Tutorial: How to make clay rollers & stamps...........

A great way to texture clay is by using textured surfaces and stamps and this is a quick guide to show how its done. I made these clay rollers and stamps a few weeks ago at school for the pupils to use with their clay projects (in particular with the clay aboriginal art masks they have been making.) But more to come about those in a future blog.



 

Roll soft clay into balls approx size of a nectarine.





Push down with palms of your hand to flatten the sides of the clay ball.

Roll the clay on a smooth flat surface to create a soft even edge all round.

Make about six to start with so that you have a few to texture in different ways.

Find objects that you think will create an interesting pattern in the clay (try them out on seperate clay before deciding which to use) I have used the ends of pencils, credit card,print blocks,string,lace ect...

Start to imprint the objects around the clay roller, ensuring even markings and care taken not to distort the clay roller which will still be pliable, it may take a few goes to make the rollers you wish to keep.

The oddest of objects may appear dull and uninteresting but once an impression in clay is made may appear to look really good, experimenting with different objects is key.



Here are some of the rollers just after making them, they will shrink whilst drying and once again if fired. Firing is nessesary if using these rollers onto wet clay but can be used at bone dry stage for polymer clay projects and if a kiln is'nt available.









These stamps are made in the stame way but they are formed like little mushrooms instead of rollers and the surface is flattened and imprinted with objects in the same way.

Here is an example of what they looked like rolled onto slabs of wet clay.

 




The finished rollers and stamps fired in a kiln.
This tutorial can also be viewed on the Folksy Making guide where it may be printed off in step by step stages.