Once dry, get creative as you decorate with your preferred medium, whether you’re using acrylic paints or glossy varnish. Don’t forget to use sealer if you want your clay project to be waterproof! These are similar to the results from making salt dough ornaments, but will likely last a longer time and have a slightly different texture. Here is some great inspiration if you want to try a salt dough recipe. SUPPLIES FOR MAKING AIR DRY CLAY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS The airtight plastic bag ensures that the non-toxic, air drying clay retains all of its moisture, right until you open it up. Shape your clay by kneading it first to smooth the rougher edges but ensure that you always have a bowl of water with you. The perfect medium for fixings, ceramics and sculpture, the clay is likely to take at least four to five days to dry out, depending on the size of your finished work. Craft glues require multiple layers to be an effective varnish, and even then it will just be water-resistant. Not waterproof. Resin, on the other hand, has a steeeeep learning curve and is super messy. Varnish for air dry clay

One benefit of earthen air-dry clay is its suitability for long-term projects, and this Craft Smart product is a reliable choice for ongoing modeling, sculpting, and pottery works. Simply add a little water to soften the clay, and keep on creating. Unlike other air-dry clays, this natural clay is robust enough to use on a potter’s wheel, making it suitable for decorative bowls and vases. If you are joining pieces today, you can rough up the two pieces and add a bit of water with a small brush so that you can smooth them together. This is a technique that I remember using in elementary school art class—I’m no expert! You can also consider increasing the airflow around your piece. For example, putting a fan in front of it or turning on a ceiling fan. Flip the piece over after a bit to ensure all areas on the clay pieces are getting air flow. Can you bake air dry clay? To top it all off, I used some beautiful French blue chiffon ribbon for my terracotta clay ornaments, and some sweet taupe velvet ribbon for my white ornaments. Low and behold – I discovered this amazing air dry clay from DAS in both terracotta color and white! I was delighted and couldn’t wait to get started.I also have a lot of experience working with resin, though I don’t typically use resin to seal things. Instead, I like to make things like DIY resin in-lay wood trays. I have used resin to seal and preserve insects, too. Let me share with you all the supplies I needed to make DIY air dry clay ornaments, and walk you through my entire process.

If desired, use a sandpaper or other rough object to smooth the edges and surface of the pendants, then wipe clean with a paper towel or cloth.Dry time on the clay varies depending on the size of the piece and the humidity of the environment. Most pieces will be safe to handle carefully within a day but should be allowed to dry at least 24-48 hours before painting or sealing. Actual time to completely dry may take several weeks, and the clay becomes stronger with time. When clay is dry Markers: Non-Permanent & Washable Markers may not provide optimal coverage if you are coloring a large area of clay since the clay tends to clog the marker nib. Permanent pigment-based markers work well for writing words on the clay.

Not sure I love how this turned out, but it might be something you like to do with the air dry clay. I suggest rolling it out with a rolling pin to create a smoother surface before you put it on the ball. HOW TO USE MY AIR DRY CLAY ORNAMENTS Plan to work on a nonporous, well-cleaned and smooth surface. We recommend a metal sheet, ceramic tile, index cards, aluminum foil or the Sculpey ® Oven-Safe Work Mat. As I mentioned, you can do an additional coat or two of aerosol varnish on top of the paint if you’d like to. But if you’re using a high-quality paint with a built-in sealant, it’s probably overkill. And that’s it! Here are our finished dried, sealed, and painted air clay creations!

What you'll need:

Use a combination of multimedia materials, crafting tools and your hands to mold air-dry clay into the design or shape you desire. Many types of air-dry clay are no longer workable once dry, so for projects that will take a few days, choose earthen clay, cover the work-in-progress with a damp towel between sessions to keep it in a workable state, and rub in a bit of water to restore malleability. Adherence The first step is to create your designs. We did a few pinch pots (super easy for the little ones to get started with), a handprint ornament for my parents, a couple smaller pots, and some balls and “dinosaur eggs” R made. Overall the clay was really straightforward to work with. It was sealed in an air-tight tub and was plenty pliable right away. We didn’t need to warm it up much with kneading like you do polymer clay, either.

Air-Dry Clay will clean up off skin, tools, and surfaces easily with soap and water. For best results, cleanup should be prompt. As the clay gets dryer, it will become harder and may require soaking or scrubbing to clean. There is a small amount of pigment in the clay, which could potentially stain clothes, but no binder, so fabric staining should not be an issue. The good news is that epoxy clay is quite solid when it dries, so it’s a good choice for jewelry, ornaments, and other objects that people handle. Depending on the brand, epoxy air-dry clay may be called waterproof because of the strength of the chemical bond, but it’s best to err on the side of caution and put plastic liners inside pottery used as a vase. What to Consider When Choosing the Best Air-Dry Clay Lay or stand your air-dry polymer clay projects on one of the surfaces listed above in an area with low humidity.

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Sealing your work will not waterproof it. Exposure to water and outdoor elements will have a negative effect on the Air-Dry Clay, so we recommend displaying your sculpture indoors.