SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
- Sculpey air-dry clay - White
- Rolling pin
- Awl (or something to punch a hole through clay, like the handle of a thin paintbrush)
- Painted clay ornament template (optional)
- X-Acto® knife
- Sandpaper (80 - 120 grit)
- Acrylic craft paint (Suggested: Black, White, Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green)
- Paint palette (can also use paper plate or cups)
- Paintbrushes
- Paper Towels
- String
DIRECTIONS:
- Use your rolling pin to flatten Sculpey Air-dry Clay into your desired ornament thickness. Cut out the shapes from the Painted Clay Ornament Template, set it on top of the clay, and use an X-Acto knife to cut around the paper shape.
- Use the awl to create a hole somewhere at the top of your shape so that you can attach a string.
- Set aside and allow to dry completely (it should take about 24 hours). Check the shape’s dryness by giving it a light squeeze in the center. When it’s completely dry, there shouldn’t be any give in the clay when you squeeze it.
- Once the clay is completely dry, use your medium grit (80-120) sandpaper to smooth out any imperfections and round the edges.
- Paint ornaments as desired. Let paint dry between color application.
JOANN HACKS:
- Immediately place your Air-dry clay in a sealed container after opening to keep it fresh and easy to work with.
- Note that Sculpey Air-dry clay takes about 24 hours to dry, so plan to sand and paint on a separate day.
- Painting a clean detail line can be tricky and the bristles on craft brushes especially have a tendency to stick out to the side and make unintended little paint marks. It helps to reshape the bristles of the brush with water and a towel before making any important detail line. It also helps to imagine the line you want to make before making it, and decisively make that action with your hand without wavering; knowing you can adjust it later if it’s too thick or if you get those side marks from the bristles, simply by painting over it again with the adjacent color.