FAQ

Cleaning is quite simple!

You can dust the sculptures with a dry cloth/paper towel. Sometimes a sculpture gets a bit grimy and you can restore its silky smooth feel by polishing it with a rag or soft material (I use my shirt 😅).

If it's a piece with detailed areas and crevices then you might find it easier to use a Q-tip.

You can also use water to clean them! All the materials used (clay, paint, top coat) are non-porous, which means it's safe to get them wet.

What I tend to do is place my sculptures right under running water and lightly rub the surface with my fingers. Again, use a Q-Tip for hard to reach spots. If you need to clean off grime and water alone isn't cutting it, then try using gentle hand soap.

I hiiiighly recommend you avoid using cleaning chemicals, isopropyl alcohol, and solvents like acetone, mineral spirits, etc. These will 100% damage the finish, the paint and possibly stain the clay. Not fun

The short answer: yes...kinda...it depends!

The longer answer: all polymer clay sculptures are fragile to varying degrees depending on the thickness and shape. For example, a big chunky blob will be tougher than a small tube cat with its little thin legs.

Some practical advice: try not to drop them on hard surfaces, smash them into other objects, run them over with a car, hit them with a golf club, crush them under a kettlebell, or strap them to a block of C-4 explosive...unless of course you're trying to destroy them 😯 (pls don't tho 😢). 

They might survive a fall or a car encounter without cracking, but it's best to leave that as a hypothetical.

I also recommend you don't thrown them in a river because they'll swim away. Don't leave them alone with a seagull because they look like food. Don't lend them gas money because they don't have a job to pay you back. Don't have them DJ your wedding because they won't take requests and will only play Rasputin by Boney M. Don't challenge them to a DDR dance off unless you're open to being thoroughly embarrassed. And don't expect them to help out with chores because they're all about the chilling (lazy) lifestyle.

The finishes can scratch if something hard/sharp grazes across the sculpture. UV resin finishes are slightly tougher than acrylic varnish, but scratches might stand out more under light due to it being a very glossy surface. If you have a keychain sculpture and it's attached to your keys or phone then expect some wear over time.

If your piece has a varnish or UV resin finish then you might want to avoid keeping the sculpture in direct, hot sunlight since that can contribute to the finish turning yellow. Even though these finishes are archival, non-yellowing, UV-resistant formulations, there's no perfect never yellowing medium, despite what companies might say in their marketing material. Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned, though; it can take years of sunlight to cause yellowing, and you might not even notice it depending on the colors of your piece!