Time to get your creative juices flowing! This week the lovely Ana from Kana London joins us from her studio in Hackney, to teach us a bit of pottery. Grab a glass of vino, your air dry clay and get ready to make some clay wonders!
#homegrowndaisy
Kana London Teaches Us Easy At Home Pottery
What you'll need to make your own air dry clay:
1 cup of baking soda
½ cup corn starch
½ cup of water
Method:
Combine ingredients in a heavy bottom bowl
Stir continuously while cooking over medium heat until clay forms
Transfer clay to a separate bowl to cool
Store in an airtight container, in the fridge until you’re ready to mould!
Let's start simple with a small trinket holder, the perfect home for all your jewellery treasures.
Step 1: Clay meditation – “Clay meditation is sinking into your sense of touch and connection with your hands, becoming a tactile form of meditation. Understanding how it feels to work with clay, manipulate and work into the clay.”
Step 2: Take a small chunk of clay, about the size of a falafel, and rub into a smooth, round ball shape.
Step 3: Close your eyes and begin your clay meditation. Press into the bowl of clay while at the same time rotating it. Make sure the thickness is even across the whole piece. Try to focus on how the clay feels in your hands, letting your hands become your eyes.
Top Tip – If you’re all about colour be sure to paint your final creation with acrylic paints or if you’re making your own clay simply add a few drops of food colouring during the cooking process.
Time to open your eyes! Next up – an incense holder
Step 1: Taking another chunk of clay, begin to smash the edges down on a flat surface to flatten the sides and create a pyramid shape.
Step 2: Using a blunt knife, such as a butter knife, begin to shave down the sides to help shape the pyramid and create smoother sides.
Step 3: Taking either your incense stick or a toothpick, create a small whole in the top to hold your incense.
Top Tip – Leave your clay creations on a windowsill to dry, this will take 2-3 days.
Next up you’re going to need a little plate to catch your incense ashes…
Step 1: Taking a chunk of clay the size of a lemon, begin to smooth out the clay to remove some of the cracks.
Step 2: Start moulding a shallow hole into the clay by using your thumbs and pinching the sides of the clay.
Step 3: Continue to mould the clay into an oval shape.
Step 4: Set the clay on a flat surface, this will help you to create a shallow dish shape. Pinch the edges to create the rim of the plate.
Now if you’re up for a bit of a challenge, here’s the steps to create your very own body formation candle stick holder
Step 1: Take your clay and start smoothing out the sides to make them a bit rounder.
Step 2: Mark thirds in the chunk of clay, marking the top of the bust, waist and base, this will help you with proportions. Also mark a line for the spine on the back of the bust as another helpful guide.
Step 3: Starting at the back, take away a bit of clay from the waist and slowly make your way around to create a curve of the spine and the sides of the hips.
Step 4: Take some clay away from the top chest, where your chest would naturally be a bit flatter. Use this excess clay to form and mould the boobs of your bust.
Step 5: Continue to sculpt and mould your clay into the bust shape. Removing clay from the sides to form the waist and adding clay to the top and bottom to form boobs and a butt for your bust. Remember there is no right or wrong way to sculpt, every piece is individual to you!
Step 6: To add the final details take your butter knife and add indents for the spine, bum and belly button.
Step 7: Using a candle, make a hole in the top of the bust to place your candle stick.
We found creating these clay treasures extremely therapeutic, a mindful break from staring at our screens – don’t forget to share your creations with us on social!
Check out more of Ana’s wonderful creations @Kanalondon and if you’re in London be sure to sign up for Ana’s workshops at the Kana London Studios.