Tips and YouTube Tutorials
Thank you so much for buying a kit! I really hope you enjoy it and please feel free to email me with questions if you need help: [email protected]
A few tips:
Clay can dry out if you handle it for long periods of time – so make sure to keep a bowl of water handy which you can dip your sponge into and dab onto the clay if you think it’s getting dry.
If the clay gets too hard and dry to work with, spray or dab it with water and wrap it up in plastic overnight. This will rehydrate it.
Don’t put clay or clay water down the sink! It can block it really easily. You can pour the clay water into your garden, its non-toxic and a natural material.
You might find that your mug shape is a bit too floppy for you to work with, as the clay is too wet. If you leave you mug for a few hours upside down (not in direct sun) it should stiffen up and be easier to work with. If you’ve left it too long and it’s too dry to work with, dip it in water and wrap it up in plastic overnight to soften it.
When working with the clay, it would be best working on a piece of cardboard on a kitchen table. Then you can spin it around and move it about with ease.
I would finally recommend having a look around on YouTube generally for ideas before you start, here are a few recommendations:
Pinch pot mug
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkDvQEVO7ts
Coil mug
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqoWyGNSmaU Part 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tDjCYYDWJg Part 2 (he uses ‘slip’ to attach the handle, which is just clay mixed with water. You can mix some up with some dried bits of clay added into water, or just use water)
Flat plate with rim
youtu.be/8XZTZXV0tfA
ESSENTIAL INFO
After you’ve made your masterpieces, you will need to wrap them in plastic and leave them for several days. This makes the dry and wet parts even out to avoid cracks. After that, you can uncover and leave to dry slowly – so not in direct sun or anywhere with a breeze.
Also, please use the pin tool to scratch your initials into the bottom of the mug when it’s still soft.
Once your mugs have completely dried out, put them in a box with newspaper / tissue / anything that’s going to cushion it because it will be very delicate and then drop it off with me.
Have fun with it! Try to make interesting patterns with your tools and don’t worry if it’s not perfect –that’s what makes handmade things better than mass produced!
A few tips:
Clay can dry out if you handle it for long periods of time – so make sure to keep a bowl of water handy which you can dip your sponge into and dab onto the clay if you think it’s getting dry.
If the clay gets too hard and dry to work with, spray or dab it with water and wrap it up in plastic overnight. This will rehydrate it.
Don’t put clay or clay water down the sink! It can block it really easily. You can pour the clay water into your garden, its non-toxic and a natural material.
You might find that your mug shape is a bit too floppy for you to work with, as the clay is too wet. If you leave you mug for a few hours upside down (not in direct sun) it should stiffen up and be easier to work with. If you’ve left it too long and it’s too dry to work with, dip it in water and wrap it up in plastic overnight to soften it.
When working with the clay, it would be best working on a piece of cardboard on a kitchen table. Then you can spin it around and move it about with ease.
I would finally recommend having a look around on YouTube generally for ideas before you start, here are a few recommendations:
Pinch pot mug
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkDvQEVO7ts
Coil mug
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqoWyGNSmaU Part 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tDjCYYDWJg Part 2 (he uses ‘slip’ to attach the handle, which is just clay mixed with water. You can mix some up with some dried bits of clay added into water, or just use water)
Flat plate with rim
youtu.be/8XZTZXV0tfA
ESSENTIAL INFO
After you’ve made your masterpieces, you will need to wrap them in plastic and leave them for several days. This makes the dry and wet parts even out to avoid cracks. After that, you can uncover and leave to dry slowly – so not in direct sun or anywhere with a breeze.
Also, please use the pin tool to scratch your initials into the bottom of the mug when it’s still soft.
Once your mugs have completely dried out, put them in a box with newspaper / tissue / anything that’s going to cushion it because it will be very delicate and then drop it off with me.
Have fun with it! Try to make interesting patterns with your tools and don’t worry if it’s not perfect –that’s what makes handmade things better than mass produced!