it almost instantly begins to melt, and it is impossible to mold from it for more than 10-15 minutes. Yes, and you will have to wash your hands 20-30 times in the process, this plastic absorbs dirt very well. You don’t need to buy it in order to learn from a cheap one (it costs 150 rubles), you won’t learn anything worthwhile from this rubbish.

Self-hardening plastic

Not all plastics need to be baked in the oven, and there are some that harden on their own, usually within a day or so. From which it follows that it is impossible to store a pack of plastic open. After you have finished sculpting, wrap the remaining plastic in a damp cloth, put it back in the pack, wrap it up and clamp it with clothespins. So it can be stored for quite a long time.
So, you can buy from us:

paperclay- "plasticine from paper", or improved papier-mâché. A white mass that hardens in air in about a day. It is very plastic, light, practically does not stick to hands, it is a pleasure to work with it. In the package is already ready for use, if it is a little dry and hard - you can slightly moisten it with water, and everything will be fine. After drying, it is light and quite hard - you can sand, cut, saw, etc. But you also need to handle such a doll gently - press a little with your fingernail - a scar will remain. You can sand with sandpaper (just don't overdo it, if you polish too long with a zero, the doll will become too smooth, marbled, which looks unnatural). You can slightly moisten the already polished product with water so that the top layer is slightly limp, and walk a little with your fingers. The result is a texture close to human skin. This material is painted with anything, from oil to acrylic, but watercolor is most often used. Be careful, you can not wash off the applied paint! It is relatively inexpensive - 200 rubles per package, which is enough for a doll of 20-25 centimeters tall, if made entirely of plastic. Very good material, I recommend to everyone.

Efaplast holsy. It comes in white, yellow, pink and terracotta colors. The packaging says "plastic-wood". Indeed, it becomes like wood when it hardens. Working with him is not easy, not easy at all. Heavy, hard, terribly sticky to hands and dries for a very long time. But this is her floor of trouble. It shrinks, and unevenly, it leads quite strongly in a spiral, so it has to be sculpted in layers. First, a skull with eyes built into the eye sockets, then, two days later, cheeks, a nose, a chin, etc. It takes me from four days to a week on my head, mainly due to the fact that the blank dries for a very long time. And after sculpting, also sand it with a sandpaper (you can’t polish it with water, it shrinks from this!). Why am I suffering, you ask? Behind what final result Like. The doll is VERY strong. Of course, it is not worth throwing it against the wall, but it will withstand a fall from one and a half to three meters, it has been verified. The texture is smooth, pleasant to the touch, and not as sensitive as Paperclay. Not porous, dust-dirt does not absorb, it is very well painted with any paints. In short, this is one of my favorite plastics, and is relatively inexpensive - from 80 to 200 rubles. But you shouldn’t take it right away, it’s better to gain experience, on the same Paperclay, for example.

Efaplast classic very similar to the one described above, with the only difference being that it practically does not shrink. But a little more fragile and heavy. It comes in pink, white and terracotta colors. I do not recommend the latter, it has a very unpleasant orange tint. Only if it is for painting,

Efaplast easy. It does not stick to the hands, it is pleasant to the touch, it is light in work and in weight. Very good for children's creativity. The disadvantage is loose. Again, if you press something sharp, a trace will remain. But in principle, the trouble is not great. It comes in white, black, blue, red and, in my opinion, green. From 80 to 200 rubles.

Papier mache. Served in powder, which must be diluted with water. It is very difficult to mix and knead it to the desired consistency, so that it is not too liquid and not too hard. The surface is porous, for small dolls I would not recommend it. But for large, like theatrical, or masks - that's it. Colored for everyone. It costs differently.

In the departments of stationery, you can sometimes find the so-called masses for modeling on a ceramic basis, in other words, clay. For example, Jovy, I started with him. In its own way, very good material. It does not require firing, but it is possible, when the details of the doll have already dried up, to hold for 15 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 150 degrees. So it will be stronger. You can grind, cut, paint - too. You can’t drop it, clay is clay in Africa too. How much it costs - I do not know, I have not bought it for a long time. Also about 200 rubles, I think.

EYES

Problem of problems, at least for me. I know of three types. There are plastic eyes for a textile doll, which are very well suited for a plastic doll. They have a flat oval shape and very limited color scheme. They can “leak” in the oven, although this has never happened in my practice. Not too expressive, so you will need to carefully work out the cut of the eyes, glue the eyelashes and draw shadows, otherwise the doll will look cheap. By the way, they really cost a penny, 40-50 rubles, depending on the size.
Another variety is the eyes, which are brought from Japan (the name is not known to me), they can be identified by a plastic case. They are made in the shape of an eyeball, the iris is deep, transparent, they look very natural. The richest color scale, is red, yellow, lilac. Not eyes, but a dream. The iris is made of glass, the apple itself is made of plastic, so they can theoretically leak, but again, I have never had this happen. In fact, they have one drawback - the price. From 320 rub. up to 600. Murder.
And the last - the eyes of the glass. They will not melt under any circumstances. Also in the shape of an eyeball. But unfortunately, their proportions are not always clearly observed, sometimes the iris of the eye is obviously “large”, so you can only make a very anime doll. There is also a color scheme, but boring, the choice is usually small. They cost from 350 to infinity.
If all this music is too expensive or not for sale anywhere, you can make them yourself. To do this, you will need to make balls of the desired size from plastic (any), then paint and cover with glossy varnish.
By the way, you can buy special eyelashes for dolls for the eyes, they cost about 70 rubles a ribbon, which is enough for four dolls. They are glued to the eyelids with superglue, you can cut it, paint it - no. By the way, ordinary false eyelashes for dolls are not suitable, don't even waste your money. Too rough. Although you might be lucky to find something worthwhile. Again, it depends on the size of the doll.

HAIR

Yes, almost anything. Fur, woolen threads, silk, mono-thread for beads - no one limits your creative freedom. I love working with wool blend yarn. The thread must be dissolved into fibers, which are then wetted and ironed with an iron so that they are even, and not “zugzig”. The resulting strands can be wound, fixing with hairspray. Glue to the head with superglue, very thin strands.
If you don’t want to do it with pens, there is also a factory version. You can buy the so-called wefts - thin goat hair, which is sewn on a ribbon that is almost invisible to the eye. It must be laid on the scalp in the likeness of a wig, fixing everything with the same superglue. Wefts come in different colors, but if a suitable one was not found, you can buy white ones and dye them with any cream hair dye. They are expensive - about 200 rubles per meter, but guaranteed to be worth it. They look very natural. Not so long ago, I met in the store "All for Needlework" a braid made of goat hair - 70 rubles each. meter. Haven't tried it yet, but it should work.
Another option is synthetic doll wigs. I do not recommend, because they look exactly like synthetic wigs, and the size is very large.
You can buy a cheap synthetic chignon and make a wig out of it, but keep in mind that the fiber there is quite stiff, and you still won’t do a graceful styling. And yes, it is very difficult to put them on the head.
Human hair (some puppet makers are ready to cut both themselves and their neighbors for the sake of a good doll) I would not recommend. For superstitious reasons. A doll is a mystical creature, and then there is organic matter, and even her own or a friend-relative. Who knows, suddenly voodoo will work? Seriously, better not.

TOOLS

All that is dear to the heart. Stacks, small scissors, toothpicks, hairpins, manicure tools. Start sculpting - you will understand what you need.

WHERE COULD I BUY?

This is very difficult. There are only two places in Moscow where you can buy something for puppetry:

The first is the Central Children's World, the fourth floor, a specialized store of the Russian Doll House, there is also a department of goods for artists. Yes, on the first floor in the stationery department, there are also plastics sometimes.

The second is a store for artists next to the Central House of Artists (more precisely, to the left of it, if you stand facing). There are no more outlets in Moscow, I don’t know how things are in Russia. Browse the Internet, go to the departments of stationery and toys, look for products for children's creativity. I can't help anymore.

MODELING TECHNOLOGIES

baked plastic

It is impossible to sculpt a doll entirely from any Super Sculpey. Firstly, fly out into the pipe, and secondly, a piece of plastic 5-7 cm thick will never be baked to the end. Outside, it will burn, but inside it will remain soft. So some kind of foundation is needed. It is best to use food foil for these purposes. You form a dense ball out of it, better approximated in shape to the human skull, fix the eyes with small pieces of plastic, and begin to sculpt. But you need to remember that the plastic layer must be at least 4 mm. (the foil may shine through or the plastic will crack) and no more than 7 (does not harden to the end). Modeling ... well, here I am, alas, not an assistant to you, myself-herself-herself (s). Experience and training, otherwise nothing. What is important - the plastic must be smoothed very carefully, and it is better to cut off pieces from it if possible than to sculpt new ones. The fact is that if air remains between the layers, a crack will inevitably form in this place during baking, and maybe a bubble. In addition, do not forget that before heat treatment, products are very afraid of dust and dirt, they cling to and absorb it with all their pores. But this minus is also a plus - the product can be tinted with any powder dyes. The easiest way is to take ordinary decorative cosmetics for these purposes, you can get the cheapest one. The main thing is that it would not be mother-of-pearl - it will look ugly. Before sculpting, the plastic needs to be kneaded well, but if it is in contact with the hands for too long (and this is a temperature of about 37 degrees), the clay begins to “partially burn”, in other words, it becomes hard, so you should not squeeze it in your hands for too long either. By the way, storing plastic for decades is not recommended - plastic properties deteriorate.

When firing, you must strictly observe temperature regime. That is, if the temperature of 130C is indicated on the package, then you need to adjust the oven as accurately as possible, otherwise it will either burn out or not bake to the end. My advice to you - if you bake - do not go far from the kitchen. And it’s better not to leave at all - 15-20 minutes, during which the plastic hardens, can be tolerated. Sit in front of the oven in the lotus position and follow the process. Anything can happen: the eyes, if they are plastic, sometimes “flow”, it happens that the doll falls and crumples, and you never know what else. Yes, and yet, it is better not to put the doll or its parts on the iron bottom of the oven, but put it on a ceramic stand or a regular plate.
Remember that during baking in the oven, the product becomes very “loose”, fragile, and therefore, under any part that is on weight, it is necessary to make a backup (foil roller, faience mug). You can take out the figurine only together with the stand and very carefully, and in no case do not touch it until it has cooled down! You don't have to take it out either. After the time has elapsed, turn off the oven and open the door. Hold the doll inside for another three minutes, so that there is no sharp temperature drop. And only then carefully, with a stand, into the fresh air.

“After heat treatment, clay can be washed, sawn, drilled, cut out of it, polished.” - says the instruction. Don't believe!!! It is forbidden. Dust wipe with a soft dry cloth, nothing more. Sawing - in no case, it is very fragile, everything will fall apart. Grinding baked plastics is possible, but it is better not to. There will be traces and scratches on the dark one, the light one is also not always well polished. But you can paint with almost anything - tempera, acrylic paints, gouache (only then it will need to be covered with some kind of fixative. You can use ordinary colorless nail polish, you can buy a special coating for plastic, about 100 rubles.) Nitroenamel, water emulsion, paint on glass - anything. BUT! If it is possible, and even necessary, to tint a doll with cosmetics BEFORE baking, then paints should be applied to the surface only after the plastic has hardened.

But back to the modeling process. The easiest and most pleasant thing is head sculpting, this process is loved by everyone without exception. With the body, things are much more complicated. First you need to form a skeleton - a wire frame. The wire can be taken aluminum or thick copper. The latter is even better, it is more durable. Now you need to figure out which parts of the doll's body will be naked and which ones will be hidden by clothes. As a rule, the arms (hands or up to the elbows) and legs (feet or up to the knees) are open to the eye. These parts will also need to be sculpted from plastic. Feet and hands can be sculpted without foil, because they are small, but for the shins and forearms, a base is needed. Do not forget to make holes in the limbs into which you can then insert the frame wire. The body, hips and shoulders can either be formed from cotton wool or padding polyester, wound around the frame and fixed with threads, or, if you want the doll to be rigid, stick around the wire with something self-hardening like papier-mâché (this will be discussed below). Elbows and knees must be left free, so that later the doll can be given the desired pose. Just keep in mind that you can bend the wire three or four times, then it can break, so don't torture your little man too much.

When the doll is ready, remember to handle it with extreme care. It cannot be repaired, drop it - most likely to death. And one more unpleasant moment: her age is relatively short. A plastic doll "lives" for 30-40 years, then it begins to collapse. So no matter how carefully you handle it, your grandchildren will not get it. That's why I don't like baked plastics. And I love self-hardening plastics, which will be discussed in the next chapter.

Made of self-hardening plastic

This I love. Baked plastic limits the artist's freedom even a little, but absolutely everything can be made from self-hardening plastic. Any size, any pose, any color. Contrary to popular belief, you can sculpt from it for as long as you like. Actually, sculpting in stages is even better - it is difficult to immediately give a large piece of plastic the desired shape.

So head. The skull can be made from styrofoam (pressed is better, but a regular one will do), but I prefer to make the whole doll from plastic, since it is relatively inexpensive. The easiest way is to first form the skull (not forgetting to leave a hole for the “spine”, because the head will still need to be fastened to the body), mount the eyes into it, outline the facial features and let it all dry. Then moisten the workpiece so that the surface is slightly sour, and add everything you need.

Body. Just like for baked plastics, a framework is needed here. If you want the flesh to stick to the bones well, then you need to wrap the wire with threads, and then, after moistening them, cover the frame with a thin layer of plastic and let it dry. And this skeleton can already be clothed with muscles from new layers of plastic, without fear that the structure will crack. The neck section of the wire should be somewhat longer than necessary, and 10-15 millimeters should be left free. We will put the head on this pin. You can fix it on your neck with superglue, and seal the joints with the same plastic and sand it with sandpaper.
You can make a "self-hardening" doll without a frame, I do this sometimes. For example, if the doll is without clothes, or I have thought out the pose one hundred percent. The head, body, arms and legs in this case are molded separately, and then assembled on superglue. The joints are sealed with plastic and polished. An amateur method, personally invented by me. I just don't like wire.

That's all. Guys, I came up with all this on my own, no one taught me anything. And if I could do it, you can too. And outdo me ten more times. Forward! Good luck and creative success!

The original article is on the website

Everyone is now running around with 3D printers (I also wrote a lot about this - Using a 3D printer in business).

They make prostheses, teeth, and figurines on this printer famous people, including himself.

Business, of course, is innovative and interesting. But 3D printers are still very expensive to buy at random (“maybe I’ll make money”).

Buying this device and hoping that clients will flow to you like a river (ordering your own 3D copies) is very risky.

If only because if you make money solely because you have a 3D printer, any smart person who buys the same 3D printer will compete with you. Especially if it is not just a single entrepreneur, but far-seeing modern firm, which at once can remove all competitors (including you) from its path. How? For example, as did the English company selling iMakr printers. She entered into an agreement with the UK Post and now anyone can order 3D printing through any post office or through the post office website.

In such a business (when there are so many printers - so many competitors), a small entrepreneur will have to show miracles of ingenuity in order to stay afloat.

Another thing is when the main thing in business is not a soulless machine (device, device), but the human ability to create something original, pleasant, sincere and individual.

Production of three-dimensional figurines by hand

If you don't have money for a 3D printer, and you really want to make money on figurines of stars or ordinary people, you can do without it. You can make the same figures from plastic (a material similar to plasticine, but hardening in the oven at 110-130 degrees).

It will not turn out 100% similar, but it will not be completely soulless either.

After all, a 3D product is like a three-dimensional photograph - an exact copy of the original, but soulless. Comparing such a product with a hand-sculpted sculpture is like comparing a photograph with a painting.

Yes, the photograph shows the image more authentically, but in the picture there are more feelings and individuality of the artist.

Of course, there are photos that are more expensive than paintings (you can read How to sell a photo for $ 4 million), but if you average the cost of all photos and the cost of all paintings, then the latter will always outperform the former.

In the program on NTV “We Speak and Show” dated December 17, 2014, the needlewoman Yekaterina Shardanova performed (link to video - ntv.ru/peredacha/Govorim_i_pokazyvaem/m17040/o311618/, watch from the 30th minute), which simply studies the figures of famous people according to the photo, and then sculpts them from ordinary plastic. And sells for 40 thousand rubles each:

She even gave the figurine to the host of the program - Leonid Zakoshansky (with the words that its cost, of course, is lower than 40 thousand rubles):

The website of the needlewoman is portretdolls.ru.

She, of course, is not a person from the street (she studied at Russian Academy Painting, Architecture and Sculpture), but there are, after all, handicraftsmen-nuggets.

When I was 13-14 years old, I met a boy who perfectly sculpted cartoon characters from plasticine. If he had continued his work, perhaps today he would not have been a mediocre engineer, but a well-known sculptor.

The same Ekaterina Shardakova teaches ordinary people her art (creating figurines from plastic) and her students successfully succeed without studying at the Academy of Arts. For example, here is one of those works:

Not necessarily star figurines

But you can make figures and simpler. For example, these:

This is the top of the wedding cake. Here it is important not to resemble the original, but the composition itself and the pronounced character of the characters.

These figurines are also made of plastic. And their creator - a resident of New Zealand - sells them, although not for 40 thousand rubles, but only for $ 150 (7,500 rubles), but he sells them every day to the whole world on etsy.com (from his page etsy.com/shop/ TheRosemarryToppers) and earns an average of $1900-3800 per month (not counting possible local sales).

Therefore, the entrepreneur does not live by the printer alone. Hands, imagination, skill - this is an asset that is not worth money, but is worth much more.

Lesson: "Plastic Sculpting for Beginners: Baked Plastic".
Materials: FIMO baked plastic.
Age: Children over 10 years of age with basic plasticine modeling skills. Help from parents is welcome.
Goal: improving the skills of plastic modeling, making a souvenir from baked plastic.

We have already got acquainted with the basics of working with, today a more difficult lesson awaits you: "Plastic modeling for beginners: baked plastic". We will sculpt a real souvenir from baked plastic, which can be a great gift for the holiday. We will sculpt an elephant, and you can choose an animal to your taste. You can sculpt according to the picture or come up with your own character.

1. Before you start, you need to thoroughly clean the workplace and hands, as the plastic collects all the dirt from the surfaces, and the work will not look very neat. From foil we form the basis for the body of the future figure. Break up the plastic into small pieces.

2. Then we connect all the mashed pieces of plastic and roll them into a layer (the thickness of the layer is about 0.5 cm). We wrap the foil with plastic, knead and smooth it in shape until an even body is obtained. You can even out the seams and bumps, remove adhering dirt under running hot water with a drop of fairy. Just do not overdo it, otherwise the plastic will begin to exfoliate.

3. We also form the head and connect it to the body. Lubricate the hind legs.

4. From the sausage we sculpt the trunk and mouth. Lubricate the front legs. We sculpt ears from two pieces of plastic. We finish, stick the eyes, tail, draw a navel and lines on the paws with a toothpick.

We bake the elephant according to the instructions attached to the plastic. Adults should supervise the process, as burned plastic releases toxic fumes.

5. After baking, we need to sand the product. We hide in gloves, wearing a respirator. Plastic dust is toxic, often causing serious allergies if safety precautions are not followed. We skin, wetting the product with water so that the dust does not scatter. We skin first with a larger skin, then finish with a small one.

We paint the finished elephant with acrylic, the paint can be additionally fixed with acrylic varnish. We tie a bow, and our souvenir - an elephant made of baked plastic - is ready!