Make Pottery with Air Dry Clay
When you think about pottery, you probably think about searing hot ovens, large spinning wheels, and a variety of other complicated tools that most people don’t have easy access to. Contrary to what you might think, it is actually possible to create stunning pieces of pottery from the comfort of your home without using any complicated tools or firing ovens!
Indeed, you can make lovely pieces of pottery using air-dry clay! As the name suggests, air-dry clay becomes set simply by being exposed to air for a few hours. This means that once you are finished making a piece, you do not need to fire it in an oven. You simply leave it alone for a day or two and it will harden on its own. What’s great about air dry clay is that it is easily available in any supermarket or crafts store near you and is fairly cheap. Once dry, you can paint your air-dry clay pottery pieces using regular acrylic paint to really make them pop.
You can practice all the same pottery hand-building techniques using air-dry clay that you can when using regular clay that requires oven-firing. Some common pottery hand-building techniques include:
-
Coiling - This is a traditional hand-building technique where the clay is rolled into long, thin coils and then stacked on top of each other to form the desired shape. This technique is often used to create pots, vases, and other cylindrical objects.
-
Slab building - In this technique, the clay is rolled out into flat slabs that can then be cut and molded into various shapes and forms. The slabs are then stacked, joined, and molded together to create a solid piece. This method is commonly used to make boxes, plates, and other flat objects.
-
Pinching - This is a simple but effective hand-building technique where the clay is pinched and squeezed between the fingers to create various shapes and forms. Pinching is often used to create small, simple objects such as bowls, cups, and figurines. This technique requires skill and practice to achieve consistent shapes and forms.
There are multiple benefits to creating pottery. Because of the tactile nature of pottery, it’s great for helping children develop fine motor skills. The focus required to shape the clay in the right way helps to stimulate the brain and improve your thinking skills. Indeed, any form of art encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. These are crucial life skills that are important for both adults and children. Moreover, the process of molding and shaping the clay can be very soothing and entertaining, so creating pottery is a great way to help you unwind from a stressful day at work!
Thanks to the internet, you can find a variety of completely free pottery tutorials on websites like YouTube. There are tutorials geared towards complete beginners as well as those who are already at intermediate or advanced levels. So you can easily teach yourself some basic pottery techniques at home with just some air dry clay and a few instructional videos!
Buy artworks, home décor accessories and paintings online on Artezaar.com Online Art Gallery in Dubai
Blog post written by Artezaar.com Guest Blogger Shreya Alagramam
