Favorite tools

One of the things people ask me a lot is what tools I use.

What are the best? What do you recommend?

Like everything else, I don’t have a definite answer for that, everyone has its own preferences and what works for me might not work for you but I can tell you what I always have around when I’m working on a new piece.

✶ CUTTER + CURVY HOOK
I really have no idea what the name for this tool is but, over the years, it has become my favorite among all others. I use the hook part a lot, either for smoothing some side, scratching clay out, or filling up little bits. I don’t think I can live without it, it makes my life so much easier!

✶ NEEDLE
Sometimes used as some sort of knife or to smooth some parts but mostly the animal butthole creator.

✶ KNIFE (Xiem Potters Knife PKO)
This knife is very harp and it’s ideal to cut big chunks of clay or to cut in half my animals to empty the clay.

✶ HEAT GUN
I laughed the first time I saw this. It felt very American to rush things out but oh boy, I was SO WRONG! It has definitely helped me out a lot when wanting the clay at a certain consistency but having not the time to wait the hours required for it to dry. LIFE SAVER!

✶ STYLUS (Kemper)
Whenever I need to carve something I always use these type of stylus. They are great for precise and small work, perfect for my tiny designs!

✶ SPONGE
To smooth clay, clean my brushes of paint/clay excess, clean pieces,…

✶ CARVING TOOLS (Diamond)
Sometimes I need to empty pieces or carve some lines. Recently I tried the diamond tools and I’m in love! They are a bit pricier than other tools but the quality is the best in the market.

✶BRUSHES
I have quite the collection of brushes in all sizes to paint the animals but there’s one with a fan shape that I use when carving to clean the clay remains.

And that’s basically it! These are the tools I use the most, obviously I have some other trinkets but these are my basic ones. As everything, I would recommend to try out some tools and see which ones fit better for you but I hope this gives you an idea on what you might need.