How to Make Clay Vegetables
Polymer clay vegetables work well as a craft for younger children to help remind them to eat their vegetables. When you've finished with the craft, you can then glue a magnet to the back of them to place them on the refrigerator and hold important items. You can also use the polymer clay vegetables to place into dollhouses and as accessories for dolls of any size. You can also expand your clay "repertoire" to include clay fruit.
Instructions
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Break off small pieces of clay. For larger, 18-inch doll accessories, break off a piece of 3 or 4 inches square. For dollhouse pieces, use 1 or 2 inch squares. Larger, life-sized, vegetables will need a large chunk of clay.
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Shape the clay into the vegetable of your choosing. Print out a picture or use a real vegetable as a model.
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Place the pieces on a baking sheet and place in the oven between 210 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave in for about 20 minutes, although you can continue to fire for several hours to make sure they are sufficiently hard. After about 10 to 15 minutes, clay will harden completely on the outside. Make sure children are not around the oven when it is opened and closed.
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Paint with a half-inch to 1-inch brush, depending on the size of the vegetable.
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Add detail with a finer-tipped brush of about an eighth-inch or a quarter-inch. Study the fruit in order to add realistic details such as green leaves on the top of the tomato or black for indentations on a potato. Let the paint dry overnight. Some paint may become darker or lighter as it dries.
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Tips & Warnings
Place a piece of newspaper underneath the workspace to make sure no paint or clay gets on any furniture. This will ensure easy cleanup as well.
Keep children a safe distance from a hot oven, especially when you open and close it.
