Iv been working with cold porcelains and soft air-drying clays for as long as I can remember. I love the ease of it and many years ago I used to make my own cold porcelain. I do have the recipe if anyone would like to try. Contact me!
Please note all the clays/paste I’m talking about in this blog are NON-EDIBLE.
But first let me explain the difference between cold porcelain and Modena clay as I understand it:
Cold Porcelain is made with glue, oil and corn flour, once made it is air drying, but the big difference for me is the finished product, Cold Porcelain will dry hard, almost brittle if very thin with a higher shrink percentage to Modena but I have only worked with the one I used to make so I am not an expert on this. Modena is a polymer clay made from resin, I’m not spending to long talking about cold porcelain as I’m a little rusty on this one. But the Modena I use now is a resin clay.
So moving on to Modena Clay, I love this one! it was first realised in September 1997 by Padico and is still sold worldwide, it contains resin which means it is not cold porcelain, I’ve been using it nearly that long! For me if you are making the move from flower paste to clay, Modena is the nearest in texture and workability. hears the technical info:
Package Size：W97mm×H215mm×D20mm
Volume: 250g
Colour: White but dry’s Opaque
Shrinkage: 7%
Made in Japan
Release: September 10th, 1997
The fun bit:
Modena is an air-dry polymer clay that offers high flexibility, durability and is waterproof when dry. The non-toxic clay has a semi translucent colour when dry.
To colour Modena, use acrylics, gouache, oil colours, hearty pigment colours and even edible gel colours and food dusts. Modena can also be mixed with Hearty/Artista soft to make it dry white. This will also change to consistency to make it softer to work with.
Modena is amazing to work with, you can really let your imagination go and created anything you wish like flowers, lamp shade with the translucent light, Modelling, sculpting, miniature work, adding texture to canvases, and so much more.
Modena contains a high percentage of resin and therefore should be stored in temperatures between 5 Degrees and 25 Degrees.
Top tip:
- If Modena gets a little dry before use try adding a little water, I do this by dipping the paste in water then mixing, it will revive the Modena.
- If Modena dry’s slightly out of shape you can use a hair dryer or a little gentle heat on the area to bend it back into shape, as soon as it cools down it will stay in the shape you desire.
- Keep in an airtight container or/and bag.
- Mix with Hearty / Artista soft to help Modena dry white, you can also just add white paint, but by adding Hearty/Artista soft the texture of the paste will become a little softer to use. I add a mix of 80% Modena to 20% Hearty Soft but play around with this as the temperature of your hands will make a difference to.
- Please Don’t freeze before use, it will not end well! But you can put Modena in moulds then freeze to help the paste be removed from the mould.
- If you have a crack in Modena clay and you leave it to dry it will get bigger so add a little water and smooth it away.
- I don’t recommend storing after you colour Modena as it will dry out quicker.
- You can use any glue, I personal like a Hi-Tack Glue but PVA is fine, if I’m making roses for example, I will just use water in a water brush. It works well and less messy.
- Can I put Modena on cakes? Yes, if the air can circulate around the flowers, DONOT make plaque from the Modena and stick it onto the cake as it will make the cake sweat, so if you make a bride and groom, I suggest putter something in-between the cake and Modena to stop this happening.
- If you are making models from Modena us rolled up tin foil for the centre this will be more cost effective and will help the clay dry better.
I know I have put a lot of information in this blog but there is so much more I want to tell you, check out My Facebook @cassiebrowncake and my YouTube @cassiebrown for more and as always if you need help of advice please just ask! But most importantly Be Inspired to Create! you are only limited, by your own imagination so let it run wild!
Thank you for reading, Lots of love, Cassie xx
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