Air-dry clay is fun and easy to work with but can be costly, depending on the brand you choose. However, if you are just starting out as an artist, you don’t necessarily have to purchase air-dry clay. Yes, you heard that right! You can create air-dry clay at home and experiment with your crafting skills. Now, one might wonder whether the DIY requires you to use some hard-to-obtain ingredients. Well, that isn’t the case. With simple ingredients present at home, like flour, you can create pottery clay. So, how can you create pottery clay with flour? Here is everything you need to know about the processes involved!
Why Make Pottery Clay With Flour At Home?
While store-bought air-dry clay is generally safe to use around kids and pets, you are unaware of what goes into the making of commercial air-dry clay. However, when you make air-dry clay at home with flour, you know exactly what goes into the mixture. This way, you can ensure it is completely safe. Even if a kid or pet accidentally consumes it, you won’t have to worry about any side effects.
So, without further ado, let’s get creative with flour and make some pottery clay that is safe and just as good as the commercial ones.
Creating DIY Pottery Clay With Flour
Recipe. 1
Ingredients Required
- Flour (2 Cups)
- Vegetable Oil (2 Tablespoons)
- Salt (1 Cup)
- Food Coloring
- Water (1 Cup)
- Mixing Spoon And Large Bowl
Procedure To Make Pottery Clay With Flour
- Mix The Salt And Flour:
Take your large bowl and add the flour and salt and start dry mixing until the salt is evenly spread in the mixture. Now, slowly add the vegetable oil to the mixture. Next, add water slowly and steadily until your dough attains a beautiful clay-like consistency. Do not speed up this process, or you might end up pouring too much water into the mixture. Adding water slowly to the mixture is crucial.
- Add Color To Your Clay:
This is a completely optional step, but if you want your DIY air-dry clay to be of different colors, you can opt to color with food coloring. Start by separating your dough into multiple portions depending on how many colors you want. Keep the clay dough pieces in different bowls and color them accordingly. Make sure you wear gloves as the color might stain your hands.
Once you are done mixing the clay, you can keep it stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place like your refrigerator. Make sure it isn’t kept in a place with a lot of moisture, or it might start developing mold. Given that this DIY air-dry clay doesn’t have any preservatives, it should be used at the earliest. In ideal conditions, the clay can last as long as a week but not longer.
Recipe. 2
This particular recipe uses all the same ingredients as above. The only thing new here is the cream of tartar. It helps create clay dough that is firmer when compared to the recipe above. Pottery clay created from this recipe is perfect for simple projects, so let us check out the ingredients and the amount in which they should be used.
Ingredients Required
- Salt (1 Cup)
- Flour (2 Cups)
- Cream Of Tartar (4 Tablespoons)
- Water (2 Cups)
- Vegetable Oil (4 Tablespoons)
- Food Coloring
Procedure To Make Pottery Clay With Flour + Cream Of Tartar
- Mix All The Dry Ingredients:
Before you add the wet ingredients, create a homogenous mixture by mixing all the dry ingredients properly in a bowl.
- Mix The Wet Ingredients:
Next, add all the wet ingredients, like oil, food coloring, and water, into the mixture. Finally, add the cream of tartar to the mixture.
- Cook The Mixture On Low Heat:
Add your mixture to a pot and start mixing it on low heat. Keep stirring constantly. This is important! Do not stop until the clay begins to thicken. Once the clay starts to pull away from your pot’s sides, you can stop stirring and switch off the stove. Let the clay cool down before you start using it. Then, if you wish to store it for the next session, you can place it inside an airtight container or a ziplock bag. You can use the Progressive Prepworks Airtight Storage Containers to keep your flour clay safe. These lightweight plastic containers feature a silicone gasket that creates an airtight seal.
Your clay is now ready for use. You can now start molding the clay into several desired shapes. In most cases, the clay piece will dry up when left out in an airy place. However, if you wish to speed up the drying process, you can simply put it inside your oven to bake at low heat for a long time. The exact baking time would defer depending on the thickness of the project. However, it is important that you don’t make your project too thick, as it can cause cracking issues.
Mistakes To Avoid When Preparing DIY Clay With Flour
Even a project as simple as this could be ruined by basic mistakes. So, it is important that you keep a few pointers in mind before you start making clay at home.
| DIY Flour Clay Mistakes | Result And Solution |
| Not Keeping The DIY Clay In An Airtight Container | Even Though The Project Contains Salt, In The Long Term, The Clay Can Form Mold. The Key Is To Use The Clay Within A Week And Store It Only In A Dry Place Like A Refrigerator. |
| Baking The Clay In The Oven For Too Long | Flour-Based Air-Dry Clay Is Prone To Burning. So, It Is Important That You Refrain From Baking The Clay For More Than A Few Hours. The Best Way Is To Let The Clay Air-Dry. |
| Not Sealing The Clay Immediately After It Dries Up | Commercial Air-Dry Clay Tends To Have Additives That Avoid Unwanted Moisture Absorption. However, The Same Isn’t True For Home-Made Clay. So, It Is Important That You Seal Your Air-Dry Clay Sculpture After Molding With The Help Of A Primer. |
Conclusion
So, if you wish to start your journey as a pottery artist, make sure you experiment with the help of these DIY air-dry clay recipes. This will help you save money in the long run as you achieve perfection with your pottery skills. Remember, there is always a chance you might make some mistakes the first few times. However, that shouldn’t deter you from experimenting. So, keep going, and you will surely be a pro pottery artist.
