Paper clay, also called air-dry clay, is easy to work with and is a great addition to any craft supply list. Use paper clay to mold, paint on it or create an embellishment for a scrapbook or journal.
Paper Clay
Materials
- Paper clay (also called air-dry clay): This clay air-dries, no need to heat or bake.
- Rolling pin: To evenly flatten clay if necessary for your project.
- Wax or freezer paper
- Rubberstamps, clay tools, molds or texture sheets: To make patterns or images into the clay.
- Craft knife, NuBlade™, tissue blade (or other thin cutting tool).
Step by Step
- Wash your hands thoroughly and make sure your work surface is clean. Clay picks up every dust or particle on the work surface and your hands.
- Roll clay out to about ¼” thickness or thickness desired. Stamp an image into the clay with a rubberstamp or press clay into any type of mold and remove. Trim with cutting tool if needed. You can also hand form or sculpt the clay.
- Place on wax paper to dry turning every few hours for even drying. To avoid curling you might want to weigh down the clay after a few hours of drying.
- You can also use this clay to sculpt. It easily can be colored, painted, inked, chalked, glittered, and otherwise embellished. Excellent for children’s projects.
Tips
- Clay adheres to most surfaces with a dab or two of glue.
- You can cut this clay while still wet or when it has dried.
- Use a wet fingertip to smooth rough edges while clay is still wet.
- Use a fine sanding paper or emery board to smooth clay edges once clay has dried.
- You can paint, ink, or chalk a dry piece of paper clay.
- You can add paint, ink, or chalk to wet clay to color it!
- Make an embellishment for the front of a scrapbook, diary or journal.
- Another wonderful way to use your rubberstamps. You can make buttons to coordinate your designs and projects.
- Store unused clay in an airtight container like a zip-lock plastic bag. You can’t add water to clay to restore, once it dries out, it’s not re-useable!
- There are wonderful cutting, shaping, and design tools on the market for clays, but don’t forget that toothpicks, paper clips, cookie cutters, and pencils are handy tools too.
