Rediscovering souffle
The polymer clay that doesn’t need to shine
Polymer clay trends come and go. New colours appear, new techniques and clays become fashionable, yet so often we find ourselves going back to our trusted favourite clay. I wonder if that’s what’s happened to Soufflé?
From conversations with customers I have heard these comments:
“I didn’t really get on with it
“I couldn’t work out how to condition it’
“I prefer something with a bit of shine.”
Whilst those are useful observations, I also wonder whether Soufflé has sometimes been judged by what it isn’t, rather than appreciated for what it is.
If you’ve never worked with Soufflé before, this short video from Sculpey gives a lovely overview of its unique qualities and why so many makers enjoy using it.
Every Polymer clay has its own individual properties
I have commented on this so often for that, for me, is the joy of polymer clay: that there is always something new and different that one can make or do with you clay. Fabrics rarely have the same texture, or paints behave differently more often than not, so why shouldn’t polymer clay?
Souffle doesn’t try to be glossy, so it never competes with clay that produces a polished finish. Instead, it offers a soft almost suede-like surface that gives the finished piece a nice tactile quality. Souffle doesn’t need to sparkle! It provides a quiet understated piece. Take a look around and you’ll see matte finishes everywhere. You will see it in sea glass, natural stone, or even contemporary ceramics’. They don’t rely on shine to make an impact. Souffle doesn’t need to sparkle! It provides a quiet understated piece. It feels warm and inviting, making it ideal for jewellery, home décor and decorative pieces where texture is just as important as colour.
So what could be created that would actually look better because it isn’t shiny?
Does it need a lot of conditioning?
In my experience, Soufflé is different to work with. Like all polymer clays, it needs some conditioning, but it doesn’t respond to needless working. Once it’s workable that is all it wants: it will then retain the qualities that make it unique.
One of Soufflé’s greatest strengths is something you don’t always appreciate until you’ve finished a project. It’s wonderfully lightweight. If you’ve ever made and worn a pair of statement earrings that looked fabulous but feel rather heavy after an hour or two, you’ll understand why this matters. Once properly cured, Soufflé is also remarkably strong, with a slight flexibility that makes it well suited to jewellery.
However, it’s so good for so many projects. It holds fine detail beautifully, making it interesting for techniques such as caning, Mokume Gane and Bargello. It works wonderfully with textures, combines beautifully with wood, metal and resin, and its distinctive matte finish can give even the simplest design a contemporary feel. Like any of the clays, the possibilities often begin once you stop comparing it with one of the other makes.
Spiced Rum brings depth, making it a natural choice for autumn-inspired designs and earthy, contemporary makes.
Crème Brûlée is a warm, creamy neutral that partners beautifully with almost every colour palette.
Racing Green is rich and sophisticated, perfect for foliage, festive projects or elegant jewellery.
I’m not suggesting Soufflé should become your favourite polymer clay. One of the joys of polymer clay is that there are different clays for different styles, different techniques and different makers. But if you’ve dismissed Soufflé because it isn’t glossy, or because it didn’t behave quite like the clay you usually use, perhaps it’s worth looking at it through a different lens. Rather than asking it to be something it isn’t, let it show you what it does exceptionally well. So, whether you’re discovering Soufflé for the first time or thinking about giving it a second chance, why not pick up a block and see where it takes you? You might just find that this little block of clay has been waiting patiently for you to rediscover it all along.
Find all the colours here
Images courtesy of Sculpey
If you have any thoughts about souffle or ideas for its use that you would like to share, then do comment below!