Hand-built ceramics are hot property right now, and the good news is you don’t have to be a master potter to get the look.
Roll up your sleeves and get stuck in with air-dry clay, then embrace your inner artist and decorate your vessels with splashy, painterly patterns. We’ll be filling ours with pens, knitting needles or dried blooms, arranging them just to show off your handiwork. Bear in mind air-dry clay isn’t watetight, so pop any live plants into jars before placing them in your fancy new pots.
What you’ll need:
- 2 x Air-dry clay (White 1kg bar is plenty)
- Clay tool – we recommend Sculpey Clay Tool Starter Set
- Rolling pin
- Craft knife
- Masking tape
- Chopping board
- Greaseproof paper
- Glass jar, about 7.5cm dia.
- Glass jar, about 9cm dia.
- Sandpaper
- Plain paper
- Dust mask
- Acrylic craft paint
- Metallic craft paint
- Paintbrushes
- Varnish
STEP 1 Start by rolling out the air-dry clay on the chopping board. Roll it out to roughly 0.5cm thick, then cut a 25 x 10cm rectangle to make the smaller pot.
STEP 2 Wrap the small glass jar with greaseproof paper to prevent the clay sticking, then wrap the clay rectangle around the jar. Using your fingers or the clay tool seal the short edges together. Keep pressing together until there is a clean join.
STEP 3 To make a base for the pot, roll another piece of clay out, roughly the same thickness and slightly bigger than the base of the jar. Trim the base into a circle.
STEP 4 Secure the base to the sides by pressing them together. Roll out a thin piece of clay from the leftover bits and push it into the join – this will help to strengthen it.
STEP 5 Turn the pot over and make sure all the edges are smoothed down. Take your time with this step and make sure you’re completely happy with the shape.
STEP 6 To make a matching vase, repeat Steps 1-5, this time cutting a 25 x 15cm rectangle of clay and shaping it around the taller glass jar. Once finished, remove the glass jars and the greaseproof paper, and leave the pot and vase to dry for at least 24 hours.
STEP 7 If there are any rough edges, use a small piece of sandpaper to sand the pieces down for a smooth finish. NOTE: Wear a dust mask for this, as sanding causes a lot of dust.
STEP 8 To keep a clean edge on the lower parts of the pots and vase while painting, wrap a strip of plain paper around the bottom of each vessel, as shown, and secure it in place with masking tape.
STEP 9 Take the first paint colour and water it down slightly. Working around the pots, paint them using loose brush strokes. Repeat this process, watering down another colour. Keep the strokes natural and not too neat to achieve painterly look, as shown.
STEP 10 Remove the paper and masking tape and add a few metallic paint strokes to create a shiny look. Apply a little too much paint so it drips down the pots, adding to the natural design. Once the paint is dry, apply two coats of varnish and leave to dry for 24 hours.
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