How to Mold Clay
Prepare your clay.Good clay is soft enough to be worked with by hand straight out of the box or bag., Use the pinch method.Probably the most ancient and easy way to mold clay is by pinching it with your fingers., Try coiled construction.Forming...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Prepare your clay.Good clay is soft enough to be worked with by hand straight out of the box or bag.
However, by kneading the clay you will make it more pliable and remove any air bubbles and debris.
This process of kneading and preparing clay is known as wedging.Place a lump of clay on a porous surface, such as concrete or canvas.
Using your palms, press and roll the lump toward you.
Pick up the clay, set it back down, and again press and roll it toward you.
Repeat this process until the lump of clay is uniform in consistency (perhaps 50 times). -
Step 2: Use the pinch method.Probably the most ancient and easy way to mold clay is by pinching it with your fingers.
Once your clay has been wedged, press and pull at it with your fingers to form it into a desired shape.
For instance, to shape a simple bowl using the pinch method:
Take a lump of your clay and roll into a ball.
Set the ball down on your work surface, pushing it down slightly to hold it in place.
Make a small impression in the center of your ball.
This will make the opening of the bowl.
Pull the clay horizontally away from the center hole to widen the bowl.
Pinch the sides of the clay and pull them upwards to form the sides of the bowl.
Continue to pinch and pull until the bowl is the desired size and shape. , Start with a lump of clay that has been wedged properly.
Separate the clay into several smaller lumps of about the same size.
Take each lump and roll it into a ball.
Using your palms, push down on each ball and roll it back and forth.
This process will start to form a long thin coil.
Move your palms horizontally and continue rolling each coil to make it longer.
Stop when your coils are the desired thickness.
They can be thicker or thinner depending on the form you want to make (use smaller coils to make a thinner-walled bowl, for instance).
Shape a coil into a desired shape.
For instance, to make a round bowl, shape the coil into a circle, and pinch the ends together to close it.
Stack coils on top of each other to make the object higher.
Use progressively small coils to close off an object (for instance, to make the bottom of a bowl).
You can also start with a slab of clay to form the bottom of an object (such as a small flat circle to serve as the bottom of a bowl).
Gently press on the coils to join them together and to smooth the sides of your object. , Fuse the shapes together to make your object.
For instance, to make a clay box:
Take a lump of wedged clay and roll it into a flat sheet using a rolling pin or similar tool.
Use a knife or semi-sharp object to cut slab into the shapes you desire.
To make a box, cut the clay sheet into squares or rectangles of the same size.
You can also use another object as a guide when cutting shapes.
For instance, take a square sheet of paper, lay it on your clay sheet, and cut the clay by tracing around the edges of the paper using a knife.
Once you have all of your shapes cut, score them by making many small cuts along their edge.
This will create a good surface to fuse them together.
Set one scored edge against another.
Gently press using your hands or a small tool to join them together and smooth the edge out.
Repeat until all of your shapes are joined together to make the object. , Extruders can be purchased from ceramic supply stores and catalogues.
Place a lump of wedged clay inside the extruder.
Using a lever, you will then push at the clay to force it through an opening of a desired shape, such as a circle or square.
This will form coils or slabs that you can use to shape into various objects. -
Step 3: Try coiled construction.Forming objects from coils of clay allows more versatility
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Step 4: but also requires nothing more than your hands.
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Step 5: Form slabs.You can also form clay objects from flat sheets of clay in various shapes.
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Step 6: Use an extruder.An extruder is a tool that can make more uniform coils and/or produce them more quickly.
Detailed Guide
However, by kneading the clay you will make it more pliable and remove any air bubbles and debris.
This process of kneading and preparing clay is known as wedging.Place a lump of clay on a porous surface, such as concrete or canvas.
Using your palms, press and roll the lump toward you.
Pick up the clay, set it back down, and again press and roll it toward you.
Repeat this process until the lump of clay is uniform in consistency (perhaps 50 times).
Once your clay has been wedged, press and pull at it with your fingers to form it into a desired shape.
For instance, to shape a simple bowl using the pinch method:
Take a lump of your clay and roll into a ball.
Set the ball down on your work surface, pushing it down slightly to hold it in place.
Make a small impression in the center of your ball.
This will make the opening of the bowl.
Pull the clay horizontally away from the center hole to widen the bowl.
Pinch the sides of the clay and pull them upwards to form the sides of the bowl.
Continue to pinch and pull until the bowl is the desired size and shape. , Start with a lump of clay that has been wedged properly.
Separate the clay into several smaller lumps of about the same size.
Take each lump and roll it into a ball.
Using your palms, push down on each ball and roll it back and forth.
This process will start to form a long thin coil.
Move your palms horizontally and continue rolling each coil to make it longer.
Stop when your coils are the desired thickness.
They can be thicker or thinner depending on the form you want to make (use smaller coils to make a thinner-walled bowl, for instance).
Shape a coil into a desired shape.
For instance, to make a round bowl, shape the coil into a circle, and pinch the ends together to close it.
Stack coils on top of each other to make the object higher.
Use progressively small coils to close off an object (for instance, to make the bottom of a bowl).
You can also start with a slab of clay to form the bottom of an object (such as a small flat circle to serve as the bottom of a bowl).
Gently press on the coils to join them together and to smooth the sides of your object. , Fuse the shapes together to make your object.
For instance, to make a clay box:
Take a lump of wedged clay and roll it into a flat sheet using a rolling pin or similar tool.
Use a knife or semi-sharp object to cut slab into the shapes you desire.
To make a box, cut the clay sheet into squares or rectangles of the same size.
You can also use another object as a guide when cutting shapes.
For instance, take a square sheet of paper, lay it on your clay sheet, and cut the clay by tracing around the edges of the paper using a knife.
Once you have all of your shapes cut, score them by making many small cuts along their edge.
This will create a good surface to fuse them together.
Set one scored edge against another.
Gently press using your hands or a small tool to join them together and smooth the edge out.
Repeat until all of your shapes are joined together to make the object. , Extruders can be purchased from ceramic supply stores and catalogues.
Place a lump of wedged clay inside the extruder.
Using a lever, you will then push at the clay to force it through an opening of a desired shape, such as a circle or square.
This will form coils or slabs that you can use to shape into various objects.
About the Author
Emma Wright
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in creative arts and beyond.
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