Clay Modeling! (?)

[xSuperMario64x]

I wasn't sure if this should go in The Museum or here, but since I'm mostly asking a question or asking for advice and not showing off anything (at least, only one thing) I figured I would post here.

So I've been thinking for the last few months that I would love to try my hand at clay modeling. I'm also really interested in 3D animated modeling but I think that clay modeling would not only just be a good place to start, but I could also have actual creations which I can hold in my hands and display somewhere.
I was initially inspired by a particular youtuber who makes a bunch of Pokemon out of "squash clay" and they always look really nice. I'm more interested in working with clay which can be easily shaped and blended (I think it's polymer) but I would basically like to do something similar, making figures of Pokemon as well as some of my own characters, or maybe even pets.

have any of you here ever done clay modeling? if so what kinds of clay/wiring/tools do you recommend? if you haven't, do you know anyone online who works with clay and might be a good place to start? I feel like I have a pretty good sense of space and I wouldn't have too difficult of a time learning this and creating my own stuff (as you all might know im a very artistic person) but some recommendations would be much appreciated :3

Spoiler: this is the kind of thing I'm interested in doing btw

I just became more interested after sculpting a crude version of my Toucat out of play-doh. it really isn't a good modeling clay and was very hard to work with without tools or wire armature, but I really enjoyed doing this and it makes me feel more excited to actually do some clay sculpting/modeling!

 

[Ookami]

Sculpting with clay is really fun, I've done some sculptures and would recomend Sculpey clay. It exists in a lot of different colors but it's "easier" to just go with the regular gray or skincolored one if you're planning to paint it over anyways or make dolls!
With sculpey you need to be meticulous about getting an even layer over a base that should be made out of something that wont burn in the oven, otherwise you might end up getting an uneven color when it's done baking. When it hardens, it will become sort of plastic.

Another clay that I recently started using is DAS modelling clay. It's an airdrying clay, but the possibilities are just as many! It's really easy to use, and you can use this with water to smooth it out as a finishing touch. The hardest part will probably be the drying process as it can but might not crack here and there. Just make sure the drying is slow and this will be prevented. You can place a damp towel over the sculpture to make sure it doesn't dry too quickly. If it should crack, you can always just wet the cracks and apply more DAS clay.
You can also use sandpapers on this clay once it's hardened.

As for tools I personally just use my hands most of the time. Sometimes I use a toothpick, sometimes a small blade for cutting. I do have other "sculpting tools" but I rarely use them. I would recomend the silicone tipped ones for smooth textures.

Sculpting needs patience. Start by scribling ideas down, then try to make the basic shape first. Details comes final!

I hope this helped some. Happy sculpting!