Clay and Cleanliness

Clay loves dust. And lint. And cat hair. In fact, it loves just about anything you don't want sticking to it. All too often I'll be making a little sculpture, and all of a sudden there's a speck of lint or a bit of hair imbedded in it. The only way I know to remove such things is to dig them out with a fingernail or toothpick, which I hate to do. It's hard to smooth away gouges.

Clean hands, clean tools, and a clean work surface are very important. This is especially so if you're working with different colored clays. If I work with blue clay for a while and switch to white clay without washing my hands properly, then the white clay is going to pick up a bluish tint. I find that washing with plain soap and water is rarely enough, so I usually scrub my palms with rubbing alcohol. I also wipe down my marble chess table (work surface) with rubbing alcohol before, after, and sometimes during use.

If I get up in the middle of a project and do something else, I try to wash my hands before picking up where I left off. If I don't, then inevitably some bit of lint I somehow picked up will get stuck to the clay.

Despite all these measures, there's no guarantee that lint won't find the clay. But it helps a lot.