Chefs save the water used to boil pasta to flavor and thicken sauces. Bring this same mentality of using scrap materials to your creative practice by making your own recycled, recyclable, and compostable modeling materials using leftover kitchen and art supplies with a blender.

I created the Cai Modeling Materials because I was tired of breathing in plastic dust while making models as more and more data came out about the harm caused by microplastics. They are DIY  alternatives to plastic-based modeling materials that you can make at home or in a studio. Cai Clay is an alternative to air drying clays and Cai Board is an alternative to sheet foam.

This 124 page workbook walks you through how to make both materials. It provides alternative ingredients for making them so that you can choose whatever is most accessible and affordable for you. It also provides 5 recipes for compostable homemade glue, options for coloring your materials using a variety of ingredients, and instructions on how to stencil print and stamp with Cai Clay. All while encouraging experimentation and guiding you through ways of re-thinking your household waste through 14 workbook sections. 

The printed workbook pages are 8-1/2" x 11", and including the spiral binding, the book's total dimensions are 8-7/8" x 11" x 5/8". The book itself was printed on recycled paper that is uncoated, so can be recycled or made into more Cai Modeling Materials.

Chapters

1. Preface
2. Intro
3. Building Knowledge
4. Equipment
5. Safety
6. Sourcing Waste Materials
7. Binders
8. Coatings + Colorings**
9. Let’s Get Making!
10. Starter Recipes
11. Let’s Make Cai Board!*
12. Cai Board Guidelines for Making It Your Own
13. Cai Board Recipes
14. Let’s Make Cai Clay!*
15. Cai Clay Guidelines for Making It Your Own
16. Cai Clay Recipes
17. Troubleshooting
18. Molding & Drying
19. Gluing
20. Construction*
21. Painting and Printing with Cai Clay**
22. After Life
23. Conclusion

*A single asterisk denotes a chapter that has been reorganized compared to the eBook version.

**Double asterisks denotes a chapter that is unique to the printed workbook, so not in the abridged eBook.

Which version is right for you?

An abridged eBook version that is 48 pages long and contains five fewer chapters is also available. The eBook only cursorily covers coloring the Cai Modeling Materials and does not discuss making Cai Clay as a paint for use with stencil printing and stamping. Most chapters in the printed workbook contain extra content not in the eBook. Compare the tables of contents for both books to see if the eBook or the printed workbook will better suit your needs.

To purchase the eBook instead of the printed workbook, click here. 

You can also purchased both books as a bundle. Since Artisans Cooperative is a new platform, the option to immediately download a bundled eBook upon purchase is not available, so I will email you the eBook as soon as I see your order.

Free postcard!

Every purchase of a physical item receives a free postcard. One per order. The current postcards include a picture of one of my favorite chromatograms, Chinese Chive Roots and Stems, that I grew in my community garden plot in Chicago.