Air-Dry Clay

I like to craft and do artsy things and so does my 3 year old son. So we decided to get the 2.5lb bucket of Crayola Air Dry Clay and see what we could make. So far we made only a few simple ornaments and a couple figures but we are really loving this clay. It comes in a nice bucket that seals back up very nicely- which is important so the clay doesn't dry out. I took out about a half cup worth for him and me the first time and that was too much. This clay dries pretty quickly so until you get an idea for how it is, don't take out too much. You need to work the clay a good amount before you start actually making your item(s) so it is best used for something that you can make fairly quickly. I have messed around with clay awhile now, mostly polymer clay and modeling clay so I can sculpt or roll and construct simple things fairly quickly. My son did better with rolling it out and using cookie cutters to make shapes for ornaments. I suggest you have a little bit of water nearby as you will need it to attach pieces to what you have already formed and also to keep the clay from drying out so quickly. Just a little because too much water and you make glue. Also running your wet fingers over the surface can smooth out any minor imperfections. Clean up is easy, just a bit of soap and water on a cloth or paper towel and you are good to go. Let the items dry out completely for a few days before you paint and use an acrylic sealer (I used one that was water based and just put it on in light coats) to make sure it lasts a long time. An awesome clay that is a good substitution for polymer clay if you can't bake (kids, don't like fumes or have a clay only oven, etc) and if you want to paint your finished item or want it white. I may experiment later with adding pigments to this clay to see if you can make it colored. I don't see why not other than it may dry out faster or may make it dry with cracks if not mixed in really well. I have some chalk pastels I may try. I will update or post a comment here if I do and let you know how it goes. All in all though, a very nice clay and a great purchase. The 2.5 lb bucket has enough for many projects. Hope my review helped you decide if you wnt to buy this and I hope you have a great day!

We bought the white version of Crayola Air-Dry Clay 2.5 lb. Since mid December, our dog's paw print is holding up just fine. It was easy to do. Advice not meant to upset you: presuming you're using it for a paw print, please please don't mash your living cat's(especially) or dog's, or whoever, foot/paw bec that is *quite* painful, perhaps an ink print will suffice (and with wet ink you can press that paper onto a tree ornament, beautiful paper, fabric) -- and presuming a nice calm proper euthanasia setting, just...wait...if you get what I mean here. And you need to mash kinda hard to get a good impression -- you'll see detail from the skin and fur. Trim long fur close to the pad of your pet, as our veterinarian did, *after*...the wait. Drying time was about three days, in a very low humidity house, for really truly cured, just sitting out on a plastic surface. As for art making, we will be using the remainder of the container pretty soon, and would buy again if needed. It is quite a nice product, and we accidently dropped the paw print on flat low-pile carpeted floor with no breakage. We paid $3.77 +tax. Their web site has lots of info: non-toxic, zero odor, can soften with water if needed (we did not), it's mostly actual modeling clay, etc. Have fun with making stuff. And if your pet has passed, our condolences.

This was the first time I've used a clay like this. Is was easy to mold and dried solid in about 2 days. Color is not pure white, but close enough.

I purchased this clay so that I could make keepsake handprints of my baby and preschooler. Although the clay is pretty easy to work with, it does not have enough give to make a good indentation when a hand is pressed into it. I had to really hold the baby's hand still and push each finger down separately, and it was just too inelastic to make a clear print (the results were middling but usable). If I was on a time crunch I would be frustrated about this product. Aside from that specific purpose, though, the clay is fun to work with. It does dry out as you are working but not very fast, and I was able to make a figurine (cow) for my son to paint later. I haven't tested it much for durability once dry, but the tail, ears, and horns did break off when he handled it 24 hours later. I figure that comes with the territory with a 3-year-old! In any case, he enjoyed painting it, and I can see buying this product again for similar projects.

This is amazing stuff. You can make anything with it and then let it air dry and you have a light-weight sculpture. However, I used it as a florist clay....in a brooch bouquet arrangement that had to be secured into a metal container. I used some of this stuffed into the container to secure the arrangement in a tall narrow tussie mussie holder. It took a couple of days to dry, but worked great. Meanwhile, my young grandson discovered the remaining clay and has a blast with it. It's easy to use, and it is white or ivory color and so it is fun to paint on when it dries. It's not heavy once it dries, which makes it perfect for many applications. It wasn't that long ago that my daughter used it for some school projects such as making a clouded leopard for a diorama, creating an astronaut for a science project, and that old favorite, making dinosaurs. So I'm happy to see this stuff is still around for the grandson to have fun with. Good product from trusted Crayola. Gotta love something that the kids can get their hands into and make fun things.

It was nice to give the kids a big tub of this material to just play with. Still have a lot leftover. Works as described, is paintable. No complaints. Nice project for kids - highly recommend giving as gifts.

Color says white but it is not. It is more like off white with a slightly grayish tint. It works fine for what I need it for but if your looking for that bright flat white color this is not it.