Making figurines with clay that hardens involves air-drying or baking the objects in a conventional oven, as opposed to kiln-firing. Because firing in a kiln requires special equipment and ultra-high heat, this method is reserved for ceramics. The simplest hardening clay to use for home or school art projects is the air-drying type, but it’s less durable than oven-baked clay. An example of air-drying clay well-suited to figurine sculpture is natural earth clay, while oven-baked sculpture compounds include polymer clay. After the clay hardens, you can paint your figurines with acrylic or tempera paints.
Sculpting figurines with non-hardening clay offers you more flexibility to mold and remold your figurines. It’s the ideal choice if you want to animate objects using video or time-lapse photography. Because non-hardening clay doesn’t dry out, it’s a more fragile medium for making figurines. Non-hardening compounds contain clay mixed with oil, wax or resin as a base. Note that you cannot paint your finished figurine if you use these modeling clays.
Professional sculpture tools aren't necessary for modeling figurines, but they will enhance the detail and lifelike quality of your creations. Sculpting or razor knives, which resemble scalpels or utility knives, respectively, will help you divide slabs of clay into smaller pieces and make bold cuts to remove excess material. Wire-end modeling tools, which look like pens with loops of wire at one end, are useful for textural scraping. Sewing needles are ideal for executing precise lines and putting more detail into your work.
An important technique in sculpting figurines is the use of internal armatures. You can craft these easily out of wire and aluminum foil. Like a skeleton, an armature supports the parts of your sculpture that need reinforcement. Extend the wires of an armature to fasten your figurine to a display base. Aluminum foil armatures, especially in a large figurine, reduce the amount of clay required while making the object stronger. To create a secure bond between metal and clay, coat the armature with a polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue and let it dry before applying the clay.