How to Make Painted Clay Words and Numbers
A Fun Art Project for Primary and Secondary Teachers
May 19, 2009
Teachers often like to make clay words to be part of projects they are running, or to be held up as props in plays and at events. These kinds of projects are also very good for little children who can make letters to spell out words, and numbers to play with when they practice their addition and subtraction.
Materials for Making Clay Letters and Numbers
- Sufficient clay for the class. It should be white hand building clay if possible, as this is less messy and easier for little children to handle. White clay can also be painted up brightly.
- Cutting wire or fishing line with small rods attached at each end, for cutting the thin slabs of clay
- Skewers for drawing out the letters onto the clay
- Knives for cutting out the shapes of the letters or numbers
- Trays to place the letters onto
- Acrylic paint and varnish or finish
- Brushes, rags and access to clean running water
- Forks and other rough tools for creating texture in the clay
- Plastic bottles or plastic rolling pins
How to Create Clay Numbers and Letters
On the first day the students will cut slabs of clay no thicker than 1/4 inch with the cutting wire. Once rolled to ensure the slabs are even in thickness, students can place a cut out photocopy of a letter on top of the slab and trace around it with a skewer. Alternatively they can draw a block letter freehand onto the slab of clay. All left over bits and pieces can be placed into a bucket for recycling or used for other small modeling projects on the same day.
When the letter has been cut out, students neaten the shape and use a fork or other tool to make a texture around the edges of the letter. This gives the letter or number a neater appearance and makes it interesting to look at. At the end of the lesson, the letters are stacked ready for firing if the teacher has access to a kiln. If the type of clay is air dried it will be placed carefully in a space to dry.
One the second day, once the slab letters are dry or fired, they will be ready for painting. Students should be warned that there will be quite a waiting time between the first and second coats.
On day three, or much later if the drying is slower, students are now ready to decorate their letters and numbers. It will take quite a few coats for the paint to completely cover the surface of the letters and for them to look finished. Be sure that the students push the paint in between the cracks of the textured surfaces as they will not look completely finished until this has been done.
Finally, when all of the letters and numbers have been decorated, the students seal them with varnish so that they are protected against deterioration. If the letters are to be hung outside, or the numbers are for a letter box, they must receive quite a few coats of a heavy duty weather proof varnish so that they don’t deteriorate.
Opting to Glaze Student Clay Work
If the letters or numbers are for an outdoors space, glazing the pieces might be a teacher's preferred option. If there is access to a kiln and teachers can do this, they turn out beautifully and the students will be delighted with the results. Adequate safety precautions must be taken when glazing pottery with students, as glaze can be quite toxic and must be handled correctly.
If digital photos of the work are taken, they can also be used for digital cards and digital jigsaws. They can be used to spell out words for website banners or for newsletters and the like. There are so many uses for letters made in this way that teachers may find they would like to run the activity more than once. They may also run the activity in conjunction with Claymation projects (animation of clay figures) for the purpose of spelling out credits and other written sections of animations.
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