How To Make Paper Clay
Learn how to make paper clay. It's versatile, easy to work with and very forgiving if you enjoy experimenting. If you are into ceramic art, a hobby or craft potter then paper clay is an essential addition to your art hobby projects, at the very least you should use it for your 'slip' processes, it will 'rescue' and save so many pieces of your work.
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Easy Paper Clay Recipe
Free How To Make Guide
How To Make Paper Clay Guide - an "easy paper clay recipe"Free How to Make Guides
Collect your FREE ebook "How to Make paper Clay - an Easy Paper Clay Recipe"and a few other art hobby companion books that you can download and use for your own art, hobby and craft projects.
Start collecting NOW - go here art hobby now at least.
cheers
Diane
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How to make a paperclay snail
or it could be a worm
How to make a paperclay snail or wormA great craft for kids, these are fun to make and they are quick as long as you have already made your paperclay.
If you have started collecting your free How to Make guides - you will get the wriggly creatures how to make a paperclay snail guide shortly.
Have fun
Diane
Art Hobby
photo: Vaclav Skrivanek
Paper Clay Facts
articles and how to's
snippets of how to's and articles about paper clay
- wedging clay
- Photographs - How to Wedge Paper clay. If air bubbles are not removed the air expands from the heat in the kiln and can 'blow' out a section of the object or indeed destroy it. With Paperclay, wedging should still be done, but small bubbles are unlikely to 'explode' as paperclay is more porous allowing expanding air to escape.
Equipment Needed to Make Paper Clay
prepare yourself
- PAPER eg; Toilet Tissue (recycled, of the clean variety)
any color, cheaper the better - WATER, help save the planets resources by using rain water if you can
- CLAY -another natural resource, terracotta has the lower firing temperature so is great for pit firing, BBQ firing etc
- BOWL or BUCKET for mixing
- PLASTER Slab or 'bat' for drying process
What you can make with paperclay
beautiful ceramics
Angela Mellor (angelamellor.com) has been a long time favourite of mine, and if you take a peek at the photo above, you will see how paper clay helps her achieve such a delicate appearance on her work.
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The Potter's Guide to Ceramic Surfaces
Experiment with surface texture.
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500 Animals in Clay: Contemporary Expressions of the Animal Form (A Lark Ceramics Book)
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Electric Kiln Ceramics: A Guide to Clays and Glazes
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How To Make Paperclay - birds nest
What I'm doing with paperclay at the moment
An old and abandoned birdsnest from the shed is currently being transformed into a clay piece. I do like to use found objects for art projects and I thought the birdsnest would offer me a challenge or two, and it has.One of the benefits of using paperclay is that you can use it in a variety of 'states' eg: from liquid to plastic, to suit your project.
I used a plastic mix to reinforce the base and decided to use liquid slip for the inner woven part. The challenge has been how to get the liquid slip into the fabric of the woven twigs etc.
60p later, I had a childs medicine syringe, which has worked a treat. As the slip is 'wet' it dampens the dry structure of the nest, so has to be inserted in stages and dried out in between. It is drying at the moment. If the process works as planned I will take a photo or two to show you the progress.
Diane Stafford
Paper Clay Birds Nest after Bisque Firing
how to make paperclay - birds nest update
photo of birds nest
Update on the bird nest project, part covered part injected with paper clay.As this is a test piece, I thought I would cover the base and part of the sides and inject into the middle, you should be able to make out the injected section in the photo.
I won't know how successful the injection process will have been until after I have fired it. Once fired, I can assess the strength, or fragility, of the inner section.
If it's successful I will inject the whole of the next nest. Update: the nest has not yet been fired, will update you asap.
Paperclay
PAPERCLAY BIRDS NEST AFTER BISQUE FIRING
The great thing about experimentation is that you get to de-construct that which you have constructed:
The images in the above module show the sequence of the deconstruction of the paper clay bids nest after bisque firing.
How To Make Paper Clay Pears
Pit Fired Pears
How to Make Paper Clay Pears.This paperclay pear is one of several items that made it intact through my recent small pitfiring.
Using the paperclay mixture already shown, the pear was formed around a paper wad (not essential, just the way I do it). After biscuit firing in the kiln, it was placed into the pit fire and left to 'cook' away. Once cooked and cooled, the pear was polished with beeswax, buffed to shine and a twig from a tree in the garden was used for the pears stalk.
The colouring of the pear is smoke (black) absorbed from the pit fire and the clay body colour. I have been making these for years and they are real favourites as gifts. I also use thick copper wire as an alternative for the stalk.
Alternative Kilns
How to use paper clay when you don't have a kiln
You don't have to have a kiln to make and use Paper Clay. This photo shows my own "alternative kilns" pit firing and smoking pit.Paper clay can be air dried, pit fired or BBQ'd.
Air Dried Paper Clay: -
Once you have made your hobby or art item, simply leave it somewhere warm and dry. The piece will eventually become bone dry. Once dry, paint with acrylic paints to your required design and when dry, seal with acrylic varnish. (great fun for kids - follow safety instructions on varnish can.
Paper Clay Pit Firing | Photo: My new garden firing & smoking pit
Adult supervision obviously. Dig a little pit in the ground, mind you don't ruin the lawn. Fill with twigs leaves, sawdust, like a little camp fire. Light and leave to burn a little. Carefully place in your clay item and cover with more. Don't worry too much about the clay, paperclay is rather forgiving. Leave alone to burn down and do not remove the clay piece until the fire is completely cold. Everything should be intact. Wash off ash, dry then polish with beeswax. The clay will not be vitreous (not fully cooked).
BBQ your paper clay
Only do this after you have cooked your food :>) Same process as the pit fire can be contained in a BBQ, and the BBQ coals can add further heat to the process and can take it to bisque stage depending upon your clay and thickness. Finish the same way with wax.
Sawdust Firing
paperclay fires well in sawdust
Sawdust Fired Ceramics
This video shows how we made some pottery using the technique of sawdust firing. This is something you can easily do at home as it This video shows how we made some pottery using the technique of sawdust firing. This is something you can easily do at home as it only requires a brick-lined hole in the ground ro fire the pots.
Runtime: 3:34
17190 views
10 Comments:
Firing Paperclay - Articles of Interest
Kiln, Pit, Raku and more
- Pit Firing Technique
- Pit firing can be termed a 'primitive' firing technique, although this is not meant in a derogatory way. The word 'traditional' can certainly also be used in the case of many cultures, that were amongst the first to discover this simple firing technique. It is still widely used on many continents today, but it the sort of thing you can easily do in your own backyard and it enjoys popularity with some studio potters >>> read on
Paperclay Ceramic Artists
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Reader Feedback
Friamin wrote...
Sounds like a good way to help with stress...I should try it....Thanx
My Chakra Meditation Lens
Posted August 23, 2008
lc2u2 wrote...
As I love papier-maché, salt dough and even tried my
hand at home-made paper, I am really glad that I found your lens with all the tips and links. I have been curious about paper clay for a long time.
Thanks so much for sharing
Posted August 05, 2008
Jenny wrote
Good info and easy to understand! It inspired me to try make my own paperclay.
Posted June 28, 2008
shimoo wrote
thank u for this usefull information
iam pottery sculptor so
i am interrested in sculpture of paper clay
my best wishes
Posted April 11, 2008
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