How to Do Stoneware Pottery With Paper Clay
Paper clay is a modeling material that dries and hardens without baking in the oven or firing in a kiln. The clay is white, smooth and very easy to manipulate. Creating a stoneware pot replica from paper clay uses a technique called coiling. The coil technique uses long snake-like pieces of clay placed on top of one another. You smooth the bumps of each coil to create a smooth finish on the outside of the pot. The addition of high gloss paint and sealer create the look of a glazed stoneware pot.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper clay
- 12-by-18-inch piece of canvas
- Yogurt container
- Small artist paintbrush
- Plastic ice cream lid
Instructions
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1
Mix a small amount of paper clay slip to use as glue. Put a 1-inch ball of paper clay in an empty yogurt container. Put just enough water in the container to cover the ball of clay. Use the handle of the paintbrush to mix the clay and water together. The consistency of the slip is that of thick pudding. Set aside until needed.
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2
Place the piece of canvas on a flat stable working surface. Take a 2-inch ball of clay and squeeze it into a hot dog shape. Roll the clay on the canvas to form a long snake-like tube of clay. Roll the clay until it is approximately 3/8-inch thick. Repeat this process to make each clay coil as needed.
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3
Begin with one end of the clay coil. Keep the coil flat and roll the end of the clay along the coil to form a large snail. Smooth the end of the coil to the edge of the snail shape with your finger. Add a second coil to the snail by placing the end on the snail's edge. Smooth the end to the clay surface. Continue coiling the snail until it is 4 inches wide. This is the bottom of the pot. Optional: Smooth both sides of the snail by rubbing your finger across the bumps, filling in the indentations made by each coil.
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4
Place the bottom of the pot in the center of a plastic ice cream lid. This allows you to turn your pot while working on the coiling. It is also a stable base to dry the clay pot upon completion.
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5
Roll a coil. Begin building the sides of the pot. Apply a thin coat of paper clay slip to the top of the outside ring of the snail coil. Place the end of the clay coil on top of the slip. Continue winding the coil around the outside edge of the snail-shaped bottom. Stop when the coil meets the beginning point. Do not pinch off the clay.
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6
Continue building the side of the pot by placing the coil directly on top of the first coil. Stop the coiling process after three or four rows. Smooth the outside of the pot by placing the fingers from one hand behind the coils as a brace. Smooth the outside surface with your finger or fingernail. Repeat the process until the coil pot is the height desired.
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Add clay decorations to the outside of the pot by gluing them in place with slip. Press the clay into a 3/8-inch thick pancake. Cut out the desired shapes. Paint the back of the shape with slip. Place the shape in the desired location and push lightly.
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Place the pot in a safe, dry location to harden. Allow the pot 24 to 48 hours to dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Change the shape of the pot by the position of the coils. Make a pot bell outward by placing each coil on the front half of the previous coil. Make a curve in on a pot by placing the coil on the inside half of the previous coil.
Pots made with paper clay should be for decoration only; they will not be able to hold liquids.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit The clay pot image by Arkady Chubykin from Fotolia.com
