Cute Clay Bear Tutorials

Here are some more great clay craft ideas that I have discovered over the years. This time I thought I would share some cute clay Teddy Bear tutorials that can be made from a variety of clays, including polymer clay and air dry clay.

These lovely little bears are a lot easier to make than you may think and with these easy to follow tutorials from some fantastic crafters you will be sculpting in no time. Any of these lovely little bears would be great as cake toppers or gift ideas to add to any teddy bear collection.

Simple Bears

Clay Flower Tutorials

Now that I have posted quite a few techniques about working with polymer and air dry clay I thought it was about time I shared some really useful and inspirational tutorials I have found over the years.
I will start my tutorials share with techniques for creating handmade polymer clay and air dry clay flowers. Some of these beautiful creations are so realistic it is hard to distinguish from the real thing. You will also notice that some of the tutorials are from cake decoration sites but the techniques for sugar craft are nearly all the same as clay crafts so is very easy to adapt the tutorials to clay.

• Iris Flower from Air Dry Clay

 

 

By The Flower Craft

 

Essesntial clay tools

If you are looking to start working with any type of clay you will need a few tools to start you on

the right track. Thanks to the web you can search for hours to find the right tools but will soon get overwhelmed by the huge range of products available. There are tools that cut, shape, roll, texture, mould, carve and so on, but how will you know which tools are essential and which you can cope without, to begin with.

I thought I would make it a bit easier for you, by listing a few tools that you will find invaluable during the early days of your clay crafting experience.

If you want to buy some dedicated tools then there are loads of great tools available . To start with I found a very reasonable pack of sculpting tools like the ones in the picture below, at Amazon. I only paid a few pounds for the pack but if you are going to get serious about clay then it is worth remembering that your tools will be used a lot and the cheaper versions don't last forever.

Pottery Tool Set

This 8 Piece Pottery Tool Set has traditionally been used for pottery projects, but it also has unique applications for oven-bake and air dry clay. The tools are perfect for cutting, shaping, sculpting and detailing both types of clay before curing.

CLICK TO SEE POTTERY TOOLS

Flower Sculpture with Clay

Creating flowers with clay can produce some amazing result that can add a permanent floral addition to your home or are perfect as a thank you gift that will last forever.

There is an endless list of flowers that can be created and the more practice and experimentation the better your skills will be. There are lots of different types of clay that are perfect for flower sculpting. This post offers a few examples of the types of flowers that can be made with cold porcelain clay and stone based air dry clay using, a variety of techniques and tools.

Colouring Clay

Many clay products such as polymer and foam clay can be purchased pre-coloured. Stone based air dry clay’s are usually white, grey or terracotta. If you want to colour your clay there are two main techniques; 

• Pre- cured - wet clay
• Post cured - dry clay

Colouring some stone based clay pre-cured doesn't always work well so it is important to experiment with a small piece of clay and colour pigments beforehand. 

There are an abundance of pigments that can be used to add colour and shimmer to your creations. In addition to using tempura and acrylic paints, air dry clay can be coloured with marker pens, inks, chalks and dyes. Glitter glue and metallic powders can also be added for extra sparkle and great effects. Remember that air dry clay is porous and the finished creation should be sealed with a varnish.

Before adding a colourant to uncured clay knead the clay to soften it making it easier to accept the colour. Gradually add the colourant a small drop at a time, making sure you work it in fully before adding more. Continue adding a few drops at a time until you are satisfied with the shade. Colouring clay can be very messy so be sure to work over a surface that can be easily cleaned or thrown away, such as plastic sheeting or newspaper.

Creative Play - Clay for Kids

Creative play for children is an important part of any child’s development and growth, as it helps to increase their motor skills, imagination, concentration and cognitive capabilities. It will also help to increase the child’s hand eye co-ordination, planning and ability to follow instructions.

There are lots of things that you can do to encourage this, such as arts and crafts, drawing, painting, building bricks and clay work. All children love being active and when they are not able to get out in the fresh air then these activities are great and children can often be enthralled for hours.

Creative play and in particularly clay work, is an ideal medium for children that find it difficult to pay attention, sit still or communicate easily, such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or Autism. Clay enables the child to occupy their hands and provides a focus on something without having to look at someone directly and/or express their emotions and feelings in non-verbal communication. Clay work is often a favourite with play therapists and can been found in most therapeutic centres. 

Glazing and Varnishing Clay Creations

In order to preserve your beautiful creations it’s a good idea to coat your clay in a glaze or varnish once it has been air dried, baked and/or decorated. Some clay’s such as cold porcelain and stone air dry clay have to be glazed to ensure it keeps out moisture and dirt. Other clay’s such as polymer don’t always need to be glazed but by adding the right type of varnish it can produce a professional finish or shine to your creation.

There are many different brands including Fimo, Sculpey, Gedeo and many others, which all offer different finishes for your clay work. Some leave a matt finish others a satin finish and others a glossy finish. Not to mention the different sizes and prices of each product. If you use the wrong type of varnish the finish may look fine to start with but could soon start to peel or become sticky later. Others may start yellowing or cause the paint or clay to react and loose the colouring.

Which Air Dry Clay?

Air dry clay is a fantastic medium to work with for anyone from young to old and beginner to professional. It is available in a huge range of consistencies and textures and is great for very detailed fine clay work, through to large clay sculptures. It is usually a water based clay that will harden when it is exposed to air. Due to the vast variations in this clay, the strengths, durability and curing processes varies considerably with each one. Here are a few of the more popular air drying products and which clay craft they are ideally suited for making. 

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Activa Activ-Clay is 100% natural fine grain material for finer detailed creations. It is lightweight, moist clay that can be carved, sanded, drilled and painted and is available in white or terracotta. This is suitable for children and adults and all skill levels. It is ready to use straight from the packet, is non toxic and accepts multiple finishes.  According to the manufacturer it air cures to a good strength, will not crumble, and features a low amount of shrinkage and can also be cured in a kiln.

Ideally suited for: hand building, wheel throwing, sculpting and kids clay.