Expressions with Air-Dry Clay

Book excerpt: Soft, light air-dry clay is the perfect material for everyone from grade school crafters to professional sculptors. Here is everything you need to know. Learn the basics of working with clay. Develop your skills and know-how. Sculpt amazing designs to give as gifts. Create functional art for practical uses. You will discover amazing abilities you may not have realized you possessed. Plus, it's perfect for any age, so you can get the kids involved. Clay art is a wonderful rainy-day activity that entertains the whole family! Try creating with hearty clay. It is an easily worked material that doesn't require heat to cure. It's easy to work with on small projects. For bigger projects, this book contains advice on the simple steps you can take to ensure that your clay doesn't dry out. Coloring clay is another way to add pizazz to your work. Hearty clay provides a color clay scale that will give you perfect outcomes every time you mix and blend. The results of your efforts will pay off in beautiful, colorful forms. Your clay can be rolled in a pasta maker, torn, or cut. Use decorative scissors for an additional design element. Hand-rolling and stamping are great options as well. Punch, press, or emboss amusing shapes into clay. Co-authors Donna Kato, Emi Fukushima, and Ting-Yao Chen bring an unmatched pool of knowledge to you. They'll inspire you with their many ideas, including: *Cards: shape unique sentimental expressions *Blended Vessels: mold pencil holders and more *Dolls: fashion intricate and endearing figures *Florals: encourage fabulous flowers to bloom *Blended Masks: decorate intriguing elements of home decor *Containers: fabricate trinket boxes, bowls, and more. The only limit for what you can create is your own imagination!