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Most natural clays need to be kiln fired, but there are varieties that can be baked right in your home oven. Oven-bake clay objects are more fragile than kiln-fired pieces, but they are perfect for decorative purposes and are safe and easy for children to create. If you are new to working with clay and want to make a vessel, there are several ways to build it. Coil and slab building are two techniques typically suggested for beginners, but slumping is another that is very straight forward and yields pleasing organic shapes. Cindy Treen shares techniques for slab building and slumping clay over rounded rocks to make votives and vessels that make great gifts and decorations.
Materials:
Laguna "Oven Craft" oven-bake clayLarge plastic bag to cover clay pieces as they dry Acrylic glaze or paints (optional) Cooking oil (releasing agent) Votive or candle holder Tea lights, for finished votive
Tools:
Butter knifeSmall paintbrush Smooth glass bottle to use as a rolling pin Ruler Glass bottle Oval or round rocks in varying sizes Sharp pencil Spray bottle filled with water Laminate top work surface Sharp knife or blade Tips for working Laguna Oven-craft: The wetness and texture of Laguna clay is perfect to work with straight out of the bag. If you add too much water it gets sticky and floppy, and if it gets too dry, it will crack as you work. Keep clay slightly moist with a spray bottle as you work. If it becomes too wet to work with, let the clay rest under a plastic bag. If you like, use acrylic glaze and paint to decorate the clay after it has been baked. While this clay is non-toxic, it is recommended for decorative and non-food use. Be sure the clay is completely dry when you bake it, or it may shatter.
Directions for rolling out a slab:
1. Cut off a piece of clay about the size of a fist. Reseal bag of clay.
2. using palms, flatten clay out slightly, as if patting down pie crust before rolling. 3. Using a glass bottle, roll out clay like a piecrust to make a slab with an even thickness (about 1/8" to ¼" thick).
Directions for making a votive:
1. Using a ruler, measure and cut a rectangle from slab (any size that will fit your votive candle holder)
2. Roll clay rectangle around a glass bottle to form a cylinder. Remove glass bottle. 3. Using knife, make a narrow band of hash marks on both edges of the clay. This will act as a seam. 4. Wet band of hash marks on both surfaces and press seam together with fingers. 5. Using moistened fingers smooth edges of seam on inside and outside surfaces of cylinder. 6. Using a pencil, decorate cylinder by perforating clay with holes of varying sizes. This will allow light to pass through votive. 7. Let votive dry slowly in a plastic bag until it is bone dry. 8. In oven, bake dried votive on center rack at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, following package directions.
Directions for making a slumped bowl:
1. Lay clay slab over of a rounded rock (spray cooking oil onto rock so clay will release from rock after formed).
2. Press slab over rock until it is totally formed around entire surface. 3. Using a butter knife, cut round or oval hole in clay large enough to remove rock. 4. Gently pry back clay from edges of hole and remove rock from bowl. 5. Using moistened fingers, smooth out lip of bowl. 6. Let bowl stand for several hours or overnight in a plastic bag until it is firm but still workable. 7. For a clean edge, slice off lip of bowl with a sharp knife or utility blade. With moistened fingers, pinch edge of bowl until it is thin and even. 8. Let bowl dry slowly in a plastic bag until it is bone dry. 9. In oven, bake dried clay bowl on center rack at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, following package directions.
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