Time and again we have posted various tutorials on clay modeling ideas for children and beginners. We have explored with plasticine clay, salt dough, air dry clay, super-light air dry clay and so on... Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and each has its own purpose. However, we enjoyed every exercise we undertook using different types of clay.
This post simply highlights the basic forms that can be used further by kids in different clay modeling projects. Believe me, if you know the basics, you can do the rest....after all it is said that well begun is half done!
We begin with the most basic shape viz. the Ball shape - and how do you make it?
Just take a lump of clay in your hands and roll between your palms to get a ball of the desired size. Now that is easy, isn't it?
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| Ball Shape |
Next, we have an Egg shape. Just take the ball you made above and roll one of its ends into a point. You have the egg shaped ball ready.
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| Egg Shape |
To get the Pancake shape, all you need to do is flatten the ball till you get a flat round shape. You can also use a roller pin that comes along with the clay modeling tools for kids. The roller pin will help you to flatten it evenly.
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| Pancake shape |
The next shape is the Cone shape which looks similar to the egg shape. The only difference is that you flatten the bottom of the egg-shape to get the cone shaped clay.
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| Cone shape |
The Sausage or Cylinder shape is easy to make as well. Just place the ball you made on a flat surface and roll with a flat palm till you get this cylindrical shape.
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| Sausage or cylinder shape |
The next one is called a Ribbon shape. Take the cylinder shape you made above and flatten it with your palm or use a roller pin.
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| Flatten the sausage shape with your palm or use a roller pin |
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| Ribbon shape |
Another similar shape to the cylinder or sausage shape is the Snake form. All you need to do is take the cylinder shape and keep rolling it with your palm till it becomes longer and thinner.
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| 1. Take the cylinder shape and roll it with your palm |
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| 2. Keep rolling the clay to make it thinner |
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| 3. Snake shape |
Here, are some easy animals you can try making using these basic shapes you just learned above. They were all made by my 8-year-old kid while I was preparing this tutorial. She tried out a clay snail, a spider and a butterfly using some of these very basic shapes that I have highlighted above.
For making the Clay Snail, she has used the snake shape to make the body and has coiled the ribbon shape for the pink shell part above it. Use thin snakes to add tentacles above the head.
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| Clay Modeling - A Snail |
For the Clay Spider, you can make two round balls and then add the legs using the snake shapes. That's really easy...you can mark the details like eyes etc. using a toothpick.
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| Clay Modeling - A Spider |
For the Clay Butterfly, just use the snake shape making it wider at the top. Make the two antennas using the snake shapes, only make it very thin like wires. For the butterfly wings, you can use flattened ribbon shapes. As you can see in the picture below, my child enjoyed adding the textures and patterns to clay model using a toothpick - enjoy exploring with textures and patterns here!
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| Clay Modeling - A Butterfly |
Now, that you have the basics of clay modeling, explore and have fun with clay modeling.
Have a good day!
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