Modeling
It’s necessary to make the clay smooth and loose by kneading so that all air disappears from the clay; the clay will also become smooth using your body heat (do not place the clay on the heating or in the sun, since that will cause the clay to become more granular). Especially Fimo Classic stays granular and crumbly. For kids Fimo Soft or Creall-therm junior will be easier to use.

To make i.e. Fimo Classic easier to use you can add MixQuick. This is a neutral polymer clay, which does not affect the colour of your work piece.

It’s not recommended to knead all of one colour at once, knead the clay in two or more parts, it will be easier and quicker to mould. Make rolls of the clay and braid them, roll again and repeat this.

Mixing
You can use the above-mentioned theory for mixing more than one colour, i.e.:

red and yellow makes orange
red and green makes brown
blue and red makes purple
black and white makes gray

You can of course mix all colours, Fimo and Creall-therm alike. By using other quantities you will obtain beautiful shades (see the colour wheel and index) on the tools page.

Pastels
By adding more white or yellow you can create pastels. Have a try at it yourself!

Candy cane effect
Twist two rolls of different colours; roll this short and carefully smooth.

Marmor effect
If you do not mix two or more colours entirely you will get a beautiful marmor look. Do be careful with darker colours they are extremely dominating.

Basic forms
Have a try at the following first, after which modeling will gradually become easier.

a. Ball; roll the clay between your hands and make a ball (several sizes)
b. Egg; roll a ball but put a little more pressure on one side. Make it smooth.
c. Drop; make a sharper point at the egg with thumb and index finger
d. Flat cone; flatten the drop at one side on your desk or table
e. Roll; used many times for i.e. arms, legs. More pressure (but also more time to roll) results in a thinner roll.
f. Barrel; flatten both sides of a roll (thick one).

Creasing and Folding
You often use this method for clothing (dresses, coats etc.). You need a thin roll of clay, which you flatten in even layers.
The thinner the more beautiful creases you get. Use a kitchen knife or a pricker to lift a crease, put it layer over layer. Please have a look at the pictures on the more experience-page.

Library
There are a lot of books to chose from, if your local library does not have interesting books to start with try to buy one. First try out some of the simpler forms, like I mentioned above. You will see that the more you practice the more fun you get out of this marvelous hobby. After this you will be able to experiment yourself. Good Luck!

Books can also be found on the internet, see at "links" or at this site: