is there such thing as shrinking clay?

Question

Ok so MOST baking clays and such that ive seen or heard of, people always seem to have the problem of the clay shrinking. Of course most of it doesnt shrink too much- because its not really meant to.
I was going to make a sculpture of a weeping angel from doctor who- I want it a certain size but it would be much easier for me to work larger than that because i have never done such a complicated or difficult sculpture before. So I'm wondering if there are any clays out there specifically meant to shrink and if so, would using them screw up any of the dimensions, details, or anatomy of the sculpture?

Mike1942f · Accepted Answer

Not in the sense you want - it is standard practice for people working with clay to make measured sizes with the working version of the clay and then remeasure after drying and kiln firing. Such as when making tiles that have to be 6x6" when done.  The amount of shrinkage depends on the clay being use but 5-10% going from wet to dry and another 5-10% for kiln firing. For a specific clay it remains predictable once worked out.  
Differing thicknesses would perhaps distort your figure, but normally clay in sculptures is required to be hollow in the thicker areas such as the body.

Alice S · Answer

Yes.  Clay contains water.  When it dries out to greenware there is still water in the clay, just not as much.  So taking firing into account you can expect to lose about 20% to shrinkage.

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is there such thing as shrinking clay?

2 Answers