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This fall term, I began making a large-scale sculpture of a woman figure. I was molding her out of water-based ceramic clay. She was very high-maintenance, always needing to be watered and kept moist. One week, I left campus and went home. When I came back, she had cracks all over her! It was absolutely horrifying,both from an artist’s standpoint (seeing my project literally falling to pieces) and that she looked like a petrified mummy. I was very frustrated and desperate for a solution.
A wonderful professor helped me move forward, suggesting I start over with plasticine. Plasticine is a non-drying, oil-based clay. It’s typically expensive (a 2lb block of Roma plastillina is about  $12) So we researched plasticine recipes, experimented and came up with a custom batch of clay!
If you have the time and patience, I highly suggest the D.I.Y route. This recipe is cheap, clean and easier than others. Other home-made plasticine recipes may gross materials like car grease. You don’t want to cook with that nasty stuff.
This recipe uses store-bought materials like vaseline and mineral oil. The things you might need to buy online or go to an art store for are the talc powder and waxes (bees and microcrystalline, which is a soft, malleable wax.
It only took about 3 hours to make–and that was only the first try.
Side note: When buying materials remember: buying 3 pints of mineral oil (strong laxative) and a pound of vaseline  may imply a serious medical condition more than artsiness (redefining artsy-fartsy)
So, if you get weird looks from people in the checkout line, they may think you’re constipated and have a really bad rash : )

Plasticine Recipe:
2.5 lbs beeswax + 1.25 lb  microcrystalline wax
3 pints  mineral oil
1 lb vaseline
6.25 lbs talc
Equipment:
  • very large metal pot
  • stove top
  • something to stir with that won’t melt (wooden spatula, ruler, large metal spoon, etc…)
  • large metal baking sheet or steel panel
  • metal ladle or large spoon
  •  medium-sized paint scraper
  • large, shallow tupperware container (for storage)
Directions:
  1. Turn stove on.
  2. Break wax into smaller pieces. Place in pot. Melt wax until liquid.
  3. Add in vaseline and mineral oil. Mix until well integrated into wax. Stir frequently.
  4. Gradually add in talc. Stir constantly. (about 10 minutes)
  5. With your ladle, begin spooning hot mixture onto your metal sheet. Spread layers thin so they cool faster.
  6. Once mixture is cool and hard, use your paint scraper or knife to gather clay.
  7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until your pot is empty and you have your bulk of clay!
  8. Store in tupperware.
 …happy making!