The MLP Arena
Creativity => Customs => Topic started by: aintnobuffalo on July 23, 2018, 03:28:06 PM
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I'm back from a convention, and I had a blast cosplaying and presenting on customs! I came across a pattern I wasn't familiar with; people using Crayola Model Magic to sculpt things on customs. I had never tried it before and I don't recall it being in the category of a do or a don't. The only thing I can recall is a vague memory of someone claiming it wasn't durable enough and didn't adhere well. Someone at the con exclusively worked with it and reported he didn't have to sand and reported the nail polish he used doesn't have issues with the material. His customs were pretty nice looking and affordable. What has been your experience? Anyone know of it being a good or bad idea in the long term?
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I'm glad you had fun at that convention! I know this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mROzkwuoFIs) youtube video reviews model magic along with other clays. I've never tried it myself, but honestly, I would question the quality since it's made for kids who want to play and not for things like sculpting art you want to look good. Apparently it has a horrible smell and long drying time (3 to 7 days!) too. It doesn't look that great, especially when there are better, more professional alternatives. I'm not sure how it would do in the long term.
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Model Magic's pretty fragile. It feels like styrofoam. I wouldn't use it for customs. I make hats and stands for other
things and it never lasts long.
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I only use it for things that might be too heavy in a given area but don't need a lot of detail. I can't think of any specific customs ATM because I rarely sculpt, but I was of the opinion that Model Magic has its uses.
And I'm not sure I understood, the artist was using nail polish to paint his customs? That's a giant no! Polish isn't made to be permanent and will seriously discolor over time.
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And I'm not sure I understood, the artist was using nail polish to paint his customs? That's a giant no! Polish isn't made to be permanent and will seriously discolor over time.
Yeah, nail polish is not meant for customs. And honestly, I wouldn't exactly trust someone who uses a material that is well known as a horrible material to give me advice on which materials to use... (not to insult him, I'm sure he is a talented artist and I don't know him, but ykwim?)
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This is my knowledge of the product:
Crayola Model Magic is a more advanced version of Play-Doh. They are both non-toxic and safe if ingested, but when Play-Doh dries it is going to crumble and break much easier. Then there is the downside of Crayola's clays versus other air-dries: you can add water to regular air-dry clay, whereas it will break down the Crayola compounds.
Sculpey and its competitor polymer clays are literally the "adult Play-Doh". CMM may have the perk of being a non-toxic compound, it does suffer from having less flexibility for much but to be used with itself and its own line of glazes and whatnot. Though, Crayola doesn't make sealants for their clays, and none of them are "self-sealing" as well as baked polymer clay. As a side affect, a thick chunk of CMM can still be carved after the drying process with minimal cracking and stays a bit flexible without any added steps to the process. That's to allow a large grace period for kids to wander off and do something else if they get bored of that project, but can return to it the next day with few negative issues with some drying.
http://www.crayola.com/faq/another-topic/what-is-the-difference-between-airdry-clay-and-model-magic/
http://www.crayola.com/faq/another-topic/can-crayola-model-magic-and-airdry-clay-pieces-be-sealed/
In conclusion, I'd never recommend and dissuade the use of Crayola products because they are not meant to be for long-lasting showpieces, and is quite disposable. I can't remember if there is risk of color transfer, either, but it's certainly not going to withstand the test of time. Due to the conditions of Crayola Model Magic alone, I'd be afraid of it bending, sagging or lifting from my project because it's just not meant to be used the same way as polymers.
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Thanks for all your experienced advise. You confirmed some of my suspicions. And yes, he was using nail polish, which always feels like sandpaper on my skin when I hear about it, but he claimed the CMM did fine with it. I never want to tell an artist how to do their work without being invited to give advise, but I wanted to make sure to have some clear answers for folks when I present on customization.
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Thanks for all your experienced advise. You confirmed some of my suspicions. And yes, he was using nail polish, which always feels like sandpaper on my skin when I hear about it, but he claimed the CMM did fine with it. I never want to tell an artist how to do their work without being invited to give advise, but I wanted to make sure to have some clear answers for folks when I present on customization.
Oh, whoa... I misread. I didn't realize he was using both- literally a double jeopardy for a project that you want to keep, or sell. Whomever the client is that commissions or purchases one is taking a huge risk in getting it.
Nail polish contains ...solvent(s), --I don't know if it's acetone or not-- but that is going to break the clay down over time because of the prolonged exposure. It does the same to ANY polymer (let it be baked or air-dry), too, so it's not just that it will discolor and get gooey.
The polish is going to dry and trap all that in with the clay (which because it won't be fully dry and be porous enough where it will absorb some of the chemicals...) where it's not going to be able to evaporate. While it's not the best idea to use CMM as it is, using nail polish is just going to make things worse.
I would never try those things together so I don't know if it would make it brittle or if it would just stop adhering to the pony, but that's not going to last more than about 10 years before it gets super gross and needs repairs --and that's being super generous since some brands of nail polish have harsher solvents than others.
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I tried using model magic when I was first starting out to make whipped cream hair, it breaks really easily, once its dry its brittle and even a bit of paint can cause it to melt, I wouldn't really trust some one selling customs using nail polish and is proud about that :/
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If someone tells you they're using nail polish on their custom pieces, RUN.
Run and don't look back!
It's not meant to last; frankly I'd be dubious of any non-artist grade material. Inexpensive products that aren't designed for artist use almost never hold up over the years. It's one of those cases of 'you get what you pay for'.