Every Family Series pack has one block of FIMO Effect Nightglow. In daylight it looks like a pale, creamy clay. Turn the lights off and it glows a soft green. It is the single most exciting thing in the pack, and the trick is not to hand it over at the start.
Save it for the end
In the Klay Master workshops the glow block stays in the tin until the models are nearly done. There is a reason for that. Attention drifts near the end of any project, especially for a child who wants their piece to look just right and is starting to feel it will not. Bringing out the glow clay at that moment is a reward and a second wind in one. It gets everyone over the line.
At home the same idea works. Make the model first, with the main colours. When the body, legs and head are all on, bring out the Nightglow for the finishing touches.
What to use it for
Glow clay is for embellishing, not for building. Eyes are the classic use: two small balls of Nightglow, pressed on, with a toothpick poked into the centre of each. Spots, stripes, teeth, claws, the tip of a horn and the pattern on a shell all work well too. A little goes a long way, and one block is plenty for three activities with some left over.
For the competition, the Glow award goes to the best use of the Nightglow clay. A sixth photo taken in the dark is welcome with your entry, so the judges can see it doing its thing. Charge it under a bright light or in the sun for a minute first.
If the glow clay feels firm
Nightglow is often a little firmer in the hand than the bright colours. For small embellishments this is no trouble at all. Pinch off a pea-sized piece and roll it between finger and thumb for half a minute and it softens right up, like every polymer clay does with handling. Larger pieces take longer, so keep the glow for the details and use the main colours for the body.
The leftovers are the best bit
By the time the third model is done there will be odds and ends of every colour on the table. This is the moment to let go of the card and play. Swap colours between makers, add a contrasting hat or a spotted tail, and use the last of the glow. The Klay Master workshops are booked for an hour and a half, when the model itself takes an hour, because the last half hour of free embellishing is where a piece becomes somebody's own. The same applies at home. Do not pack up too soon.
Then turn the lights off.
