Ball clay: features and selection

The use of modeling for the comprehensive development of a child has long been proven and not challenged, but modern industry has managed to create such a huge variety of different masses suitable for this activity that it can be difficult for a simple man in the street to figure out.

Each of them has its own advantages or is ideally suited for the performance of handicrafts of a strictly defined type, therefore it cannot be said that all the masses for modeling are interchangeable. As for the ball clay, it is still a novelty for most parents, and therefore requires more careful consideration.

Actually, it is rather strange that this mass is called clay, because in fact it has absolutely nothing to do with this material. It is more correct to say that ball clay - This is a set of a huge number of small balls of approximately the same size.which are most often made from polyfoam, although theoretically manufacturers can replace it with other similar materials.

These balls are interconnected with a special glue, which also differs from manufacturer to manufacturer. The mass can be found both in the finished form, already mixed with glue, and dry - then the person who will sculpt himself mixes the balls with glue just before the beginning of the creative process.

Since the particles connected by the adhesive substance must be easily separated enough so that it is not difficult for even a small child, the grip between them is low, which affects the strength of the finished products. Some types of such a mass in general practically do not involve the creation of large figures with complex parts, since they simply will not hold.

Most often, ball clay is used for sculpting on a flat surface - excellent applicative pictures are made of it, they are pasted over with various objects, such as cans, eggs, and much more. In a sense, this material can be called decorative.

Most often, ball clay is classified into two main categories: particle size and reusable use. Each of these categories involves two types of material, the total mass for modeling is summarized by the four main types of clay. By the size of particles, ball clay is divided into coarse-grained and fine-grained.

Large grains are often chosen for young children who are prone to pull everything in their mouths. Due to the size of the particles, the chances that the baby swallows them are reduced at least slightly. The small diameter of the individual elements is good because allows you to more carefully emphasize small details whether it is a three-dimensional figure or a painting on a plane.

As for the possibility of reusable use, it is either there or not. Most types of ball clay suggest that the child is not trying to create some kind of masterpiece that his parents or he would like to keep for a long time, so this mixture is used only for modeling for the purpose of training skills or for fun.

Naturally, such a mass holds the shape worse; crafts from it can be “disassembled” at any moment and turned into something completely new. Hardening clay was created with a completely opposite purpose - it is used to create at least relatively durable products.

Despite the fact that the figure will turn out to be fragile, and playing with it is very risky, the resulting fragments cannot be smashed into anything else — they will only crumble, not connecting with each other.

For all other criteria, some deviations are quite rare. Ball clay is almost always airy, it is extremely lightweight, which is very good, in particular, for children's creativity, but its density may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, and in some cases you can find a special weight for stronger hands, differing in heavier weight.

Typically, such a clay - foam, but some manufacturers, in order to save on the production process or with some other purpose, can make balls of other materials, the main criteria for selection of which are lightness and elasticity.

Today, most types of plasticine are sold not only as a material, but also in the form of sets, for example, with tools for modeling, molds and other useful and interesting accessories. Ball clay here does not look like an exception, but none of the described additions to it are needed - usually it is supplemented by a bonus that is so unusual for other types of masses, like handicrafts. In fact, it is quite logical, because The material is used largely to create paintings on the plane.

Razukrashka assumes the presence of ready-made outlines of drawings on themes close to children of a certain age and range of interests, for example, depicts various fairy tales, shots from popular cartoons, other images interesting for kids, like boys' machines and fairy portraits for girls. to.

Since the coloring and the “dye” itself are produced in a set, there is no doubt that the diameter of the balls is small enough to successfully “draw” all the details of the pictures.

They also come across sets with a surprise, where kids are offered to “paint” not just a flat surface, but an object. As such an object, a small decorative vase may well fit, which has a beautiful shape, but a relatively neutral appearance. The child’s task is to make a real work of art out of this blank by wrapping it outside with foam balls of the color that he considers more appropriate.

However, the creators' imagination is quite extensive - they can easily put in a set and a blank for any beautiful toy, which can not be played, but it can be proud of it.

Although the use of modeling for children has already been said quite a lot, in the case of ball clay, you should pay attention to this topic again, because this material is quite different from other masses for modeling. It may even be noted that such a mixture in its own way unites in itself the developmental effect of both modeling and drawing.

Firstly, develops fine motor skills of the child, but here it is somewhat different from what is required when working with classic clay. In particular, the foam version is not very well suited for the traditional occupation of the smallest novices - sculpting "sausages" and "balls", but on the other hand, it immediately requires a complex, often flat shape.

Here, the characteristic work movement for the little master is not so much the rolling up of something as the pinching off of small fragments and their subsequent installation into the necessary place.

The second developed quality is creative fantasy. Due to the fact that the material is relatively unsuitable for abstract exercises, it is bought mainly for children of relatively conscious age, who already have a fairly clear idea of ​​what they are going to create. Even with the availability of coloring with ready-made outlines, the child has yet to choose colors for each field, which already requires a certain imagination.

If there is also no coloring, it means that the kid will have to draw the contours on his own, invent what it will all look like, and turn his vision into reality, which greatly develops spatial thinking.

Thirdly, that sphere of imagination is developing, which is responsible for thinking through complex plans implementation of any projects. The procedure of making even relatively simple crafts from ball clay involves the passage of a number of stages, including preparing the balls by mixing them with the glue base (if the manufacturer has not done this before), creating the right shades from the available colors (if necessary), thinking through and creating sketches of contours, filling them with mass.

First of all, it should be noted that ball clay is recommended for children of a later age than usual. Different people have different opinions on the possible start of exercises with this material, but on average they agreed that it was worth starting at about 5 years old (of course, in the immediate presence of adults).

This is not a requirement, but it is desirable that before you try to work with ball clay, a child already had certain skills at least in modeling and drawing.

If we talk about the choice of a specific subspecies of the mass, then everything here already depends on the goals set. In particular, reusable ball clay is more suitable for training beginners, or for training those children who have already had some success.

Due to the small size of its details, its fine-grained version will slightly resemble a specific clay, while the coarse-grained variety can be called a kind of designer.

Solidified ball clay is acquired only if if there is confidence that the little master will be able to cope with the task that he is setting himself. This will help preserve the masterpiece, but if the craft is spoiled by careless, inept or ill-considered actions of the child, then it will be impossible to correct the situation. The coarse-grained version is suitable for creating large-sized figures and paintings, provided that the well-visible surface relief can be regarded as a special artistic effect.

Fine-grained mass should be chosen to significantly simplify the “drawing” of small parts, as well as to give the product a texture of a different type, which from a great distance may not even be perceived as grainy.

Ball clay is still a creative tool, designed for the amateur. Nobody really criticizes him, but one cannot say that everyone knows and loves him.As for positive features, consumers usually distinguish the unusual texture of finished products from it, the variety of colors, the convenience of packages in which such mass is sold for modeling, and the possibility of long-term storage of handicrafts provided selection of the correct mass and careful attitude.

If we talk about certain negative qualities, then indicate, first of all, that material is not suitable for primary learning modeling, and therefore it is designed for a minority, because most of the kids still throw this occupation over time. At the same time, due to the graininess of the structure, the probability that the child swallows individual particles increases, or, in the process of modeling, simply loses them, gradually reducing the amount of material used.

The fact that you can do with a child of ball clay, see the following video.