modeling clay

Pliable art medium

Modeling clay is a soft, pliable material used to sculpt shapes by hand.

Unlike ceramic clay, most modeling clay doesn't harden permanently—it stays workable or can be rebaked.

Children use it for crafts; artists use it for maquettes and prototypes: She roughed out the sculpture in modeling clay before committing to bronze.

play

playdough

Malleable children's craft material

  • Play-DohBranded children's sculpting compound
  • funAmusement or pleasure
  • childrenYoung human beings

toys · colorful · messy · hands-on · squishing · rolling · cutting · molds · shapes · extruder

texture

soft

Yielding to touch

malleable · flexible · smooth · firm · sticky · elastic · doughy · workable · moldable · supple

sculpture

maquette

Preliminary sculptural study

relief · form · casting · armature · artist · studio · fine-art · representation · abstract · realistic

craft

sculpting

Shaping material into forms

shaping · molding · figurines · ornaments · beads · miniatures · armature · wire · tools · drying

education

learning

Gaining knowledge gradually

anatomy · dioramas · science · geography · maps · volcanoes · cells · fossils · demonstration · therapeutic

Categories
Opposites
material permanence

modeling clayceramic

Fired clay material

fired clay · stoneware · porcelain · terracotta · earthenware

material hardness/workability

modeling claystone

Solid earth fragment

marble · granite · hardwood · metal · glass

artistic medium type

modeling claypaint

Colored coating substance

ink · watercolor · graphite · charcoal · pastel

Family

model, clay, models, modeling, modeled, clays, modeler, claymore, clayey

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G