Clay Dog Ornament

by JOANN |

Item # 352229625P104

Intermediate Over 5 Hours

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

DIRECTIONS:
To find the downloadable pattern click on the "GET PATTERNS" tab above.

Condition all clay until workable in the rolling machine. Once all the clay is conditioned mix some beige and a little brown together to make a light brown clay for the ears and mouth.
Set the roller to about 1/8" and roll out your colors into a sheet and set aside.
Cut out the pieces to your template with scissors. Lay them on the desired color clay and cut out. Set aside.

To create the Buffalo check scarf, you will need to make a cane of clay with a red and black stripe. To make a cane lay alternating flat pieces of black and red clay on top of each other. Once you have enough pieces to make a square cut the end into a square shape. See diagram A. Pull the cane slightly and keep forming into the squared sides until the cane is approximately 1/4" square.
Using a piece of the red sheet of clay lay it on the working tile. Cut 1/4" squares of red and black clay and set them in a grid pattern with the diagonal cane pieces in between. See the finished Buffalo Check layout in diagram A.
Once you have enough buffalo check pattern to cut out the scarf template use an X-acto blade to cut around the template for the scarf.

Assemble the dog’s head pieces together for the ears, head, cheeks and mouth by attaching them next to each other and lightly smoothing the seam.
Lay out a sheet of black clay large enough to fit the entire dog and scarf to act as a backer for the ornament.
Lay the dog onto the black clay and the scarf below the dog’s mouth as shown. Press all the pieces together smoothing the seams and adhering it to the backer piece.

Add details to the face by rolling out thin pieces of brown clay and creating the linework on the face.
Create eyes by rolling a large brown ball of clay and a smaller black ball of clay then rolling them flat and stacking them on top of each other. Roll over to create one flat piece. Trim around the outer edge to make a circle. Add white small details to create the highlights in the eyes and add to the dog’s face.
Create a black nose and place on the top of the dog cheek piece.
Once it is all assembled use the awl tool or tooth pick to create a hole at the top of the head to hand the ornament.

Place the ornament onto a backing sheet with parchment paper and bake as directed on the packaging. Tent the clay with aluminum foil to help with even baking and to keep the clay from darkening.

JOANN HACKS:

Once the clay is baked you can clean up the hole for the twine by inserting the tip of your X-acto blade and running it around the edge to clean up the edges.
Tenting the clay when baking involves creating a small tent shape with aluminum foil to cover the clay. You do not want the aluminum foil to touch the clay but to help regulate the heat.