How to Make Decorative Clay Bowls

The holidays open up a lot of time for young children and busy parents have to find ways to keep their children occupied. This is a great time to practice making some homemade craft projects. The best projects are usually those that simple and inexpensive. I also believe the best projects for children allow for them to get creative and sometimes just a little bit messy.

Making decorative clay bowls is a great project for children age five and up. You will want to have a nice open space for the children to work and plenty of paper towels to keep their hands clean. Clear off a kitchen or dining room table and cover it with an old tablecloth that you will not mind tossing in the wash after your project. It does not take much to get started on making your clay bowls. I found everything that I needed for this craft project by shopping here.

Items Needed To Make Clay Bowls
1. Modeling clay
2. Aluminum foil
3. Bowls
4. Finger paints or markers
5. Scissors
6. A rolling pin

Getting Started
The first thing you will want to do is consider what colors you would like to use to decorate your bowls. You can use any type of paint or markers to decorate. I found a great variety of options by looking at my favorite craft store here. My nephew decided to use a combination of paint and markers to get the variety of shades he wanted for the bowl pictured with this article.

After you decide on colors, you will want to cut off pieces of aluminum foil large enough to cover the insides of your bowls and have a bit hanging over the edges. You will want a piece of aluminum foil for every bowl you are going to make. Line each bowl with the foil and set them in front of you.

Using the Clay
If you have very small children working on this project with you, you will want to soften the clay they are going to use first. The easiest way to do this is to use a rolling pin just as you would with dough. Use your rolling pin to flatten the clay and then gather it up and do it again until the clay is nice and soft.

Portion out the clay balls so there is just enough to line the inside of each bowl. You will want to keep your clay about a quarter of an inch thick or more so that it is sturdy enough to hold up and not crack. Use your fingers to push the clay into your aluminum foil lined bowls. Be careful not to tear the aluminum foil or make big rips in it as you mold the clay.

Use your scissors to trim away any extra clay from the edges of the bowls. Flip each bowl over and tug at the edges of the aluminum foil to release the clay bowl from your regular bowls. Now, remove and put aside all of the aluminum foil. Turn your clay bowls over and get ready to decorate them.

Decorating Clay Bowls
Be sure to roll up your sleeves and have children do the same before you get started on painting or using markers. Start in the very center of your clay bowl and paint or draw your design from the inside out. You can use any style or design and should encourage children to be as creative as they like.

After you finish the inside of your bowl, flip it over and decorate it from the center out on the bottom of the bowl. You can use the same style or do something completely different on the outside of the bowl. You can even add buttons or jewels to the bowl but they are not at all necessary.

Your colors will fade over time when you paint or draw on clay. If you look at the bowl that is pictured with this article you will see that some of the colors began fading right away. David decorated this bowl with very bright markers. Consider using very bold or deep colors so that your design will show for the longest time possible. I hope you enjoy this homemade craft project. If you enjoyed this project, consider clicking here for more of my craft and hobby ideas.

Source
http://www.michaels.com/