Tutorial: Black Cat in a Pumpkin

It's Tutorial Tuesday....so let's create this cat in a pumpkin following a tutorial from Makin's Clay  The Halloween pumpkin is made from neon orange Makin's Clay and the cat's eyes are glow-in-the-dark clay, also from Makin's.

Why Air Dry Clay Instead of Play-Doh?

Are you a teacher of young children, a parent or a grandparent?  You might want to read this article that I came across at PaperWorksOutlet.  The author points out some interesting benefits of using air-dry clay over PlayDoh when crafting with the kids.   The writer says:  "The best thing about the clay however, is

Tuesday Tutorials

Sculpting a OOAK doll head with air-dry-clay

Easy Snowmen to Make With the Kids

Beer Bottle Doll

Skinny Doll with Pink Dress

Make Some Clay for the Kids

This homemade play dough "clay" recipe from The Wyrd Sisters is super easy and includes a special twist....it's scented dough. Take a break from your usual routine and make some with the kids/grandkids. 

 See the recipe and instructions for "Smelly Rainbow Dough" here.

How to make a Rainbow Clay Mouse

Rainbow Clay is a new air dry modelling sculpture medium. Described as paper based modelling medium, non toxic, odourless & safe.  Air drys.  Lightweight, soft & easy to use.   Distributed by Rainbow Clay Australia.  The following video demonstrates a cute and easy mouse.  Kid-friendly and a good beginners project!

(note:  There's a Rainbow Clay available at Amazon.com but I'm not certain it's the same product.  Packaging looks different.   If anybody has the answer to this, please leave a comment!)



If you're a distributor of Rainbow Clay in the USA (or other countries), please let us know!   Our Air-Dry Clay Yahoo Group has members from every continent!  (Well, except Antartica maybe...LOL)

Clay Recipes to Make for Kids

Today I came across a collection of homemade air dry clay recipes at "Crafting a Green World" that are kid-friendly and earth-friendly.   Recipes include basic natural play dough recipe, aromatherapy play dough, gluten-free cornstarch dough, edible play dough and modeling beeswax.  See Five Natural Modeling Materials You Can Make Yourself.

Author says:  "I tend to choose to make our modeling materials for a few reasons. I’m much happier spending a hour in the kitchen every few weeks mixing up several batches of natural play dough than I would be spending that hour driving to the store and back for Play Doh."

Tutorial: Make Some Funny Bunnies

Video demo from TatyanaBel  doesn't say what kind of clay she's using but this would be a good project for the pre-colored air-dry clays such as Cloud Clay, Makin's Clay, Hearty Clay and Model Magic. Cold porcelain should work well for these bunnies also.  Bunnies are colorful and the simple shapes make it kid-friendly.  TatyanaBel says: "This is just to show how easy to create something that can bring an instant smile on your friend's face or someone's you care about. I've created few dozens during Easter and placed them in the kitchen at work. Easter Bunnies had their new friends very quickly!"

Miniature Teddy Bear

This video demo from sugarcraft artist Aine shows us how to make a tiny miniature teddy bear.   This demo is using gumpaste to create figure, but the process is exactly the same for air-dry clay.   Just use regular glue where she calls for edible glue.    This is a kid-friendly project and suitable for just about any clay, including the softer air-dry clays like Model Magic and Cloud Clay.

Make an Easy Owl with Model Magic

A super simple variation of how to make an owl.  Quick and easy.   A great project to get you started with air-dry clay.  A great kids project also!  Make a large one for a paperweight or a smaller one for a fridge magnet!   Tutorial suggests using Model Magic.  Although white is shown, Model Magic comes in a variety of colors.  How about a purple owl??  LOL   Have fun with it.  4 Crazy Kings shows us how it's done.

On same blog is another tutorial with a full body variation

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Make This Cute Kitty

Another excellent 2-part video demo from Marisol Romero, showing us, step-by step, how to make the cute cartoon kitty shown above, using cold porcelain.   Marisol is speaking Spanish in the videos but, even if you don't understand what she is saying, you should be able to follow along easily.  Every step is clearly shown.  

This would be a good beginner's project because of the character's simplicity!   Instead of cold porcelain, many other air-dry clays would work as well...especially the soft  pre-colored brands such as  Deco Clay, Cloud Clay, Hearty Clay, Makin's Clay and other brands of soft, or semi-soft, pre-colored clays.   This would also be a suitable project for the not-quite-as-soft clays such as Creative Paperclay and LaDoll.  You would just have to pre-tint the clay first or paint when cured. (see menu tab above for tinting tips)    The clays I would NOT recommend are the heavier clays designed more for throwing on wheel and the low-price "school-grade" clays such as Crayola Air Dry Clay (which has a tendency to crack easy).

Make a Big Bead Bracelet with Cloud Clay

This Cloud Clay tutorial from Linda Peterson is intended as a children's project, but the video demonstrates many air-dry clay techniques that could be applied to other projects!  Making this funky, big bead bracelet is a good learning experience!

How to Make a Paperclay Snowman

This is a 5-part video demo from MLB Studios showing us how to make this folk art snowman with stick legs that can either stand or hang from tree.   Creative Paperclay is used but many other air-dry clays would work as well.    Using an instant papier mache (such as Celluclay) could give it an even more vintage look and feel!

Part 1... Making the Armature



Part 2... Adding the features



Part 3... Adding details



Part 4... Adding color



Part 5... Finish

Meet a New Clay: Cloud Clay

Cloud Clay snowmen, approx. 3" tall

I recently tried another new air-drying clay called "Cloud Clay".    When I first started working with it I ran into a number of problems but after a week or two of practice, I grew to like the clay.  The snowmen shown above were created after stumbling through a few hit & miss projects!

Cloud Clay is soft and easy to form.  I like it because it is easy on my hands (I have Arthritis) and I also like the vibrant colors. Cloud Clay is marketed to children but all ages should enjoy.  Adults who like crafting cute chracters or who have problems with their hands (like me) will like it's soft texture.  It is available in 4 oz packs in a smiliar price range as Model Magic and Makin's Clay.  (Large classroom packs are also available.)

Amaco introduced Cloud Clay in 2009.
This is manufacturer's description:

NEW! Super light modeling clay for ages 3+, available in 10 colors** in 4 oz packages.    Cloud Clay™ is as light as air … AP certified non-toxic and safe to use! This soft, puffy, and pliable modeling material is fun to squeeze, shape or mold. Cloud Clay has more ‘stretch’ than other brands, so fibers won’t break when pulled apart. Projects are more durable, even for the smallest of details.

This clay sticks to itself and not to hands. Colors blend well and mix with acrylics. Shrinks very little, so it can be used over an armature including balloons. This colorful clay dries overnight and decorates easily. Reusable when stored and sealed properly.


Crafters and kids can rubber stamp or press Cloud Clay™ into molds, model super heroes and fantasy creatures. Shape the sun, moon, and stars. The sky is the limit for creativity with Cloud Clay™.

Bear made with Cloud Clay (approx. 2.5 inches tall, seated)

My experience....
Cloud Clay is a soft, puffy, lightweight clay similar to Model Magic and a few other brands of very soft air-dry clays.   It's pretty stretchy too.   We pulled a piece to see how far it would stretch before breaking and it stretched the width of the table.  This stretchiness can be annoying when trying to pull a small piece of clay from the package because it doesn't break off easily.   I found it worked better to use scissors to cut off  the amount I needed, which is not really a problem.

Make a Trick or Treat Sign with Clay

This tutorial is from Makin's Clay and uses their "Glow-in-the-Dark" clay for the bats.

"Trick or Treat" signboard   http://www.makinsclay.com/US/eng/project_gallery/seasonal/halloween02.htm

Make This Easy Heart Necklace with Hearty Clay

Create this easy and colorful heart necklace with air-dry Hearty Clay.

How to Make This Cute Clay Angel

Here's a tutorial from Ben Franklin Crafts for a cute little angel made with Hearty Clay.   This would make a good beginners project.   http://createyourcrafts.com/Projects/projects/angel.htm

Glue a magnet to the back and you've got a useful and decorative item!  ....Glue a pin to back and you have jewelry!    ....Add a hanger and you have a tree ornament!    ....or ... Make it big and put a hole in the back to  hang on the wall!!   ;-)

Video: Create a Dolls Head with Cold Porcelain

Yesterday we shared a step-by-step tutorial of how to model a basic doll's head with cold porcelain (or other soft air-dry clays).    Today we have a 2-part video demo by Rosangela Alencar, showing her methods for shaping a cold porcelain (CP) doll's head.   Very similar to yesterday's tutorial with a few added details....plus the benefit of watching it on video!  ;-)

Well worth watching to see how she neatly wraps the Styrofoam ball with CP and shapes the head.  It's amazing how quickly she shapes a nose!  She makes it look so easy!! ;-)    Also take note of how she uses her fingers to measure placement of mouth and chin and how she forms neck at the same time she is shaping those pudgy cheeks!

Part 1...Getting Started



Part 2....Adding Details

How to make embellishments with ADC

Toodles and Binks shows us how to create embellishments with rubber stamps and air-dry clay for your scrapbooking project or some other clever project!  

Part 1



Part 2

How to Make Play Clay for the Kids

Here's a video demonstrating how to make a 'Play-Doh' type clay (similar to the kids clay recipe in the last post).

Kid's Clay Recipe

Here's a home recipe from Martha Stewart for making modeling clay for the kids.   Simple to make using  flour, salt, cream of tartar, cooking oil and food coloring.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/colorful-clay