Clay Animation Tools. Tools are physical items that are used to shape clay sculptures. The best tool in sculpting modeling clay are your hands. The hands have the ability to shape and mold clay better than any metal, wood, or plastic tool. Hands can be used to create the basic form of a sculpture and a premanufactured tool can create the finer details. The hands and hand tools can work together to successfully form the desired look for the character or object. Hand tools that should be a part of everybody's clay sculpting equipment include some type of cutting tool such as a knife and a poking tool such as a doll rod. It will be necessary to cut pieces of clay and leave a straight edge. Using the hands can distort the whole sculpture in trying to tear a piece off it. Also it may be necessary to create a hole in the sculpture that cannot be cut out and that the finger cannot poke in, to the needed size. A doll rod can solve this problem by poking an eye socket hole to the desired size. Here are some examples of manufactured sculpting tools made from plastic, wood and metal. The best hand tools to use depends on the sculptures needs and desired look and quality of the character or object. Here are clay sculpting tools made from toothpicks and paperclips. Clay manufactured sculpting tools are sometimes difficult to locate for purchase. If the needed tool cannot be found, then they can be made. To manufacture these sculpting tools the following items are needed - toothpicks, paperclips and superglue. Bend the paper clips to a shape of the poking or scraping face needed. Take the non-poking or scraping end of the paper clip and line it up to the toothpick. Use the superglue to attach the metal paper clips to the wood toothpick and let dry. Here are pictured examples of possible sculpting tools that can be made from toothpicks and paperclips. hand made tools, hands tools. http://www.clayanimator.com