In this video, I'm going to show you how to make colored clay
in six easy steps.
Hi, Marie here back with another fun pottery making video for you.
Do you want to make colored clay but you think it may be
too messy or too time-consuming? What if I told you there was an easier
way to make colored clay so you can make fun swirls or even cool
patterns. Well, there is. Follow along
as I show you how. The supplies needed to make colored clay
are listed for you in the show notes below.
Let's add some color to our clay. The first step is to set up your area.
Use a separate board to mix your colored clay on.
This two by two thin piece of plywood does the trick.
C-clamps work great for holding the plywood down so it doesn't move while
you're wedging.
Step number two, measure out your clay and colorant. Measuring out your clay and
mason stain helps you to repeat the recipe.
You need a nice white clay to mix with your colorant.
I'm using Amaco38 stoneware white clay. 3 pounds of clay is a good amount to
work with at a time.
A little more.
I'm using blue mason stain. When working with mason stains in powder form always
wear your Dust Mask. Measure out 84 grams or 3 ounces of
mason stain on your scale. That would be 28 grams or
1 ounce of mason stain per pound of clay.
The amount of colorant you put in your clay is
not an exact science. It's more about the color you want to achieve.
If you want a color darker or lighter add or subtract
14 grams or a half an ounce at a time until you reach your desired color.
The third step, prepare your clay. Flatten out your clay first.
That's good. Now make an indentation in the center of
your clay. I found this hard plastic rib works
really well.
Don't forget to hit the like button and share with a friend.
Just put the extra clay on the sides.
Great. Step number four, add your colorant.
Spray some water in the center first. I love this pump spray bottle it's very
convenient.
Time to put your mask and gloves on. Sprinkle the mason stain in the middle
then spray some water on top.
Step number five, roll up the clay. Roll your clay up and seal it on the
sides as you're rolling it up.
It's like rolling up pastry dough.
Step number six, wedge out your clay. The secret is to start out slowly.
Here's the fun part. Try to keep the mason stain
from coming out while you're wedging.
Once you see a split seal it up and continue to wedge.
Another split.
The more the colorant starts mixing together
the faster you can start wedging.
I have a video on 3 different ways you can wedge.
When you watch it you'll see the spiral wedge mixes the two different colors
together faster than the ram's head wedge. The spiral
wedge may be worth learning to save a little
time. I left a link for you in the description
below.
If your clay starts to stick, move it to a dry spot.
Pick up any extra clay with your metal
scraper.
.
Doing it this way minimalizes getting all the colorant
on your board.
Let's see how we're doing inside
It's looking pretty good.
What would you like to make with colored clay?
Would you like to mix several colors together or
just the white clay with one of your favorite colors?
That looks pretty good. Mixed pretty fast
and didn't create too much of a mess either.
Awesome. It took a little under seven minutes to wedge the color into the clay
and that was with starting out slow too. Colored clay adds a whole new dimension
to your pottery. The swirl patterns are cool looking and no two are ever the
same. As you can see the color does fire
darker.
The designs you can create with colored clay are
endless. Be sure to leave your questions and comments down below.
Don't forget to give me a thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already.
Share with a friend and hit the bell icon to get notified whenever I upload a
video.
Now that you know how to make colored clay head on over to this
How to Throw a Cylinder video and this How to Make a Bowl video. If you do
I get to play with more clay. Let's stay dirty.