Air-dry clay: The technique

4 July 2014

You will need
• white air-dry clay
• rolling pin or stick
• sosatie skewers
• tongue depressors
• plastic cutting mat
• doilies and lace
• sharp knife
• glass bowl for mould

1 Roll the clay on the plastic cutting mat to 3mm thickness. Place the doily on the clay and roll over it to make an imprint in the clay, then lift off the doily.

2 Use a glass bowl or plate and invert it on to clay to use as a guide for cutting out a neat circle. Remove the excess clay around the edges and lift off the bowl.

3 Carefully remove the clay from the cutting mat and place it inside a bowl to shape it. Leave to dry for about 24 hours. Once it is dry, you can sand the edges smooth with fine sandpaper.

Text and image: Ideas magazine