Modeling is an interesting activity, a hobby that can equally captivate both a child and an adult. It promotes the development of aesthetic taste, precision and coordination of movements. The material for modeling is either clay or plasticine. Each of these two types has advantages and disadvantages. But if you plan to burn crafts in a muffle furnace, then you will definitely need clay.
Instructions
Step 1
Regardless of the location of the place where the clay occurs, it always contains some amount of sand. If there is very little sand in it - only a few percent - it is called "greasy". If the amount of sand is about fifteen percent, the clay is called "medium". Well, in the event that about a third of the sand in the clay is "skinny" clay.
Step 2
What kind of clay is suitable as a raw material for sculpting? This can be easily determined empirically. Take a small amount of clay, knead it thoroughly in your hands, adding a little water if necessary, then roll it into a "sausage" and bring its ends together, that is, make a kind of "ringlet". Evaluate the result obtained. If the "sausage" crumbles in your hands, or even only cracks, then the clay was "skinny" and will not be suitable for modeling.
Step 3
If the clay in the process of kneading and rolling sticks to the skin of the hands - it is "oily" clay, it can be used, but working with it will cause inconvenience. Your job is to choose a material that neither sticks to your hands nor cracks. This is the same "medium" clay, which is perfect as a raw material.
Step 4
You can dig up the clay yourself. It is easy to find in quarries, on steep slopes near a river bank, along the shores of lakes, ponds, or near swamps. Of course, the quality of clay in the full sense of the word can be judged only after the manufacture and firing of a product from it. Therefore, it is recommended to take a small amount of clay, conduct a trial test, and if the quality of the raw materials suits, extract the material from this source. If possible, you should make some margin.
Step 5
If for some reason you do not have the opportunity to extract natural clay, buy it. For example, in some stores selling goods for children's creativity, ready-made prepackaged materials are sold, moreover, in different colors. This is very convenient, especially for a child, since you do not need to dig out clay or fiddle with the batch.
Step 6
You can also purchase dry blue clay in bags. It is sold in building materials stores. Then you have to knead it in water to the desired consistency. Store this "blue clay" in a dry place.
