Salted dough products are very durable, rodents do not eat them, various bugs and other insects do not start in them. Both children and adults can sculpt from salt dough, since it is a very simple and fun process.
The beginning of the creative process
You will need salt, water, and flour to make a salty dough. For two parts of ordinary wheat flour, you need to take part of the fine salt and about part of the water. The exact amount of liquid depends on the quality of the flour used. First, you need to mix salt and flour until smooth, then gradually add cold water there. The dough should be elastic, not stick to your hands and not crumble. A small amount of starch can make the dough more elastic.
They mold from salted dough in the same way as from plasticine. For large compositions, stencils are used, in this case the dough is rolled out to the desired thickness, cardboard templates are laid out on it, along which future parts are cut. The cardboard must be dry, otherwise it may stick to the surface of the dough.
Using additional tools
In the process of sculpting, you can use the tools at hand. It is convenient to draw details with toothpicks; with the help of a garlic press, you can make hair or grass. Decorative patterns are easy to make with special syringe attachments. Cookie cutters will help you to make the necessary details of complex shapes.
During sculpting, convex reliefs and prints are very often used. The latter can be done using buttons, solid flowers, twigs, and even designer parts. Convex reliefs are easiest to make using specialized shapes. You can make them yourself from plaster or use ready-made ones, for example, those used in soap making.
Individual parts of complex compositions can be glued together with water. To do this, brush the glued areas with a damp brush, then press the parts together. Thanks to the stickiness of the dough, they will stick together quite tightly after a few minutes.
The final stage
The finished figurines need to be dried. This can be done in a number of ways. In the summertime, it is easiest to dry your crafts in the sun by placing them in a well-lit area. In the oven, figurines dry much faster, but may crack. The central heating battery is an intermediate option. If you are going to dry your figurines on it, rotate them regularly to dry evenly.
Dried dough figurines can be painted and varnished. To do this, it is best to use gouache, which gives bright colors, but you can also use acrylic. Varnish protects paints and crafts from moisture and burnout.
