So today, I’m gonna make a ghostie with air dry clay that can be used as a home decoration for your house this Halloween season.

This project takes a completely different approach than my previous ones because it isn’t a tray or dish. It’s a piece of home decor without a base.

Today, I’m trying to make something new in a different shape with air dry clay as an experiment as a beginner, testing my limits after mastering trinket trays and dishes. Let’s see how it goes.

You can follow this guide with me because I’m also a beginner like you and I’m gonna share every step I took, every mistake I made and how I fixed them with easy tips and tricks. So stay with me till the end. 

There are no complex steps here because I’m just like you, someone who hates complex and expensive methods.

Let’s start making! ✨

Why I used air dry clay? 🎨

Air dry clay is considered the best beginner friendly clay type for the following reasons,

• No kiln or baking needed. 🚫🔥
• 2x or 3x cheaper than polymer clay. 💰
• Dries in the air (No oven needed). 💨
• Easy to shape and bend. 🖐️
• Easy to smooth. ✨
• This project is not a miniature one and need a lot of clay. 🧱

For all the pros and cons of air dry clay, read The Pros and Cons of Air Dry Clay: A Complete Beginner’s Guide.

Since it is not expensive, we can have fun with it as much as we want to learn new things, experiment with it and we have enough room to make mistakes and learn from them. If air dry clay is expensive, we always have to worry about our budget and we won’t try new things and we won’t learn along the journey.

Plus, this air dry clay ghost is a little bit big, so you can’t use an expensive clay type like polymer clay. Since the ghost comes in white air dry clay is the best option you should go with.

Yes, air dry clay is prone to crack and warp as it dries. But you can handle, control and avoid them by following simple tips and tricks. Don’t worry, I’ll teach them as well during this article.

If you want to know almost and everything about air dry clay, read Air Dry Clay for Beginners: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide.

Ok! Now you know why air dry clay is suitable for this ghostie. Let’s dig in! ⛏️

Supplies you’ll need 🛠️

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay) 
• Acrylic rolling pin 
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface) 🧘
• Small container or glass 🥛
• Aluminum foil or plastic wrap 🧻
• Clay crafting tools 🛠️
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife) 🔪
• Cup of water or spray bottle 💧
• Flower shape cutter or mold 🌸
• Acrylic paints (white and black) 🎨
• Gloss varnish ✨
• Paintbrushes 🖌️
• Paper towels 🧻
• A pair of scissors ✂️
• Scotch tape 🩹
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you can’t find any of the above tools or materials, check your kitchen drawers. You’ll find a handful of items that can be used instead of the clay tools that I mentioned above. Toothpicks, small knives, and cutting boards all are great alternatives. So use them wisely. Air dry clay needs to be budget friendly.

Air dry clay ghost tutorial video 

I have recorded everything from start to finish while making this air dry clay ghost so you can watch it and get a good idea about the flow and if you missed anything during the video, you can read them on this written tutorial as well.

Feel free to watch and make a fine Halloween ghost! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s have a look at the detailed written step-by-step guide.

Step by step tutorial for your air dry clay ghost 

Before you start making it, make sure to open all the windows in your room for good air circulation or shift to a well ventilated area. Air dry clay contains fine dust particles that can make you cough. I don’t want to see my people coughing during the process. Hehe.

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay 

First of all take a fresh piece of clay from the package and condition it by tapping drops of water on to the clay surface.

Next knead the clay so well using pull, push and press techniques like a pizza dough.

Kneading is a must before you start anything with air dry clay because it helps to spread the moisture evenly across all the layers of the clay and releases the trapped air inside. 

Skipping the kneading step causes uneven evaporation of water and form micro cracks due to the uneven shrinkage and air pockets inside.

Knead the clay well for about 2-3 minutes until become soft enough for shaping.

Due to the warmth of our hands, the moisture we apply and the pressure we put in, the clay will become soft and comfy, which is great for making shapes and for bending.

Step 2: Rolling the clay 

Place the kneaded clay piece on your mat and start rolling to an even thickness of about ¼ inch.

Use a non stick and non porous rolling pin and mat for rolling, because when you’re rolling, the moisture inside the clay comes out and creates a vacuum like seal between the clay and the mat.

The clay sticks so well to the mat because of this seal that when you try to lift the clay up after rolling, it’ll get stuck and mostly tear apart with cracks and splits.

Therefore, when you’re choosing a mat, go for a silicone or PVC mat, which are non stick and easy to clean up.

For the rolling pin, go for an acrylic one because clay does not stick to it while you’re rolling.

If you don’t have those mats or rolling pins and are about to use wooden ones, make sure to place parchment paper between the clay and the wooden surface, and another sheet of parchment paper between the clay and the rolling pin. Basically, you have to place the clay like a sandwich while rolling to avoid it from sticking.

Avoid rolling your clay slab thinner than ¼ inch or thicker than ½ inch. Keeping the thickness strictly within this range guarantees the best results.

Why you should not roll too thin (< ¼ inch)

Rolling the clay too thin loses its structural stability. The edges of the clay slab tend to curl upward like a potato chip as the clay dries. This scenario is known as the warping of air dry clay. Here’s how to fix that!

Why you should not roll too thick (> ½ inch)

If the slab is too thick, it may take several days or even weeks to dry out fully. The outer layer dries significantly faster than the inner layers, which can cause uneven shrinkage and often leads to surface cracks.

After rolling the clay slab, smooth it out by dipping your index finger in a cup of water and gliding gently on the surface repeatedly until tiny bumps, micro cracks and tiny imperfections vanish.

Don’t forget to follow this smoothing procedure after each step from now onwards.

Step 3: Cut the shape 

I cut the shape so randomly using my X-acto knife so the edges of the ghost will be sharp. It’s not hard. You just have to cut the shape like a circle. No need to be a perfect circle.

When you’re cutting, make sure not to drag the knife horizontally across the surface because that can form torn up and split edges with cracks.

Lift the knife frequently as you cut and clean the attached small clay pieces and then start cutting again following the up and down motion.

Once you cut the shape completely, remove the excess carefully and smooth out the clay slab. 

Step 4: Detail the clay slab 

I have a flower shape mold/cutter I bought recently, so I used it to decorate the clay slab I cut with flowers.

If you don’t have a mold or cutter, try to cut those shapes manually using the X-acto knife.

Make sure to space these flower cutouts randomly across the clay slab so the light will shine through later if you use a tealight or candle.

Step 5: Drape and shape the ghost 

Next, take the small plastic container or glass and turn it upside down. Then roll the plastic wrap or aluminum foil into a ball, place it over the top, and secure it well to the container or glass using duct tape or scotch tape.

Consider this as the temporary body of our ghost. We will remove it once the clay has fully dried.

After setting that up, drape the clay slab gently over the glass and plastic form.

Next, adjust the folds at the bottom so it looks like a floating sheet.

Step 6: Detail the ghost 

Take a needle, a toothpick or a clay sculpting tool and carve out the clay from your ghost structure to make the eyes and mouth. 

Do this carefully without damaging the clay. You can soften the jagged edges using a paintbrush after dipping it in water.

Awesome friends! We have successfully crafted the air dry clay ghost. Now let it dry fully before painting.

Step 7: Allow the clay to dry 

Now let the air dry clay ghost you made dry fully for 48-72 hours in a well ventilated area.

Drying time of air dry clay depends on the thickness of your clay slab and the humidity in your area. When the humidity is high, it will take more days to dry fully because the water evaporation speed is too slow.

Never ever rush the drying process by placing it under direct sunlight, outside, or blowing out your hairdryer because that can trigger uneven shrinkage, which can result in surface cracks. Let it dry slowly.

Once the outer layer of air dry clay feels completely dry after 24 hours, you can remove the glass form to let the inner side dry properly. 

Actually, I forgot to take mine off while it was drying, but thankfully the inside still dried out fully. Lucky me! 

I think leaving the piece to dry for the complete three days likely made all the difference.

You can notice whether the clay dried fully by the color change. Wet air dry clay has a grey, off-white color, while bone dry air dry clay has a bright, pure white color.

Now it’s time to start painting our ghost.

Step 8: Paint the air dry clay ghost 

I used acrylic paint for this project because acrylics are considered the best paint for air dry clay.

Acrylic paint dries quickly within 2 hours, no need for water for mixing and preparation and makes a water resistant coating over your air dry clay project.

Apply 1-2 thin and even coats of acrylic over your air dry clay ghost in one direction and let each coat of acrylic dry for 2 hours before applying another.

I painted the whole ghost body with white and detailed the eyes and mouth with black.

After the final coat, let it dry fully for 2 hours before sealing.

Step 9: Seal the clay 

You can use Mod Podge, gloss varnish, UV resin, polyurethane varnish or epoxy resin for sealing this project. All offer water resistant or waterproofing coatings that protect your air dry clay ghost from harsh weather conditions and splashes.

Moisture weakens the clay and causes surface cracks. Therefore, sealing is essential before you keep it as home decor during this Halloween season.

I used gloss varnish for my project and it came out so good. Apply 2-3 thin and even coats and let each coat dry for 24 hours before applying another.

Gloss varnish offers a glossy ceramic look with a water resistant coating. But I made sure not to place my air dry clay ghost outside because air dry clay is not built for harsh weather elements outside even after sealing it with a top quality sealer.

Congratulations, my crafters! We have successfully made our Halloween ghost with air dry clay. Now it’s time for you to make one even better. 🎉

Final thoughts

I have described every step, tip and trick I used to achieve this spooky clay ghost in detail. You can place it on your Halloween table or gift it to someone special. 

Unique crafts like this are rare because many try to gift things that are purchased online. This is handmade with love.

If you encounter any issues while making this air dry clay ghost, don’t hesitate to mention them in the comment section or contact me through contact@clayandme.com. I’ll answer them all.

Also, if you’ve found better ways to do the above steps, please mention them as well in the comments section for the support of our clay community.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your air dry clay ghost project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another awesome project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

DIY Air Dry Clay Halloween Ghost Guide

Warsha

Looking for a quick, beginner-friendly summary of this project? Here is a fast breakdown of the materials, key steps, and essential details to craft your spooktacular ghostie! 👻✨

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface) 🧘

Small container or glass 🥛

Aluminum foil or plastic wrap 🧻

Clay crafting tools 🛠️

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife) 🔪

Cup of water or spray bottle 💧

Flower shape cutter or mold 🌸

Acrylic paints (white and black) 🎨

Gloss varnish ✨

Paintbrushes 🖌️

Paper towels 🧻

A pair of scissors ✂️

Scotch tape 🩹

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

1. Condition & Knead

• Tap a few drops of water on fresh clay and knead thoroughly for 2–3 minutes to release air bubbles and prevent cracking. 🖐️

2. Roll it Out

• Roll the clay on a non-stick mat to ¼-inch thickness. Rotate and flip frequently so it doesn’t stick! 🥐

3. Cut the Circle

• Use an X-acto knife in an up-and-down motion to cut out a rough circle slab. Lift the blade to clean attached clay pieces as you cut. 🔪

4. Detail the Slab

• Press flower cutouts or patterns into the clay slab with a mold or cutter so light can shine through later. 🌸

5. Drape & Shape

• Tape a foil or plastic wrap dome to an upside-down glass. Gently drape the clay slab over it and adjust bottom folds to create floating sheet ruffles. 🥛

6. Carve Face Details

• Carve out eyes and a mouth using a needle tool or toothpick. Smooth rough edges with a wet paintbrush. 👁️

7. Slow Dry

• Let dry naturally in a well-ventilated area for 48–72 hours until bright white. Remove the inner glass form after 24 hours to help the inside dry. 💨

8. Paint & Seal

• Apply 1–2 coats of white acrylic paint on the body and black for the eyes and mouth. Once dry, seal with 2–3 coats of gloss varnish to protect against moisture! ✨🎨

No kiln or bake needed with air dry clay and you don’t need expensive tools or you don’t need to be high skillful to use it. But trust me, you can make amazing and beautiful masterpieces with air dry clay, which is great for your mental health.

I started my air dry clay journey recently as a complete noob. I didn’t know how to handle the clay, how to attach pieces and I made many mistakes along the way, from cracked trays to pieces falling apart. But I was able to learn and practice things as I make new projects every single week. And now I wanna help you guys out.

As a beginner myself, I know what are the burning questions beginners have about air dry clay and I’m gonna answer them all.

I’ll share with you guys everything you need to know about air dry clay, including basics, projects that can be made easily, steps you need to follow and most importantly, mistakes that can be made along the way and how you can easily avoid and fix them from my firsthand experience. You won’t get those from expert guides because they rarely make mistakes.

Ok, enough talking, let’s jump in!

What is air dry clay (and should beginners start with it?)

Air dry clay is made of tiny paper fibers and has a mesh-like internal structure, which can get messy pretty quickly. It is water soluble and easy to shape and bend.

Air dry clay contains a lot of moisture and air bubbles inside and it shrinks as it dries due to the evaporation of water. Shrinking is uncontrollable but can be handled well by kneading the clay, which helps to spread the moisture evenly across all the layers of the clay and release the air.

Sealing air dry clay is a must because it is not waterproof. Water softens and weakens the clay, causing uneven shrinkage and surface cracking.

I know many people are so worried about the cracking of air dry clay and they even avoid using it because of it. 

If you used too much water when kneading and shaping which causes rapid evaporation and uneven shrinkage which leads to surface cracking. 

Air dry clay dries in the air and it depends on the outside humidity levels and thickness of the clay.

You need to smooth out air dry clay regularly because tiny bumps, micro cracks and imperfections are hard to avoid. 

Why you should start with air dry clay?

If you’re a beginner, it is one of the best because no kiln or baking is needed and you can easily shape to an any shape you want, only with a drop of water.

Since the clay is cheap, you have enough room to experiment and have fun with it which helps you learn new clay skills.

As beginners, we waste a lot of clay when learning things and that’s ok. But if the clay is expensive, we are afraid to do that because we are mostly tight on budget. But, you don’t have to worry about that when working with air dry clay since it’s cheap and beginner friendly.

You can easily clean up the working mat, rolling tool and clay sculpting tools by washing and wiping with soapy water. It only takes 2-3 minutes.

Actually, that was the exact reason why I went with air dry clay too in a world of polymer clay, traditional pottery clay and others.

Once you become good at handling clay and making beautiful things out of it, you can select whether you stick with it or switch to advanced polymer clay or some other type of clay.

Step 1: Gather tools and setup your workspace

Air dry clay is beginner- and budget friendly. You don’t need to spend $100 in the craft store to gather tools. I started with what I had and came all the way here with no issues. Let me tell you.

First, select the right air dry clay brand

DAS, Jovi, Mont Marte, Creative Paperclay, Sculpey (Model Air), Amaco, FIMO Air, Activa, La Doll, Craft Smart, and Crayola are considered as the top contenders when it comes to air dry clay brands.

All the above brands are great but come with only a few differences. DAS is the most popular air dry clay brand which is Italian made, made with natural fibers, dries so hard and handles structural stress excellently.

Whatever brand you select make sure it is reputable, has positive reviews and customer feedback. 

Never ever use an unbranded air dry clay product, even if they are cheap and highly available, because your whole project might get ruined as my pineapple trinket tray project did.

👉🏾 Read: Mont Marte vs. Unbranded Air Dry Clay: Is the Cheap Stuff Worth It?

Prepare your workspace

Choosing the right working surface is a must when working with air dry clay especially when rolling the clay.

Air dry clay contains a lot of moisture, which comes out as you roll the clay. So the working surface should be non porous.

So trust me on this, never use plain wood boards or cardboard boxes for your main workspace. As you roll and flatten the clay, these porous surfaces absorb all the inner moisture right out of it, which makes your piece stick like crazy. Then, the moment you attempt to peel it off, your clay slab rips into pieces and leaves terrible cracks and splits along every edge.

Because of the above reason, use a non-sticky and non-porous surface as your workspace, such as a PVC mat or silicone mat, so the clay releases cleanly. Both are great to work with air dry clay. I use a PVC mat.

Use an acrylic rolling pin instead of the bare wooden one because clay won’t stick to it as you roll.

👉🏾 Having trouble with your clay clinging to your roller? Here is How to Stop Air Dry Clay From Sticking to Your Rolling Pin.

Clay sculpting tools

Easy clay sculpting tool has its own specific task. X-acto knife for cutting air dry clay with precision, Carving tool for hollowing out the clay which is useful when you’re making trays and dishes, damp sponge for smoothing out the clay.

Honestly, your hands are the best tools to work with air dry clay because shaping, bending and smoothing can be easily done with your fingers after dipping in a cup of water.

If you couldn’t find any of the tools to work with air dry clay, I highly recommend you to check your unopened kitchen drawers because you might find many tools that can be used instead of professional tools that do the same task.

For example, toothpicks can be used to map out clay, tracing, detailing and texturing, a small knife can be used instead of X-acto knife and smal spoons can be used for carving the clay.

Once you become good at handling and sculpting clay, I highly recommend you to invest on professional tools, which are also not expensive.

Clay finishing tools

So invest in an acrylic paint set and a budget friendly flat and round paint brush set for painting your ary clay piece.

For sealing, there are several options you can try. Gloss varnish, UV resin, polyurethane varnish, Mod Podge or Epoxy resin are great to seal air dry clay, which helps to protect your air dry clay piece from water by making a water resistant or waterproofing coating.

I use gloss varnish because it provides a glossy and ceramic look with long term protection.

👉🏾 Want my exact product links? Check out my Complete Clay Supplies & Resources Page for every brand and tool I use.

Step 2: Conditioning, kneading & keeping your clay soft

Once you’ve got a branded clay product and prepared the workspace with all the tools, its time to start the first step of your sculpting process.

First, unpack the clay and cut a piece out of it and start conditioning it by tapping the surface with a little bit of water.

Air dry clay already comes with a lot of moisture inside, but tapping the surface with a little bit of water makes the clay softer and easier to knead.

But make sure not to use too much water for conditioning and kneading the clay because too much water significantly increases the moisture evaporation speed as the clay dries which can cause uneven shrinkage by drying the outer layers of air dry clay much faster than the clay inside. Due to that, tension will start to build up as the clay dries and microcracks will start to form on the surface.

As the clay dries, these micro cracks will become wider and deeper, forming larger cracks which completely ruin and destroy your beautiful project.

Most of the beginners, including myself in the beginning, loved to dip all fingers in a cup of water as soon as we felt the clay was dry. But that’s not good because it causes uneven shrinkage and you should only damp the dried areas of air dry clay barely with a sponge or your index finger.

Make sure to use only drops of water when conditioning and kneading the clay and don’t forget to knead the clay well like you’re making a pizza dough to spread the moisture evenly across all the layers of air dry clay inside and release the trapped air bubbles inside.

Well kneaded air dry clay is soft and shrinks evenly as it dries, forming no cracks.

👉🏾 Working on a detailed piece that takes a while or seems to take more time than you thought? Read How to Keep Air Dry Clay Soft While Working so it doesn’t dry out mid project.

While you’re kneading, shaping and sculpting the taken air dry clay piece from the big piece, make sure to wrap that unused piece with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to avoid forming a dry skin on your working desk. 

The outside area of air dry clay piece dries quickly and you need to keep its moisture level steady without letting it crumble due to the dry skin.

👉🏾 If your clay starts flaking apart at the edges while you knead it, follow my guide on How to Stop Air Dry Clay From Crumbling.

Step 3: Rolling clay slab

Rolling clay slab is needed when you’re making trinket trays, jewelry dishes, and home decor items with a base.

In order to roll the clay slab evenly, use wooden or acrylic guide rails which should be placed on either side of the clay slab while rolling. Guide rails come in different thicknesses and you can select a pair greater than ¼ inch(6 mm) or thicker for a strong clay slab for high structural strength that can avoid warping as the clay dries.

If you roll the clay slab too thin it’ll likely warp and curl as the clay dries, like a potato chip and because it lacks structural integrity and snaps so easily. But if you roll the clay slab too thick, I mean above ½ inch (12 mm), it may take 4-5 days or even weeks to dry fully and the outside of the clay dries fast while the inside stays wet, leading to deep cracks.

Therefore, always try to maintain the thickness within ¼ inch (6 mm) to ½ inch (12 mm) range.

If you don’t have guide rails to keep the thickness even, use silicone or rubber rings. They are attachable and most of the time they come with the rolling pins as you purchase them. They also come in different sizes, including 3mm and 5mm.

In order to roll evenly, you need to start rolling from the center of the clay outward. Rotate the clay around 90 degrees every few rolls so it stretches evenly in all directions.

Rolling the clay in one spot creates a vacuum seal with the work surface as moisture releases, which can cause the clay to tear when you try to lift it. To avoid this, continuously reposition the clay as you roll.

Step 4: Cutting clean shapes

After rolling the clay slab, it’s time to cut the shape you like.

For cutting, you can use molds, cookie cutters, templates, stencils, or cut freehand. According to me, I strongly believe that freehand cutting develops our drawing skills and clay handling skills. Therefore, if you want to cut an organic shape, always use freehand.

But if you really need an exact, precise shape, with no errors, use a cookie cutter or mold.

If you don’t have molds but still want an exact shape, try using a paper template. Simply print a 2D outline of your desired design, cut it out, place it onto the clay slab, and slice along the edges.

👉🏾 Learn more about this paper template method by reading: How to Cut Perfect Shapes in Air Dry Clay Without Cutters (Easy Template Method)

Before you start cutting, trace the shape along the edges using a clay tracing tool or a toothpick. Tracing before cutting minimizes errors.

After tracing the shape, remove the mold or template you used (if you used one) and cut along the traced lines using the X-Acto knife.

When cutting, make sure not to drag the knife horizontally, which can form split and torn edges. Lift the knife frequently and clean the stuck clay and again continue cutting, holding your X-Acto knife straight up and down (90-degree angle). This way you can get nice, clean, smooth, and sharp edges.

👉🏾 Struggling with jagged or split edges when cutting shapes? Read: How to Cut Clean, Sharp Edges in Air Dry Clay (Without Tearing)

After cutting the shape you want, make sure to smooth out the clay slab and around its rim by dipping your index finger in a cup of water and gliding over the clay slab and around its rim repeatedly until tiny bumps, lumps, micro cracks and tiny imperfections completely vanish.

Smoothing is must after each step from now onwards for a nice and clean finish, but only with a little bit of water. You already know what happens when you use too much water.

Step 5: Attaching clay pieces together (the slip & score method)

Let me tell you a quick story that happened during my first air dry clay project which can be happened for any beginner.

For my first air dry clay project, I made a cute rabbit. I kneaded and shaped small clay pieces to create the head, belly, legs, arms, and ears. While the clay was still wet, I attached the parts simply by pressing them together. I attached arms and legs onto the belly, ears onto the head, and finally the head onto the body and left it to dry.

Unfortunately, as the clay dried, the joints gave way and the ears, limbs, and head separated and fell apart. 

Hours of hard work were ruined, but it taught me a valuable lesson: you can’t join air dry clay pieces just by pressing them together. Air dry clay shrinks as it dries and joints will loosen.

There’s a specific technique you need to follow. That’s called the score and slip method.

Let me tell you what the score and slip method is,

In order to attach two air dry clay pieces together, first you need to score the surfaces that attach using a clay scoring tool or a toothpick. Score the surfaces like a texture. The main reason for scoring before attaching is to create good adhesion between the two surfaces with high grip.

Then you need to apply a paste called “slip”. Slip is made by mixing tiny pieces of air dry clay with an equal amount of water thoroughly and letting it sit for hours. This will make a creamy paste which is known as the “slip”. You can use it to attach two air dry clay pieces. It basically works as a glue for air dry clay. 

Next, apply this slip paste over the scored clay surfaces and attach them gently by pressing the two pieces firmly together with a slight wiggle so the wet grooves lock into each other. That’s how you should attach two air dry clay pieces properly. The score and slip method.

If you don’t have the slip, don’t worry. Tap the scored surfaces with a little bit of water and attach. Water also works just fine as the slip because I tried and it works every single time with no issues.

👉🏾 Having pieces detach after drying? Read my full troubleshooting breakdown on Why Is My Air Dry Clay Not Sticking Together?

Step 6: Drying your clay without cracks or warping

After making your beautiful air dry clay project, you need to let it dry. As I told you earlier, air dry clay dries in the air.

Place the clay piece you made in a cool, well ventilated area with good air circulation.

Let the project dry slowly because rushing the drying process causes uneven shrinkage and eventually you’ll end up with a cracked surface.

Do not place your air dry clay piece outside, under direct sunlight, inside an oven or apply a heat source, or blast it with a hairdryer to rush the drying process. All of them cause surface cracks. All you need to do is make the area as ventilated as possible.

👉🏾 Read: How to Prevent Air Dry Clay Trays from Cracking While Drying

Generally air dry clay project takes about 48-72 hours to dry which means 2-3 days. But this can depend on the thickness of the clay and humidity in your area. 

If you live in a wet climate with high humidity the water evaporation speed of your project will be much slower and it may take 5-6 days to dry your project completely.

To keep your air dry clay project from warping,

• Flip the project upside down periodically (After the first 12–24 hours) so all sides dry at an even rate.
• Do not place air dry clay piece under direct sunlight or near radiators or AC vents.

👉🏾 Making dishes or raised rims? Don’t miss How to Prevent Warping When Drying Curved Air Dry Clay Trays

However, you cannot paint or seal the project until it is completely dry. Painting the wet clay project weakens the clay inside and causes paint to bubble, peel, or grow mold later.

Step 7: Sanding for a smooth finish

This step is optional, but great for a nice and smooth finish. Wear a mask first because tiny air dry clay particles can make you cough.

Once the clay piece is fully dry, sand the whole clay surface with fine grit sandpaper (220-grit sandpaper or finer) in one direction to remove tiny bumps, micro scratches, micro cracks and tiny imperfections. Finally, finish it by sanding the whole surface again with 400-grit for a silky smooth surface.

Careful when sanding complex angles and joints because air dry clay can be brittle and snap easily because of your single mistake.

Once you’re done with sanding, clean the whole surface with a fluffy brush or barely damp cloth to remove the fine dust.

Step 8: Painting your air dry clay

As I mentioned earlier, you need to wait till the air dry clay project dries fully before painting to avoid forming tacky spots, molds and peel-offs.

👉🏾 Find out: Can You Paint Air Dry Clay Before It Dries? (And What Happens If You Do).

Acrylics are considered the best paint for air dry clay since it is easy to use and make a plastic like layer over your clay project that offers protection as well.

Don’t use watercolors on air dry clay because they require water and water weakens the clay and cause surface cracks as it dries.

Never apply another coat of acrylic while the previous one is still wet because that can form a mushy core, a cloud like thing on the surface.

If it’s possible, I recommend applying a Gesso like primer before applying the first acrylic coat over your air dry clay project because raw air dry clay is thirsty and absorbs your first paint coat fast. 

Gesso helps to fill the porous structure of air dry clay and make the surface ready for acrylic paints that come next.

For brush techniques and clean lines, read How to Paint Crisp Details and Layer Colors on Air Dry Clay.

👉🏾 Painting a piece with lots of grooves? Check out, How to Manage Acrylic Paint Drying Time on Deeply Carved Clay Textures.

Step 9: Sealing & protecting your finished project

Some beginners think Isn’t it enough after I paint my air dry clay project with acrylics. It offers a water resistant sealing and protection, so why should I even worry about sealing? I’m sorry to say you are completely wrong. 

Sealing air dry clay is a must. Yes, even after painting is done, because air dry clay is still vulnerable to humidity, scratches, and water splashes.

Air dry clay cannot withstand harsh weather conditions if you skipped the sealing part. Sealing is all about protection. 

For example, gloss varnish protects your air dry clay projects from outside humidity because water always try to find a way to sneak into your clay project and weaken it and sealer stops it.

👉🏾 Read: Here is How to Get a Glossy, Ceramic-Like Finish on Air Dry Clay.

Apply 2-3 thin and even coats in one direction and let each coat of sealer dry and cure for 24 hours before applying another.

Applying a sealer over a wet surface can form tacky spots, therefore, wait till the previous surface is fully dry.

Gloss varnish and polyurethane varnish are beginner friendly. UV resin and epoxy resin are great to get a more glossy, glassy like finish.

👉🏾 Read my step-by-step protection walkthrough in How to Seal and Waterproof Air Dry Clay Trinket Tray.

Congratulations, you have successfully made your first air dry clay project. I’m so happy for you.

Step 10: Store your leftover air dry clay

Generally, 1.1 lbs (500g) or 2.2 lbs(1kg) of block air dry clay can be used to make around 2-3 palm-size trinket trays and jewelry dishes. This can vary depending on your palm size. Lol.

But the point I need to tell you is definitely that there will be leftover clay air dry clay after your first project.

So what are you gonna do with it? Wrap it around with the same package and leave it on your desk? Yes, that’s also a way, but that method is risky and has a high tendency to turn your clay block into a brick because air dry clay dries as soon as it comes into contact with the air.

Here’s how to store your leftover air dry clay,

1. First, wrap the leftover clay with a plastic clog wrap or a polythene bag or with a damp paper towel if you gonna store it for a long time.
2. Then place the wrapped air dry clay package inside of a airtight plastic Tupperware type container, zip top bag.
3. Place it inside of a cool, drawer that has minimal air circulation around.

Make sure not to place any heat source around because heat can make the moisture of the clay evaporate.

👉🏾 Follow my exact wrapping method in How to Store Air Dry Clay Once Opened (Keep It Soft for Months).

Ready to make?

Awesome, my friend! You have completed the beginner air dry clay guide. Now you know the whole start-to-finish process. I know now you’re eagerly waiting to try out your first air dry clay project. 

You got this! Air dry caly is made for beginners. Follow the methods I taught and you have all the freedom to try new things, make mistakes and learn from them. Ultimately, I want you to achieve the goals you want and to be a better crafter than I am.

My suggestion is for you to start making a trinket tray. Trinket trays are easy to make and you’ll eb able to learn lots of basics and practical knowledge of air dry clay along the way, such as how to knead, roll, attach, smooth and finish air dry clay pieces.

According to my experiences, the best way to learn air dry clay is by getting your hands dirty with a simple flat slab project before trying complex 3D sculptures.

Below I have included several beginner type air dry clay projects you can try out. 

After trying the above projects, I need your feedback. So please leave your feedback in the comment section so others can learn from them. We should grow as a community and become good clay artists.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your first air dry clay tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with awesome air dry clay tutorials, tips and tricks! Cheers! 🤟🏾

In this article, you’ll learn why keeping a good thickness is important when making anything with air dry clay.

I misplanned the thickness of my Halloween bat decor tray and it was cracked so badly as the clay dried. But luckily I was able to make some adjustments and change that into a Halloween cat decor tray.

So, I’m gonna deeply explain what went wrong and why you should not be like me when it comes to planning the thickness of your clay craft, especially when you plan to hollow out the clay.

You won’t find this type of article from experts, because they rarely make mistakes, and even if they do, they won’t publish them on the internet. Since I’m a beginner, this is also a part of my journey to become a good clay artist. So, here I am for a confession.

Let’s dig in!

What went wrong in this project ❌

As I told you earlier, I misplanned the thickness of this project when rolling the clay slab. Generally, a ¼-inch thickness is ideal for an air dry clay project to prevent the clay from warping and cracking as it dries.

But in this project, even though I rolled the clay slab to a ¼-inch thickness, I hollowed the clay out to give it a tray shape by making the tray base and the tray rim.

That’s exactly where I made the mistake. If you plan to hollow or carve out the clay during the process, make the clay slab at least ½-inch thick, not ¼-inch. When you’re hollowing out the clay, the thickness reduces and the final thickness will be ⅛-inch, which is too thin and can cause cracks as the clay dries due to shrinkage.

This is a highly important factor, especially when you’re making a tray as I did, because you can either attach the tray rim separately to the ¼-inch thick tray base, or you should make the tray base ½-inch thick and carve out the tray base until it reaches a ¼-inch thickness to make the tray rim.

Keep that in mind to prevent your clay tray from cracking like mine. If I had rolled the tray base ½-inch thick instead of ¼-inch, my tray wouldn’t have cracked and been ruined as the clay dried. Or I should have attached the tray rim separately to the ¼-inch thick tray base. Simple as that!

Everything else went smoothly with no mistakes.

Now let me show you the complete process of how I made the Halloween bat tray and how I turned it into a Halloween cat tray. 🦇🐱

Supplies you’ll need 🛠️

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• A pair of scissors
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the above items, please check your kitchen drawers. There are many tools that can be used as clay sculpting tools instead of purchasing clay sculpting tool sets when you’re starting out.

An air dry clay crafting hobby needs to be budget-friendly and should not drain your wallet. 💡

Turn a broken air dry clay bat tray into cute Halloween cat decor tutorial video

I have recorded everything starting from fresh clay, sculpting the Halloween bat tray, how it cracked as the clay dried, and how I wisely turned that into Halloween cat decor.

Feel free to watch, avoid the mistake I made, and make a fine Halloween bat tray! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s have a look at the detailed written step-by-step guide. 📝

Sculpting the Halloween bat tray (The original plan) 🎨

Before starting the project, make sure to go to a well-ventilated area or open all the windows in your workspace because air dry clay contains fine dust that can cause breathing issues. Or wear a mask while working with the clay.

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay

1. Unbox the package and cut a big chunk of a fresh piece of clay.
2. Tap the clay surface with a little bit of water for conditioning the clay.
3. Knead the clay well by pushing, pulling and pressing the clay like you’re making a pizza dough.
4. Knead for 3-5 minutes with a little bit of water until the clay becomes soft enough for shaping.

Air-dry clay already consists of a lot of moisture and air bubbles inside. But they have spread randomly, and as the clay dries, the water starts to evaporate unevenly.

Air-dry clay shrinks as it dries and it is uncontrollable. But we can control whether it shrinks evenly or unevenly because uneven shrinkage causes surface cracks.

When you knead the clay well, moisture spreads evenly across all the layers of the air dry clay, which avoids uneven shrinkage as the clay dries. This helps the clay not to crack as it dries.

So, kneading is a must before you start making any project with air dry clay.

When you keep kneading, your palms will feel it getting softer and softer. When it reaches a certain level of softness, you can move on to the rolling step.

Step 2: Rolling the clay

This is where I misplanned. I didn’t think I needed to hollow out the clay in a later step and plan the thickness of the clay slab accordingly.

I rolled my clay slab to a ¼-inch thickness, which was not enough because I was about to hollow out the clay to make the tray rim in a later step.

So, if you plan to make the tray rim by hollowing or carving the clay out from the rolled clay slab, make sure to roll the clay slab to at least a ½-inch thickness. Then you can carve ¼-inch from it and the remaining ¼-inch tray base is enough to remain stable against warping and the shrinkage of the clay with no cracks.

But if you’re willing to attach the tray rim as an attachment to the tray base by making it separately, roll the clay slab to an even ¼ inch thickness as I did.

Don’t be like me friends. Plan ahead to avoid your piece from getting ruined.

So, if you plan to hollow out the clay as I gonna do here, follow below steps when rolling,

1. Roll the clay to an even thickness of ½ inch.
2. Roll the whole clay slab evenly.
3. Smooth out the clay slab.

Use a non-stick rolling pin and a non-stick mat for rolling your clay slab.

I recommend an acrylic rolling pin and a silicone or PVC mat to prevent your clay from sticking as you roll.

Also, make sure to turn, flip, and rotate the clay slab while you’re rolling to prevent it from sticking, even if you use non-stick materials, because as we roll, the moisture inside the clay is released and forms a high amount of a tiny vacuum-like seal between the clay slab and your mat. When you try to lift the clay slab, it may tear apart due to the grip between the mat and the clay.

When you continually change the clay position while rolling, it gets no chance to create a vacuum-like seal with the surface, and you’ll get a nice and smooth surface with no tears.

Here’s how you should smooth out the clay slab,

1. Dip your index finger in a cup of water.
2. Gently glide your wet index finger over the clay slab repeatedly.
3. Repeat the gliding until small bumps, micro-cracks, and tiny imperfections vanish.

Follow this smoothing procedure after each step to result in a nice and clean surface.

Step 3: Making the paper template

I used the paper template method to get the exact shape of a bat because freehand cutting can result in many errors.

1. First, Google “Halloween bat 2D outline shape”.
2. Select an image.
3. Take a black-and-white printout of it on an A4 paper.
4. Cut along the outlines carefully, and your paper template is done.

If you already have a bat-shaped mold or cutter, use that instead of this paper template method.

Step 4: Tracing and cutting the bat shape on the clay slab

1. Place the bat paper template on your rolled clay slab.
2. Trace along the outline carefully with a clay tracing tool or toothpick.
3. Remove the paper template.
4. Cut along the traced lines using the X-acto knife to get the bat tray base as the result.
5. Smooth out the bat-shaped clay slab following the procedure I taught earlier.

If you don’t have an X-Acto knife, use a pocket knife.

Lift the knife while you cut and clean the attached clay particles regularly to get nice, smooth, and sharp edges.

Awesome, friend! You have successfully made the tray base. 🎉

Step 5: Hollowing out the clay slab to make the tray rim

1. Mark and map the areas you need to carve in the bat wings using a toothpick or clay tracing tool.
2. Carve and hollow out the clay evenly everywhere using the clay carving tool to about ¼-inch deep.
3. Smooth out the hollowed out spaces.

Make sure not to scoop too deep, because you might accidentally hit the bottom and damage the tray. Plus, if the bottom is too thin, it might crack and tear when you try to lift the tray up or when drying due to shrinkage.

Finally, smooth the inside of the carved wells using your fingers to give them a more polished look with no damp air dry clay particles inside.

Now we have successfully sculpted the tray base and the tray rim of the bat tray.

Identifying the fail 🧐

Step 6: Letting it dry

Now let the bat tray dry for 48–72 hours in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area.

Let the project dry slowly to avoid rapid water evaporation and uneven shrinkage of the clay, which can cause surface cracking.

As I mentioned earlier, this was the step where I identified my failure. Since I didn’t make the tray base ½-inch thick, it lost its stability as I was hollowing out the clay to make the tray rim.

As a result of that, the clay started to crack as it dried due to shrinkage.

I should not have gone with the ¼-inch thickness for the tray base.

Since you planned for a ½-inch thick base, you have nothing to worry about even when the clay dries after you hollow out the clay to make the tray rim.

After letting your project dry completely, check for any grey patches. Grey patches mean the air dry clay is still wet, and you need to let it dry more until it becomes pure white, which is the significant color of a fully dried air dry clay project.

My hours of work were ruined because I didn’t get the thickness right. I was thinking for a few minutes and came up with an idea.

Turning a broken Halloween bat into a Halloween cat 🐈‍⬛

Step 7: Spotting the cat silhouette

I had an “aha!” moment looking at the cracked bat shape. The body of the bat was not damaged or cracked. 💡

Have you ever noticed that the body of a bat is similar to a cat? I have noticed that. The shape was almost the same.

So basically, bats are like cats with wings, lol. 🦇🐱

Bat’s ears perfectly mimic cat ears, and the round body serves as a great base for a sitting cat.

I didn’t think twice, started to treat it as a cat and worked on it.

“Every cloud has a silver lining”

Step 8: Sanding for a smooth edge

I didn’t have sandpaper, so I used a clay tool and sanded the cracked edge of the bat body to make it sharp and smooth.

I sanded the jagged, broken edges where the wings used to be well to make the shape look more like a cat’s body.

If you’ve got sandpaper (if you, too, faced a sad situation like me), use a fine-grit one to avoid damaging the piece.

Sand along one direction and clean the surface after you’re done to get rid of fine air dry clay dust.

Step 9: Painting the Halloween cat 🖌️

I used acrylic paint because it is one of the best paints for air dry clay projects.

Acrylics come in vivid colors, dry quickly, require no water for mixing, provide a glossy finish, and create a water-resistant coating over air dry clay, which helps to protect your clay projects from outside moisture.

Apply 2–3 even coats in one direction and let each coat dry for 2 hours before applying another.

First, I painted the whole cat body with a black color because it is a Halloween craft. 🖤

Next, I detailed the eyes, ears, mouth, and legs with a white color.

Finally, let the project dry for 2 hours before sealing.

Step 10: Sealing the cat

I used gloss varnish for sealing because it offers a glossy, ceramic-like finish and, most importantly, makes a water-resistant coating that protects air dry clay projects from moisture and weather elements.

Or you can use polyurethane varnish, UV resin, or epoxy resin for a glass-like finish.

Apply 2–3 thin and even coats in one direction to avoid forming tacky spots and a mushy core.

After the final coat, let the sealer dry for 24 hours to dry and cure. ⏳

Congratulations, crafters! We have successfully completed the Halloween bat—sorry, Halloween cat decor. 👏

Final thoughts 💭

Even though I had to be satisfied with the Halloween clay cat, I desperately need you to succeed in making the Halloween bat with the procedure given, right?

Make sure to plan the project ahead and get the ideal thickness as I said.

In this Halloween season, you can display it in your home as decor and gift it to someone to make them happy. 🎁

If you find out any further tips, tricks, and mistakes you made and learned how to fix, make sure to comment them down below, because as a community, sharing is caring.

Now it’s time to start making yours!

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your Halloween bat or cat. I’d love to see your Halloween project. I’ll see ya with another awesome project. Cheers! 🤟🏾

DIY Halloween Black Cat Craft with Air Dry Clay 🐾

Warsha

If you're in a rush or just want a quick refresher without re-reading the whole story, don't worry! I've put together a handy summary card below with all the key steps and supplies you need to bring your spooky little cat craft to life. 🐱✨

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

A pair of scissors

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

1. Knead & Roll 🍕

• Condition your air dry clay with a little water and roll it out evenly.

2. Trace & Cut ✂️

• Place your bat paper template on the slab, trace the outlines, and cut out the shape.

3. Spot the Cat 🐈‍⬛

• If the tray wings crack or break while drying, smooth or sand down the broken edges of the central body—the bat body and ears double perfectly as a sitting cat silhouette!

4. Paint 🖌️

• Apply 2–3 coats of black acrylic paint as the base. Add cute eyes, ears, nose, and leg details using white paint.

5. Seal & Protect 🦭

• Finish with 2–3 thin coats of gloss varnish for a sleek, ceramic-like finish. Let dry for 24 hours to cure! ✨

Video

You can use this trinket tray to place candy (sweets and lollies) you collect during this festive season. Actually, I made it quite bigger than my previous trinket trays to use it for more occasions to hold more items. 🍬

You can gift this to your loved ones, which is such a unique gift, and most importantly, it was not purchased from a store. You’re gonna handmade it with love. 🎁

In this tutorial, I’m gonna tell you each and every step I followed to make this spooky tray. Don’t worry, I don’t provide expert and complex tips which are hard for beginners. As a beginner myself, I’d love to follow a guide with simple steps because they are easy to follow. So, you’re at the right place. 👍

Ok, enough talking! Let’s start making! ✨

Supplies you’ll need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the above tools, simply check your kitchen drawers. You’ll find a handful of items that can be used as clay crafting tools. Toothpicks, a small knife, and wooden cutting boards are such. 🍴

Read: The Pros and Cons of Air Dry Clay: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Easy DIY Halloween pumpkin tray tutorial video 🎥

To make it easier for you, I made a video tutorial as well and embedded it here. You can use it too with this written tutorial to never miss anything and achieve a better result than mine, adding your creativity as well. 🎬

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s have a look at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step guide to making your air dry clay pumpkin

Before you start making, I highly advise you to go to a well ventilated area or open all the windows in your working area. Tiny air dry clay particles can make you cough during the process, and good air circulation stops them from going into your nose. 🪟

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay

Even though this step seems small, trust me it is one of the most important, because if you skip this, your hours of work will be gone due to cracks. ⚠️

First of all, take a fresh piece of clay from the package. If you want to make the tray look bigger, you’ll probably have to take around 1.1 lbs (500g) of air dry clay, which is quite a big chunk of a piece. 🧱

Then tap the clay surfaces with a little bit of water to condition the clay.

Conditioning before kneading is a must to remove the stiffness and make the clay flexible enough for kneading. 💧

Next, start kneading the clay with force using the pull and push technique just like when you’re making a pizza dough. Add a little bit of water while you’re kneading to make it easier, and keep kneading until the clay becomes soft enough for shaping. 🍕

You’ll feel when to stop kneading the clay and move into the next step.

Let me tell you the importance of kneading air dry clay before you start any project with it: 📌

• Makes the clay soft enough for shaping.
• Stops clay from cracking as it dries.
• Spreads the moisture evenly.
• Avoids uneven shrinkage as the clay dries.
• Releases the trapped air bubbles.

Air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air bubbles inside. They are spread randomly across different layers of air dry clay. When you’re kneading, the moisture inside will spread evenly across all the layers, and trapped air bubbles will release.

This is a good thing because air dry clay shrinks as it dries, and having unorganized moisture amounts leads to uneven shrinkage, which can cause surface cracking. ⚡

Due to the uneven shrinkage, the tension buildup between the inner and outer layers of air dry clay becomes higher, forming microcracks on the surface. These cracks will become bigger and wider as the clay dries.

Basically, it means that if you skip kneading the clay before shaping your project, there is a high chance of surface cracks occurring as it dries. So, kneading is a must.

Step 2: Rolling the clay

Now roll your kneaded air dry clay piece to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. 🪵

Make sure to use a non stick rolling pin and mat for rolling your air dry clay.

I use an acrylic rolling pin, and my mat is made of PVC, which makes both non stick. Or you can use a silicone mat as well.

If you’re planning to use a wooden cutting board as your rolling surface, make sure to place parchment paper above it before placing the clay to avoid it from sticking to the surface. Because wood absorbs the moisture of the clay quickly and makes a vacuum like seal, which makes it harder to roll and lift the clay up after rolling. 📜

Same if you’re using a wooden rolling pin. Place parchment paper between the rolling pin and your clay while rolling to avoid the mess.

Even though you use non stick materials for the rolling surface and pin, you should not keep the clay piece in the same position while rolling, which can create adhesion between the surface and the clay.

Don’t roll your clay piece too thin because thin pieces have a high tendency to warp as the clay dries due to the shrinkage. The weight of the clay needs to be high enough so it can bear the tension that forces towards the middle as the clay dries, because outer areas of the tray dry and shrink quicker than the clay inside due to the higher air circulation.

Also, make sure not to make the clay piece too thick because it may take weeks to dry fully. 1/4 inch thickness is ideal as the tray base, or you can make it 1/2 inch if you plan to hollow out the clay just like I did while making the orange trinket tray. 🍊

After rolling the clay slab, smooth it out by dipping your index finger in the cup of water and gliding across the clay slab to remove tiny bumps, cracks, and imperfections. Smoothing after each step is a must to get a nice and clean look, but only with a little amount of water. 💧

Step 3: Making the paper template

As you know, usually I do freehand tracing before cutting, and I admire it because freehand drawing without using cookie cutters, molds, or templates improves your drawing ability and makes your piece unique. 🎨

Honestly, I’m so bad at drawing, and I make at least 5-6 errors while tracing the clay slab because my right hand doesn’t behave as my brain wants. 😂 But still, I do freehand tracing because I want to get improved.

Except for this project.

In this project I planned to use the paper template method because the tray is big and I need to get the exact jack-o’-lantern face with no mistakes.

1. Here are the steps I followed to make the paper template as easily as possible: 📝
2. Googled “halloween pumpkin 2d online” images. 🔍
3. Selected the one I liked the most with a jack-o’-lantern face. 🎃
4. Took a black and white printout of it on an A4 size paper. 🖨️
5. Cut around the outline to get my paper template. ✂️

If you already have a jack-o’-lantern face pumpkin mold, I highly recommend you use that because it is much easier and you don’t need to carve it, which I do in later sections to emphasize the details of the face.

Step 4: Tracing and cutting the pumpkin shape

Now place the paper template you made in the middle of your rolled air dry clay slab and trace around it using your clay tracing tool or toothpick. ✏️

Do this patiently because we don’t want to mess up the face. After tracing the outline of the pumpkin, map the eyes, nose, and mouth with the same tool by placing nearby dotted lines. This will help you get the exact shape of the face while cutting.

Next, cut along your traced lines patiently using the X-acto knife or a small knife. 🔪

Lift the blade while you’re cutting the outline constantly, clean the stuck tiny clay pieces, and start cutting again. This up and down cutting motion will help you get sharp, nice, and smooth edges with no cracks.

Be careful when cutting the bottom of the pumpkin shape because there is a wiggly area which can easily go wrong.

After cutting the jack-o’-lantern face pumpkin, remove the paper template and remove the excess clay.

Finally, smooth out the edges and top of the clay slab with a little bit of water.

Step 5: Making and attaching the tray rim

Since the tray is big, I’m not going to attach the tray rim outside as a separate section around the base. Instead, I’m going to place it over the base around the edge. This way I can guarantee it won’t separate as the clay dries due to shrinkage, because I have the advantage of gravitational force as well. Don’t worry, you’ll eventually understand what I meant. Keep reading…

First of all, I took a fresh piece of clay and kneaded it well to make it soft. Then I rolled it to an even thickness like a snake. 🐍

Trust me, it was so long and rolling kept getting challenging because you’ll have to keep the same thickness (same diameter) everywhere to get the perfect rim shape.

After rolling the clay you need to follow the score and slip method to attach it to the tray base.

Let me tell you what this score and slip method is in brief. 💡

You cannot attach two air dry clay pieces together just by pressing them because they separate as the clay dries due to the shrinkage.

So you need to score the surfaces you’re willing to attach first using the scoring tool or a toothpick. Next, apply a paste called “slip” over the scored area, which works as an adhesive glue for air dry clay. 🧪

If you don’t have the slip, I suggest you make one, or you have another option which is “water”. 💧

Let me tell you how,

First, I scored around the edges of the tray base and then scored along the tray rim I made. Then I tapped the scored areas with a little bit of water using my fingertips. Trust me, water works just as good as the slip I talked about earlier. Slip is the professional method while water is the shortcut. But still, I recommend you make the slip for this one or for your future projects because it is the industry standard.

Water also works as adhesive glue because it mixes with the scored tiny clay pieces and helps to attach two air dry clay pieces well, which won’t separate as the clay dries.

Next I carefully placed and attached the tray rim around the pumpkin tray base.

Cut the edges of the tray rim at an angle and attach carefully using a little bit of water without making a bump where two ends meet.

Now smooth out along the tray rim and the tray base middle to make the combo look nice, clean, and smooth.

Step 6: Carve the eyes, nose and mouth a little

To make the jack-o’-lantern face more realistic, I carved the eyes, nose, and mouth areas of the pumpkin a little with my carving tools. This is an optional step. It was a little experiment of mine. 🛠️

Make sure not to damage the tray base or hit the bottom while you’re hollowing out the clay. That’s why I told you to carve only a little. We are trying here to make it look beautiful only, and there is no use in carving deeper. Remember that!

After carving is done, smooth out the hollowed areas with a little bit of water to make the spaces nice and clean.

I have stamped “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” on the tray base.

Awesome friend! You have made the Halloween pumpkin tray. But it is still, you know, now it’s time to let it dry and start the finishing part. Oh!!! WAIT WAIT!!! I ALMOST FORGOT! We need to add the stem before letting it dry. I’m sorry. 😅

Step 7: Adding the pumpkin stem

First knead a fresh, small piece of air dry clay and bend it to make the pumpkin stem shape.

Then shape the stem body and shape the bottom with a wider and flat design, which helps to make a better grip with the tray.

Next score the bottom of the stem and the top small area of the tray rim. Apply the slip or tap the scored areas with a little bit of water and attach the stem to the tray rim.

Smooth out the joint to vanish the seam, and detail the texture of the stem using a toothpick or clay scoring tool to give a realistic look.

That’s it. Now it’s time to let the project dry.

Step 8: Letting it dry

Let the Halloween pumpkin clay tray dry for 72 hours (3 days) in a cool, well ventilated area. Usually, I let my projects dry for 24-48 hours, but not this one because it is too big and it needs more drying time due to the high clay amount. ⏳

Slow drying is a must to avoid clay from cracking.

Drying time can change due to the thickness of your air dry clay and the humidity in your area. High humidity means a slow water evaporation speed and the drying time will be longer. 🌧️

High air circulation dries the outer area of the tray faster than the tray base middle, building up tension between the layers. As the tension exceeds over a certain limit, the clay will start to crack and there is no going back from there. 🛑

Your hours of work will be completely gone because cracks loosen up the clay and ruin your work. This is why I keep telling you to let your project dry slow. Slow drying won’t trigger uneven shrinkage and no surface cracks.

Air dry clay has a grey color when it is wet. So after drying for 3 days, check if there are any grey patches on the surface and the bottom. If there are some, you need to let it dry for another 24 hours. 🕵️‍♂️

Once the project is fully dried, it will display in pure white form and that’s when you’re good to move into the painting and finishing step. ⚪

Read: Can You Paint Air Dry Clay Before It Dries? (And What Happens If You Do)

Step 9: Painting the pumpkin tray

I used acrylic paints for my air dry clay projects because they come in vivid colors, need no water for mixing or dissolving, dry quickly within 2 hours, make a water resistant coating over the clay, and provide a glossy and shiny finish. 🎨

If you use any other kind of paint, make sure not to use too much water for mixing or dissolving, because water weakens the clay inside, loosens joints, and causes cracks to occur. ⚠️

I mixed orange with white acrylic to make the color I wanted for the tray base. I started painting from the tray base because then I can spin and rotate the piece as I want while painting without worrying about touching the paint. 🖌️

Then I painted the clay-carved eyes, nose, and mouth of the pumpkin with black color. 🖤

After painting the tray base I painted the rim with a dark orange color to emphasize it even more.

Finally, I painted the stem area with green color acrylic. 💚

For the detailing part I used white and dark red acrylics. Do as you like to get the finish you want.

Make sure to apply thin and even coats of paint in one direction for a nice finish. Apply 2-3 coats of acrylic and let each coat dry for 2 hours before applying another.

After the final coat let it dry for 2 hours before you start the sealing.

Step 10: Sealing the tray

You can use gloss varnish, polyurethane varnish, UV resin, or epoxy resin for sealing your air dry clay projects. 🛡️

I used gloss varnish because it makes a water resistant coating over air dry clay, offers long term protection, and most importantly provides a ceramic, glossy like finish. ✨

If you want a water like, more glass like finish, go with epoxy resin, but avoid forming bubbles as you finish.

Apply a thin and even coat of gloss varnish along one direction to avoid forming tacky spots and a mushy core.

Apply 2-3 coats and let each coat dry for 24 hours. 🕒

Sealing air dry clay is a must before using it or placing it as home decor, because outside moisture weakens the clay and causes surface cracks. 🏠

I highly recommend you not to place your air dry clay projects outside, even after sealing them with the best sealer in the world, because harsh weather conditions eventually damage the sealer coating, find a way to get inside of the clay, and damage it. So, always place your air dry clay projects inside. Remember that!

After sealing the pumpkin tray completely, let it dry and cure for 24 hours. That’s it!

Congratulations my friends! We did it! We made a unique handmade spooky pumpkin air dry clay tray for this Halloween season and the process is worth remembering. 🎃🥳

Final thoughts

I tried my best to provide you all the things I did to achieve this beautiful piece as simple as possible. Once you have read the entire tutorial, please mention any additional questions in the comments section.

I’ll answer all of them asap. 💬

Also, if you found better ways of doing things than I did, please mention them too in the comments section. We need to share the things we know with the community, which is wonderful. 🤝

Now it’s time for you to start your own spooky pumpkin tray with air dry clay. Use it to place the chocolates such as Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat, Milky Way, M&M’s and Gummy Bears during this festive season. Or you can gift it to someone you love to refresh your bond with them.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your pumpkin clay tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another cool project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

Halloween Pumpkin Tray with Air Dry Clay

Warsha

Ready to bring your spooky Halloween creation to life? Here is a quick summary guide of the full step-by-step process so you can follow along easily while crafting your adorable air dry clay pumpkin tray! 🎃✨

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi, or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

Step 1: Knead and condition the clay 💧

• Take about 1.1 lbs (500g) of air dry clay, sprinkle with a little water, and knead well using a pull-and-push technique until soft to prevent future cracking.

Step 2: Roll out the slab 🪵

• Roll the clay to an even 1/4-inch thickness on a non-stick mat, turning it frequently to avoid sticking, then smooth out bumps with a wet finger.

Step 3: Prepare your template ✂️

• Print a 2D jack-o’-lantern design on A4 paper and cut out the outline to create a paper stencil.

Step 4: Trace and cut the pumpkin shape 🔪

• Place the stencil on the clay, trace around it with a toothpick, map out facial features, and carefully cut the outline using an up-and-down motion with a craft knife.

Step 5: Carve facial features 🛠️

• Gently carve shallow indentations for the eyes, nose, and mouth to add texture, taking care not to cut through the base, then smooth with a little water.

Step 6: Attach the tray rim 🐍

• Roll a long coil of clay with uniform thickness. Score the base edges and coil, apply clay slip or water, and attach the coil on top along the perimeter.

Step 7: Add the stem 🪵

• Shape a small clay piece into a curved stem with a flat base. Score, moisten, and press it onto the top rim, then smooth the joint and carve texture lines.

Step 8: Dry slowly ⏳

• Leave the tray to dry in a cool, well-ventilated area for 72 hours away from direct heat or sunlight until all grey patches turn completely white.

Step 9: Paint the tray 🎨

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of acrylic paint (orange for base, dark orange for rim, black for face details, green for stem), letting each coat dry for 2 hours.

Step 10: Seal and cure 🛡️

• Apply 2–3 coats of gloss varnish, drying 24 hours between coats, to protect the tray with a water-resistant glossy finish.

Video

Today I’m adding another jewelry dish to my collection with the shape of this amazing fruit.

I’m gonna tell you each and every step I followed when making this as simple as possible because, as beginners, we don’t like expert complex tips because most of them are not practical and budget friendly.

I’ll share all the mistakes I made along the project and how you can avoid them as well, which don’t usually come from the experts because they rarely make them.

Ok, enough chit chat! Let’s start making!

Why air dry clay?

What if I tell you air dry clay is the most beginner friendly clay? Trust me, I’ve got some points. Read them and you decide.

Reason 1: Air dry clay is cheap and has room for mistakes

Air dry clay is 2x or sometimes 3x cheaper than polymer clay which is another popular clay type. As beginners, we make lots of mistakes during the projects and we like to experiment with the clay because that’s how we can learn new skills and practice new tips.

If the clay is quite expensive, we are naturally afraid to play with the clay a little and every time we try to make things perfectly without making a single error, not knowing that those errors are what make us grow by learning how to fix them.

Reason 2: Air dry clay does not need to be kiln fired or baked

Air dry clay dries in the air and you don’t need to have an oven or kiln like for polymer clay and traditional pottery clay.

Reason 3: Easy to shape and correct mistakes

You can give any shape you want to your air dry clay piece just by kneading with a little bit of water. Yes, it gets messy, but easy to handle and comfortable for the hands.

When you mistakenly scratch, crack or split air dry clay, you can easily fix that by tapping a little bit of water onto the area and gliding your index finger repeatedly until those imperfections vanish. Easy as that!

You can find more advantages with few disadvantages of air dry clay in my latest in depth article.

Now you know exactly why I selected that when making this cute project and you should try it as well.

Supplies you’ll need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Most of the above tools (except the air dry clay material) can be found in your kitchen drawers that haven’t opened since last Christmas. So do some digging without rushing to the nearest store. Toothpicks are able to replace many air dry clay tools because they work exactly the same if used correctly.

Easy diy peach jewelry dish tutorial video

I have recorded everything and published on YouTube and embedded it here. So you don’t want to go anywhere else for video tutorials if you prefer them over written guides.

I recommend you watch it before you start making it to get an idea about all the steps I took, tips and techniques I used, mistakes I made, and how I fixed them.

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s have a look at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step peach jewelry dish tutorial

Before you start making it, go to a well ventilated area or open all the windows of your room because air dry clay contains tiny dust like particles that can cause breathing issues. I don’t want you to cough like a seal when making.

Step 1: Condition and knead the clay

Conditioning and kneading air dry clay is must before you start any air dry clay project to make the clay soft and easy to shape.

Air dry clay comes a bit stiff fresh from the package and first you need to tap a little bit of water onto the surface to condition it.

Then start kneading the clay piece by pressing, pulling and pushing repeatedly like you’re making a dough. 

Kneading does great things to your air dry clay piece than just making it soft. Air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air pockets inside. But the moisture spreads randomly across its layers and evaporates as the clay dries. 

Due to the uneven evaporation of water, clay starts to shrink unevenly, causing uneven shrinkage. Due to the uneven shrinkage, tension starts to build up between the layers and eventually tiny cracks occur on the surface. Those cracks will get deeper and wider as the clay dries.

We cannot stop the shrinkage of air dry clay, but we can make it even by spreading moisture evenly across all the layers inside air dry clay piece. That’s actually what kneading does.

Kneading has so many advantages such as,

• Makes the clay soft.
• Makes the clay easy to shape.
• Spreads the moisture evenly.
• Stops surface cracking due to uneven shrinkage as the clay dries.

But make sure to use only a little bit of water while you’re conditioning and kneading the clay because too much water can cause surface cracks as the clay dries.

Too much water cause rapid evaporation as the clay dries which can cause surface cracks. Remember air dry clay needs to dry slow to avoid forming cracks.

Once the clay is soft enough, it’s time to move on to the rolling step.

Step 2: Roll the clay

Now place the kneaded air dry clay piece on your mat and start rolling to an even thickness about ¼ inch.

Your rolling pin and mat should made of non stick materials. Silicone or PVC materials are great for mats and an acrylic rolling pin is recommended.

Even though you use non stick materials for rolling, make sure to flip, turn and rotate the clay piece while rolling to avoid it from sticking on to your surface, your rolling pin and to stop clay from tearing apart when you lift the clay up after rolling.

Once you’re done with rolling, smooth out the clay surface by dipping your index finger in a cup of water and gliding on the clay slab repeatedly until tiny bumps, imperfections and cracks vanish.

Smoothing is essential from now onwards after each step for a nice and clean look, but only with a little bit of water. You already know what happens when you use excess amount of water.

Step 3: Trace and cut the peach shape

Now pick up your clay tracing tool or even a toothpick also fine and trace the peach shape.

I recommend you to trace the shape freehand to improve your drawing skills because it’s not hard to trace, but if you don’t like that, you are free to use a paper template, stencil, cookie cutter or mold that have the round egg shape.

Tracing is important before cutting especially if you use freehand because you can easily vanish the mistakes you make while tracing by gliding your finger.

Once you get the shape you wanted, you can start the cutting along he traced lines using the X-acto knife or small knife.

When you’re cutting, do not drag the knife horizontally across the board because there is a high chance of clay stick to your knife blade and cause teared up and cracked edges. That happened during my failed pineapple trinket tray project and I had to restart everything again from the start.

Lift the clay up while you’re cutting, clean the tiny clay pieces on the blade and continue the cutting. This way you can achieve sharp and smooth edge around the peach dish base.

Awesome friends, you have successfully made the peach dish base. Now it’s time to make the rim and attach it to the base.

Step 4: Roll and attach the rim

I planned to make a cylinder like shape for rim for my jewelry dish or you can make a wall like shape as well.

Let me tell you how I made and attached mine to the base. 

1. Take a fresh piece of clay and knead it well.
2.  Roll it like a snake with an even diameter along the length.
3. Score one side of the dish rim and along the edge of the dish base.
4. Apply slip on the scored areas or tap the scored areas with a little bit of water.
5. Attach the dish rim to the base.
6. Cut the dish rim edges at an angle and join.
7. Smooth it out.

Air dry clay does not attach together just by pressing. You need to follow score and slip method.

Scoring the surfaces before attaching helps them to have a better grip. Otherwise, air-dry clay pieces will loosen and separate as the clay dries due to shrinkage.

After scoring the surfaces with a toothpick or a scoring tool apply a creamy paste called “slip”.

Slip is made by mixing tiny air dry clay pieces with an equal amount of water and letting it sit for hours before use. It acts like a glue for air dry clay. Applying it over scored areas makes the joints stronger.

Or you tap the scored surfaces with a little bit of water as I did, because I didn’t have the slip. Don’t worry water is also just as good as the slip. I tried and it worked so well.

Cut the edges of rim at an angle to easily attach the ends after coving around the dish base. Hold the rim for few seconds before reasing to attach the two surfaces well.

You’re doing great my friend! We made the basic structure of our peach dish. Now we need to add only a few attachments before painting the project.

Step 5: Apply a thin clay coil

This step is optional. Skip this step if you’re running out of air dry clay. But make sure to attach the rim and the base well, following the technique I told you.

We gonna add a thin clay coil along the joint between the dish base and rim to reinforce it. 

After adding the thin clay coil, I 100% guarantee you the dish rim and base will never separate as the clay dries due to the shrinkage.

Make a clay coil as thin as possible by rolling with your hands because we don’t want to make it look bumped above the dish level.

Next tap the joint between the rim and the base with a little bit of water and attach the thin clay coil seam along the joint carefully.

Do not panic because this step needs your patience. It’s a bit hard to attach the coil with your fingers. Use a sculpting tool or a cotton earbud. Gently press along the seam to attach well.

Finally smooth out the clay along the joint to vanish the seam.

Step 6: Add the stem and leaves

I rolled a small piece of clay and made the stem and scored the bottom of it and the specific dish rim area it attaches to. Then tap the scored areas with a little bit of water and attached the stem to the dish rim.

Next, I made small leaf shapes by cutting the clay patiently and attached them to both the left and right sides of the stem.

Make sure to attach each piece so well because tiny pieces tend to break easily due to the shrinkage of air dry clay.

Well done folks! We completed the peach jewelry dish. But it is still wet. So you need to be careful with it.

Step 7: Let it dry

Now let your peach jewelry dish made with air dry clay dry slowly for 48-72 hours in a cool, well ventilaed area.

The reason I mentioned the word “slow” is that if you try to dry it faster by keeping it under sunlight, applying a heat source or placing it under a fan, I’m sorry you’ll probably end up with a cracked dish because rapid water evaporation triggers uneven shrinkage which causes surface cracks.

Drying time can changes due to the thickness of your air dry clay and the humidity in your area. High humidity means slow water evaporation speed and the drying time will be longer.

After 48 hours, check if there are any grey patches because grey areas mean the clay is still wet and you need to let it dry more for another 24 hours. Air dry clay turns pure white when it is fully dry.

Step 8: Paint the dish

Once the dish is fully dried, you can start to paint it. I used acrylic paints.

Read: Can You Paint Air Dry Clay Before It Dries? (And What Happens If You Do)

Acrylics are considered the best paint for air dry clay because they come in vivid colors, require no water for mixing because water weakens the clay, easy to apply, dries within 2 hours, gives a glossy finish and make a water resistant coating over the air dry clay project.

I started painting the dish base first, following the peach colors.

Then painted the peach dish rim, adding some purple.

Finally painted the stem and the leaves.

Apply thin and even coats in one direction to avoid forming tacky spots and a mushy core.

After each coat, let it dry for 1-2 hours. After the final coat of acrylic, let it dry well for 2 hours.

Step 9: Seal the project

Sealing your air dry clay project is a must to protect it from outside moisture. Otherwise, moisture will sneak inside of your clay and weaken it. 

When the clay is weakeneing the cracked will start to form and small pieces will start to fall off due to the loosening of joints.

Use gloss varnish, UV resin, polyurethane varnish or epoxy resin to seal your peach dish. Epoxy resin is great for a waterproofing coating and to get a glassy, water like texture like finish.

I used gloss varnish which provides a water resistant coating and ceramic glossy like finish. Apply 2-3 thin and even coats in one direction and let each coat dry and cure for 24 hours before applying another.

Even though you finish your air dry clay project with a water resistant or waterproofing sealer, I never recommend placing it outside because harsh weather elements may damage the protective sealer over time and ruin your project. Always keep the projects inside after sealing.

Congratulations, my friends! We have successfully completed making and finishing the peach jewelry dish with air dry clay. It was a fun and easy project.

Final thoughts

Now you know which to use, what steps to follow and what tips and tricks are needed to achieve a beautiful and cute peach jewelry dish with air dry clay. I tried to make the tutorial as easy as possible so everyone can achieve what they want without getting confused while making it.

You can gift this to your partner or to your mother, cousins or friends which makes them love you even more. This is unique, handmade and filled with lots of skills. Now you need to try to make it.

If you face any trouble while making this, don’t panic! Just comment down or contact me. I’ll help you as best as I can.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your peach jewelry dish project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another awesome project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

Peach Jewelry Dish with Air Dry Clay Guide

Warsha

Looking for a quick, beginner-friendly summary of this project? Check out the handy reference card below for a fast breakdown of the materials, key steps, and essential tips to create your very own cute peach jewelry dish!

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

1. Condition & Knead

• Tap a little water onto fresh clay and knead thoroughly to distribute moisture evenly and prevent cracking. 🤲

2. Roll it Out

• Roll clay to an even ¼-inch thickness on a non-stick surface, flipping frequently to avoid sticking. 🗞️

3. Cut the Base

• Freehand-trace or use a template to cut out a peach shape using your knife. ✂️

4. Attach the Rim

• Roll a clay snake, score both the edge of the base and rim, apply water/slip, and press into place. Cut ends at an angle to join smoothly. 🐍

5. Reinforce (Optional)

• Add a ultra-thin clay coil along the inside seam and smooth it out with a tool to lock the rim to the base. 🔍

6. Add Stem & Leaves

• Score and attach a small stem and leaf shapes onto the top rim. 🌿

7. Slow Dry

• Let dry naturally in a cool, ventilated space for 48–72 hours until pure white. Avoid heat or direct sun! 🌬️

8. Paint & Seal

• Paint with acrylics in thin coats, let dry for 2 hours, then seal with gloss varnish or resin to protect against moisture. ✨

Video

Today we are making a cute Kiwi trinket tray with air dry clay. The flesh inside has different shades of green, which means we have quite a work to do when painting this project.

In this tutorial, I’ll explain to you each and every step I have taken to make this beauty and all the mistakes I made along the way and how I fixed them. I’m also a beginner like you and I try my best to explain each step as simply as possible because complex techniques are not for us, only for the experts.

Ok, let’s dig straight into making!

Why did I select air dry clay?

You can make this kiwi trinket tray with air dry clay, polymer clay or any other type of clay, but I specifically went for air dry clay because it is not expensive and easier to shape and fix mistakes.

Air dry clay does not need to be kiln fired or baked when drying and curing like polymer clay because it dries in the air and it is 2x or sometimes 3x cheaper than polymer clay.

You can fix mistakes such as micro cracks, bumps, tiny imperfections and scratches on air dry clay slab by gliding your wet finger repeatedly on the wet clay until they vanish. Simple as that.

If you’re a beginner like me and need to learn air dry clay tips and techniques, I think air dry clay is the best one for you because it is the most beginner friendly clay with lots of benefits and only a few cons.

Supplies you’ll need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the following materials and tools except the air dry clay, please check your kitchen drawers you’ll find a handful of items that can replace above clay crafting tools.

Easy diy kiwi trinket tray tutorial video

I have recorded everything I did to make this beautiful piece. I recommend you to watch it before start making to get an idea about all the steps I took, tips and techniques I used, mistakes I made, and how I fixed them.

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s take a peek at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step kiwi trinket tray tutorial

Before you start making it, open all the windows in your working room or go to a well ventilated area because I don’t want you to cough during the process due to fine air dry clay particles.

Step 1: Condition and knead the clay

1. Take a piece of fresh air dry clay and condition it by tapping a little bit of water on the surface.
2. Then start kneading the clay using push, pull and press techniques just like you’re making a pizza dough.
3. Add a little bit of water while kneading to remove the stiffness of the clay.
4. Keep kneading until the clay becomes soft enough for shaping.

Kneading is a must before you start anything with air dry clay because air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air pockets inside and kneading helps to spread moisture evenly and release the air out.

Otherwise, unevenly distributed moisture will evaporate unevenly as the clay dries, causing uneven shrinkage. Due to the uneven shrinkage, cracks will start to form and they get deeper and wider as the clay dries.

Also make sure to use only a little bit of water when conditioning and kneading the clay because excess water cause the surface cracking of air dry clay too.

Use the ideal amount of water when kneading that just enough to make it soft. Too much water causes cracks and a lack of water causes the clay to crumble. 

Don’t worry, you’ll know how much water is needed and how soft clay is while kneading. It’ll improve with regular practice.

Step 2: Roll the clay

1. Place the kneaded clay piece on the mat and press and flip it a couple of times onto the mat using your palm to ready the clay for rolling.
2. Next, roll the clay using your rolling pin to an even thickness of ¼ inch.
3. Flip, turn and rotate the clay slab while rolling.
4. Smooth out the rolled clay slab to remove any bumps and micro cracks on the surface.

Rolling to an even thickness of ¼ inch is a must because if you roll the clay slab too thin, it will lose structural integrity and be prone to warp as the clay dries due to shrinkage.

If you roll the clay slab too thick, it will take days or sometimes weeks to dry completely.

Always make sure to keep the thickness between ½ inch to ¼ inch.

Flipping, turning and rotating the clay slab while rolling is essential to avoid clay from sticking to your mat. 

Even when using a non-stick rolling pin (like acrylic) or mat (like PVC or silicone), moisture released during rolling can create a vacuum suction seal between the clay and the mat.

Lifting the clay without repositioning it often causes it to tear. Rotating and shifting the clay slab regularly prevents it from sticking or tearing.

Here’s how to smooth out the clay slab,

1. Take a cup of water.
2. Dip your index finger in it.
3. Place your wet finger on the clay slab.
4. Glide the finger repeatedly over the clay slab until tiny imperfections vanish.

Make sure not to use too much water when smoothing out the clay slab to avoid clay from cracking as it dries.

Step 3: Trace and cut the kiwi fruit shape

1. Trace the egg, oval or round kiwi fruit shape on the clay slab freehand.
2. Cut along the traced lines.
3. Smooth out the tray base.

I didn’t use any mold, paper template or cookie cutter for tracing the kiwi shape because it is an organic thing that comes in slightly different shapes.

I used freehand because I wanted to make it look unique and freehand drawing helps to improve my drawing skills as well. 

If you really want to perfect egg shape try the paper template method which is quite easy.

After tracing the shape, cut along the traced lines with X-acto knife or a small knife.

Make sure to lift the knife while cutting around the edge of the kiwi tray base instead of dragging it horizontally because edges may tear off and clay may be dragged off with the knife during horizontal cutting. 

Lift the knife from time to time when cutting and clean the blade by removing the attached tiny air dry clay pieces to get nice, clean and sharp edges around your kiwi trinket tray.

Good job friends! Now we have successfully made the tray base. Now it’s time to make the rim.

Step 4: Roll and attach the tray rim

1. Take a fresh piece of clay and knead it well.
2.  Roll it like a snake with an even diameter along the length.
3. Score one side of the tray rim and along the edge of the tray base.
4. Apply slip on the scored areas or tap the scored areas with a little bit of water.
5. Attach the tray rim to the tray base.
6. Cut the tray rim edges at an angle and join.
7. Smooth it out.

Follow the score and slip technique when attaching two air dry clay pieces together because air dry clay does not attach just by pressing together.

Scoring means scratching the area that attaches with each other, which helps to form a better grip between the surfaces.

Then apply the slip as I mentioned above. Slip is a creamy mixture of air dry clay and water. You can make it by mixing tiny air dry clay pieces with an equal amount of water thoroughly in a small plastic can and letting it sit for several hours before use.

It works as an adhesive glue which helps to attach two air dry clay pieces. Or you can simply just tap the scored surfaces with a little bit of water, as I did, because I didn’t have the slip paste. Both work fine.

By cutting the edges of the tray rim at an angle, they become easier to join each other and the tray rim won’t rise up where the joint is.

After attaching the tray rim to the base, hold it with your fingers for a few seconds before releasing, and make sure to smooth the whole tray surface once you’re done with the attaching part.

Step 5: Reinforce with a thin clay coil

1. Make a thin clay coil by rolling.
2. Attach it along the joint between the tray base and the rim.

When the tray rim attaches to the tray base, it creates nearly a 90 degree angle. When the clay dries, a lot of pressure is forced towards this sharp angle point because of the shrinking of the clay.

The main purpose of applying an extra seam layer of air dry clay to the joint is to spread the pressure that is focused towards this sharp angle and make it more round.

Make the clay coil as thin as possible because we don’t want it to look like a separate piece of thing compared to the tray base.

Wrap it around the edge of the tray base where the tray rim meets and smooth it well with a little bit of water until the seam vanishes.

By adding this, you can ensure the tray rim and tray base will not be separated as the clay dries.

Step 6: Add seeds

1. First, mark the seed locations in the middle of the tray base, which are known as the loculus.
2. Roll tiny clay balls to make the seeds.
3. Tap the loculus area you marked with a little bit of water.
4. Attach seeds as spread in a ring pattern radiating outward from the central core.

This detailing part is essential to give a realistic look for your kiwi tray. The central core has no seeds and seeds spread outward along the loculus areas we marked.

You can use a toothpick or sculpting tool to mark the loculus areas.

Congratulations my guys and girls! You have successfully completed making the kiwi trinket tray with air dry clay. But it is still wet.

Step 7: Let it dry

Now let your finished kiwi trinket tray dry for 48-72 hours in a cool and well ventilated area. 

Let it dry slowly and never place it under sunlight or apply a heat source expecting it to dry faster. Yes, it’ll dry fast, but you’ll end up with a cracked surface because rushing the drying process accelerates uneven and rapid water evaporation, which causes uneven shrinkage as a chain reaction. Uneven shrinkage of air dry clay causes surface cracking.

I highly recommend letting it dry slowly. Drying time depends on the amount of water you used when kneading and smoothing the clay, the humidity of your area and the thickness of the tray base and rim.

After 48 hours, check if there are any grey patches because grey areas mean the clay is still wet. Air dry clay turns pure white when it is fully dry.

Step 8: Paint the tray

Once the tray is dried fully, you can start to paint it. I use acrylic paint for my kiwi trinket tray because it is considered the best paint for air dry clay for the following reasons,

• Acrylic paint dries quickly within 2 hours.
• Comes in vivid colors.
• Gives a glossy and smooth finish.
• No need for water to dissolve because water weakens the air dry clay.
• Makes a water resistant coating.

Apply 2-3 even coats of acrylic in one direction to get a beautiful finish with no errors.

I started painting from the tray base.

The outer area of the tray was painted in more green color.

The flesh area was painted in pale green color.

The central core was painted in white.

Seeds were painted in black.

The tray rim was painted in the same green color I used to paint the outer area.

After applying the final coat, let it dry for 2 hours before sealing.

Step 9: Seal the kiwi trinket tray

I use gloss varnish for sealing my kiwi trinket tray. Or you can use UV resin, polyurethane varnish, or epoxy resin if you really need that glassy like finish.

Gloss varnish provides long term protection to your air dyr clay project by making a water resistant coating. It prevents outside moisture from going inside the clay because as soon as moisture contact the clay, it will get absorbed and moisture weakens the clay from inside.

Actually, the worst enemy of air dry clay is water. So consider that well when you’re sealing.

All the above sealers I mentioned have that water resistant or waterproofing ability, so you have nothing to worry.

Apply 2-3 even coats of sealer along one direction of your project to get a glossy ceramic like finish.

Let each coat of gloss varnish dry for 24 hours. After the final coat of sealer, let the project dry and cure for 24 hours.

That’s it! That’s how I successfully completed my kiwi trinket tray. It was such a wonderful journey and I was able to learn a lot.

Final thoughts

You have reas someone else’s accomplishment. Now I challenge you to accomplish this as I did. Trust me, it is not hard. If I did, you can too because I’m also a beginner like you.

I have successfully added another trinket tray to my fruit inspired trinket tray projects series. I’m proud. Now It’s time for you.

I have described everything I did to make it from A to Z with tips, techniques and tricks.

Feel free to ask any questions you have about this project in the comments section. I’ll answer them all.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your kiwi trinket tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another cool project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

Easy DIY Kiwi Trinket Tray with Air Dry Clay

Warsha

Ready to bring this adorable craft to life? Below is a quick, handy summary card covering everything you need, from supplies to step-by-step instructions, so you can easily follow along or save it for later! 🥝

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte, Jovi or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

1. Condition & Knead the Clay 🤲

• Take fresh air dry clay, add a tiny bit of water, and knead using push-pull-press motions (like pizza dough!) until soft. This removes air pockets and prevents cracking later.

2. Roll the Clay Slab 🪵

• Roll clay to an even ¼-inch thickness. Rotate and flip the slab repeatedly to prevent sticking. Smooth away tiny surface cracks using a wet finger.

3. Trace & Cut the Kiwi Base 🥝

• Freehand draw an organic egg/oval kiwi shape onto the slab. Carefully cut along the lines, lifting the knife frequently to clean off clay residue.

4. Roll & Attach the Rim 🥣

• Roll a thin clay snake for the rim. Score (scratch) both the edge of the base and the rim, apply water/slip, and press them together firmly. Cut rim ends at an angle to join smoothly.

5. Reinforce the Joint ⭕

• Roll a super thin clay coil and smooth it into the inner joint where the rim meets the base. This keeps your tray from cracking or separating as it dries.

6. Add the Seeds & Core Details 🖤

• Mark the central core (loculus area). Roll tiny clay balls for seeds and attach them in a radiating ring pattern around the center using a dab of water.

7. Dry Slowly ⏳

• Let the tray air dry in a cool, ventilated area for 48–72 hours. Avoid heat or direct sunlight to prevent cracking. Wait until the clay turns pure white!

8. Paint the Fruit Colors 🎨

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of acrylic paint: outer rim & edge in deep green, inner flesh in pale green, central core in white, and seeds in black. Let dry for 2 hours.

9. Seal for Protection 🛡️

• Apply 2–3 thin coats of gloss varnish (letting each coat dry for 24 hours) to make your tray water-resistant with a shiny ceramic finish!

Video

Trust me, it’s one of the best clay types for beginners and offers plenty of benefits, especially if you are just starting out.

I know there are many options on the market: polymer clay, foam clay, and cold porcelain clay. Most of these are actually variants of air dry clay, with the exception of polymer clay. 🏺

I’m going to share my perspective on air dry clay based on my personal experience as a beginner. 

If you’re just starting out as well, I hope my insights will help you understand what air-dry clay is truly like. 

Unlike reviews written by experts who may no longer recall the beginner experience, I haven’t tried any other type of clay yet (I might in the future). So, as a result, my perspective is focused entirely on the honest pros and cons I’ve experienced firsthand.

Ok! Enough chit chat. Let’s dive in! 🚀

What is air dry clay?

Air dry clay is an earth based clay that dries in the air. No kiln or baking needed. It is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air pockets inside. It is available in white, terracotta, and grey colors. 🧱

It can be made soft and shaped with a little bit of water, which also can be its worst enemy sometimes. 💧

Popular air dry clay products are DAS, Jovi, Mont Marte (which I use), Sclpd, Crayola, Activa and more.

Before we start out, I want to let you know that all the pros and cons I talk about here apply to general air dry clay types like DAS, Jovi, Mont Marte, Sclpd, Crayola, Activa, and other brands we find mostly. 

The article is not about epoxy air dry clay (Apoxie Sculpt), paper based clay (Creative Paperclay, LA Doll Premier), wood fiber clay, stone, or nylon based clay because I haven’t tried them yet. 

Pros and cons of air dry clay

Before we explain everything in detail. I’ve made a list of benefits and drawbacks you might face when working with air dry clay. This helps you to get a better overall idea of what type of clay we’re working with.

But still, it is too soon to judge. Don’t come to a conclusion until you read the in depth analysis of the clay. Let me show you everything one by one. 🧐

Ok buckle up, we’re gonna dive deep! 🪂

Pros of air dry clay

Air dry clay is one of the best materials for anybody because the learning curve is easy and you don’t have to read a long tutorial or follow 394 safety guidelines (Remember? Harry Potter? Snape? Turn to page number?) before starting out. 📖

It is just plug and play. Grab a piece of clay, start making the thing you like and let it rest on a table until it dries. That’s it.

Let me show you all the benefits I gained by using air dry clay over any other. Love of my life lol. ❤️

Easy to sculpt

Air dry clay is not as sticky as traditional clay we use for pottery and you don’t need to know difficult pottery sculpting skills; simply just use your hands and brain and shape it. 🖐️

You can simply give air dry clay any shape you want by kneading with a little bit of water. 

If you feel the clay is a bit stiff at first, condition it and knead until it’s soft enough for shaping. Then shape it into a tray, dish, home decor item, or anything.

Currently, I have made a series of fruit inspired trinket trays with air dry clay, a natural koi fish pond, and a jewelry holder for my wife, and it has never gone wrong (Only during my first project, but that was on me, not because of the clay. As beginners, we do make mistakes, right? That’s fine. Let’s normalize that). 🍓

Budget friendly

This is one of the main reasons why I went for air dry clay compared to other clay types like polymer clay. 2.2 lbs of DAS air dry clay costs less than $10, which is so inexpensive.

Air dry clay is 2x or sometimes 3x cheaper than polymer clay, and if you’re a beginner, let me tell you why that’s significant. 💡

As beginners, we do waste a lot of clay while making something. We like to experiment with clay to make new things and follow different techniques, and that’s totally ok. I mean, that’s great because without trying something new, you never learn new things. ✨

Also, we make a lot of mistakes while shaping, sculpting, and finishing our clay projects, and sometimes we even have to completely throw the clay piece away and start again with a fresh piece of clay. That’s also ok because mistakes are what teach us to do better in the future. Without making mistakes, we never learn how to fix those mistakes in the first place. 🛠️

But when you’re experimenting and making mistakes, one thing works as a barrier, which is the cost of the clay you use. This is why it is important to use a budget friendly clay, obviously air dry clay, as a beginner. 💵

Air dry clay is cheap and you can have all your fun with it and progress with it until you become a pro. Then you can move to an expensive clay type like polymer clay. 🏆

No baking or kiln needed

You don’t need to place your air dry clay projects in an oven or kiln to let them dry and cure because air does the job for you. 

After making the project, simply just place it at room temperature for a couple of days until it dries completely before painting or sealing. This is not possible with polymer clay because you need to put it in the oven for drying and curing.

Read: Can You Paint Air Dry Clay Before It Dries? (And What Happens If You Do)

Air dry clay is convenient and safe because even kids can make things with air dry clay and let them dry without using an oven or any other heat source. 👧

Non-toxic

Air dry clay is completely safe for regular handling by both adults and children, so you don’t have to worry about its safety.

DAS, Crayola, Jovi, Activa, Mont Marte, and many other reputable brands certify that their air dry clay products are non toxic and made without using any harsh chemicals. 🌿

They are made of natural earth or paper based materials, but make sure to check ingredients before use, especially with children. 🔍

Don’t let children put clay inside their mouths because non toxic means not food safe. 🛑

For example, some Crayola air dry clay contains gluten, which can cause allergic reactions in some people, so you need to be careful. Other than that, all air dry clays are non toxic and safe to use for any age group. ✅

No expensive tools needed

Anyone can be a clay artist with air dry clay. Yes, I say it because if I did that, you can too. Then what about tools? Forget tools. All the tools you ever need for your next air dry clay project are sitting inside one of your unopened kitchen drawers. 🍴

Most of the air dry clay sculpting tools can be replaced by toothpicks. Yes, the tiny ones.

Then what about the mat? You can literally use your wooden cooking board as the mat for air dry clay. You simply just have to place parchment or wax paper over it before placing the clay and start rolling to avoid clay from sticking to the board.

Ok, then what about smoothing the clay? You can simply use your index finger after dipping it in a cup of water and glide on the clay slab to remove tiny cracks, scratches and bumps.

But we don’t have molds or templates? Actually, you don’t need them. Use cookie cutters if you have them or use jar lids, bottle caps, or use the paper template method for crafting complex shapes. 

Read: How to Shape Organic Air Dry Clay Forms Without Molds or Cookie Cutters

So what about cutting? No need for expensive cutting knives. Use an X-acto knife if you have one or you can simply just use any small pocket knife. Simple as that!

I wanted to show you that every task that seems to require expensive tools for work with air dry clay can be done with things found in your kitchen drawers. Air dry clay is soft and you don’t need heavy or expensive tools. Your hands are the best tools to get the right shape. 👐

Read: How to Cut Perfectly Round Air Dry Clay Bases Using Household Templates

Great for all age groups

As I mentioned earlier, air dry clay is a non toxic clay type that can be easily shaped as you want with a small amount of water. 💧

You don’t need to be an expert to handle air dry clay because once you shape it as you want, just let it dry. Your kids can have fun with it because no oven, kiln, or harsh materials are involved from start to end.

Kids, adults and elders can make beautiful home decor items, bowls, trays, incense holders, shapes, picture frames, and keychains with air dry clay. 

It helps to stay focused and keeps you mentally balanced by relaxing and reducing your stress levels. I highly recommend air dry clay crafting workshops for elderly homes and childcare centers because it is a great way to spend time and improve brain function. 🧠

Just don’t let children put the clay into their mouths because it is not a food safe material. ⚠️

Even if you make bowls with it, make sure not to use it as fruit, vegetable, or cereal bowls. They are only for decoration.

Easy to fix mistakes

What if I told you it is ok to make mistakes in air dry clay? Yes, trust me, I know from experience. I have made a lot of mistakes when working with air dry clay. 😅

I have accidentally scratched it while shaping and sculpting wet clay due to my nails and torn apart tiny pieces by accidentally hitting them while I was moving my hands. 🤦‍♂️

But most of the time, fixing those mistakes was so much easier. 

You can fix tiny bumps, imperfections, scratches and micro cracks on wet air dry clay using your fingers. Simply dip your fingers in a cup of water and wet them. Then glide over the cracked, scratched and bumpy areas on the clay slab repeatedly until they vanish. You can do the same to vanish seams that occur when joining two air dry clay pieces together. For example, when attaching the tray rim to the tray base, you can remove the seam by gliding your fingers carefully over the joint.

If you break a piece but the clay is still wet, you can score both surfaces that attach of the two pieces and apply a paste called slip as an adhesive glue.

Slip is an air dry clay and water mixture. You can make it by mixing tiny pieces of air dry clay thoroughly with the same amount of water. Then let the paste sit for hours before using. This creamy looking paste can be used to attach two air dry clay pieces together, regardless of whether they are fully dried or in a wet condition. 🥣

If the clay pieces are wet, you can use water as well. Simply tap the scored areas with a little bit of water and press the pieces together for a few seconds until they attach. I use water when I don’t have “slip”.

Easy to paint

Air dry clay is so easy to paint because it absorbs the moisture of the paint and sticks with the paint so well. Therefore, the paint does not peel off easily unless the clay is wet. Thus, it is a must to wait until your air dry clay is fully dried before starting to paint. 🖌️

Acrylic paint is considered the best paint for air dry clay because it comes in vivid colors, needs no water, gives a glossy finish, and makes a water resistant coating. 🎨

Read: How to Paint Crisp Details and Layer Colors on Air Dry Clay

Most importantly, it dries within 2 hours after application because air dry clays are compatible with acrylic paints. Fast and efficient. ⏱️

You just have to apply thin and even coats of paint in one direction to get a beautiful and smooth finish.

Easy to seal

You can seal air dry clay projects with any sealer you like, but make sure they are water resistant or waterproof because moisture is the worst enemy of air dry clay, which can weaken the clay. 🛡️

Gloss varnish, UV resin, Polyurethane varnish, and epoxy resin are great for air dry clay. I mostly use gloss varnish and it is able to provide a glossy ceramic like look to my air dry clay projects with a water resistant coating. ✨

For my natural koi fish pond project, I used epoxy resin. It gave a water like glassy effect, which is super cool, and the water texture makes the pond look more realistic. 🐟

Same as paint, you need to apply 2-3 thin and even coats of sealer over your air dry clay project once it is fully dried to get the best result. It is not hard because, for example, gloss varnish dries and cures within 24 hours. ⌛

Easy to add textures

You can easily add textures to your air dry clay project using the clay tools you have. For example, a ribbon tool is great for hollowing out the clay. I used that for my orange trinket tray project. 🍊

For many projects, I’ve added textures not by using expensive tools, but just with the things I have. ⚙️

Toothpicks are great for detailing like leaf textures, flower textures and for making shapes.

Clay carving tools are great for shaping the edges and digging the clay for making tray bases.

If you condition it well with a little bit of water to keep the wetness of the clay, you can add any texture you like with the right tools. 🧰

Mixed media friendly

Sometimes you’ll have to combine air dry clay with other materials like aluminum foil, wire mesh, cardboard, or plastic containers to make things with higher structural integrity. 🏗️

For example, when you’re making a figure, you can make the skeleton using the wire and then cover each wire with air dry clay. By doing this, the figure won’t break apart as the clay dries because wires inside act like the core strength.

My first air dry clay project, which is a cute rabbit, failed and the parts broke apart as the clay dried because I didn’t mix air dry clay with other materials to make it strong. 🐰

You can use air dry clay with other media I mentioned when you’re crafting flowers, birds, small figures, and home decor items. 🌸

High availability

Air dry clay is popular among clay artists and other crafters. I think it’s the most popular one. So you don’t have to worry about its availability. There are so many reputable brands of air dry clay that give you great results, so you can never go wrong if one brand of clay is out of stock and you have to go with another. 🛍️

Manufacturers work their tails off to keep them widely available both online and in local stores because air dry clay sells like hot cakes. 🥞

But don’t select unreputed cheap air dry clay products because they can completely ruin your entire work. I learned this the hard way, ruining my first pineapple trinket tray project because I used a cheap product. Later, I made the same project with Mont Marte air dry clay and the result was so good. I did a comparison between the two clay types as well.

Great for projects of various sizes

Air dry clay is great for making small trinket trays, as I did, and also for medium size projects such as figures. 🗿

When you’re making medium or bigger size projects with air dry clay, make sure to use a sturdy internal armature (like aluminum foil or wire mesh).

Easy to sell or give as gifts

You can sell air dry clay crafts in online stores like Etsy, local shops, and on your own website. I’ve seen many clay artists do that; they even ship overseas without any issues. Air dry clay is a fine material when you make things right and finish with a proper water resistant sealer. 📦

Also, you can give air dry clay keychains, bowls, dishes, trays, and other home decor items as gifts for your loved ones. They are not like regular gifts. They will stay as memories because no other person can make one exactly like yours. It makes you special and they will love you even more. 🎁

Make things for your mother, father, siblings, and partner, and gift them on their birthdays and special occasions to make them memorable. ❤️

Cons of air dry clay

Everything has good and bad sides, and air dry clay is the same. After working with air dry clay for making trays, jewelry dishes, and home decor items, I have found several annoying and frustrating things about air dry clay. ⚠️

Some of these reasons are why many clay artists have switched from air dry clay to polymer clay or another type. 🔄

Most of the drawbacks I mention below can be fixed with simple tricks, and you’ll get used to them with practice.

Poor durability

This is the main thing people hate about air dry clay. Air dry clay is so brittle and prone to snapping once it dries fully, which can break pieces of your project and ruin hours of work.

This is why many clay artists who sell their products market polymer clay or items made with traditional kiln fired ceramics, because they have a better shelf life than air dry clay. 🏺

Even the slightest shake during shipping or handling can damage the air dry clay pieces, especially the fine particles and sharp edges.

Air dry clay dries as the water evaporates, which makes the material inside contract, leaving tiny gaps that become fragile even under little stress or pressure.

I have identified 3 main reasons that accelerate the poor durability of air dry clay, which are:

• Using an excess amount of water: Make sure not to use too much water when kneading, smoothing, and shaping the clay because excess water weakens the clay and causes uneven shrinkage and structural brittleness as the clay dries.
• Drying too fast: Let your air dry clay project dry slowly in a cool, well ventilated space for at least 48-72 hours. Rushing the drying process by placing the piece in sunlight outside, or using heat or a hair dryer forces it, leading to surface cracks.
• Making the parts too thin: The best thickness for air dry clay is ¼ inch to ½ inch. Don’t go below ¼ inch thickness because the clay will warp as it dries and become brittle and snappy due to poor structural strength.

Not food safe

Use it only for making trays, trinket dishes that are only for decoration, sculptures, jewelry dishes, and non food contact decor items. 🖼️

You can use kiln fired traditional ceramic, glass, or metal to make the list of things I mentioned above because they are food safe when combined with food grade finishes. But not air dry clay. Here’s why. 🍽️

As we know, air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and air inside. As the clay dries, the moisture inside will evaporate, leaving porous gaps inside. 🧽

Food oils, liquids, and tiny food particles can get inside those tiny pores and become breeding habitats for bacteria and molds, which can’t be washed out because of the microscopic structures. 🦠

Also, air dry clay is a water soluble material even after it has dried completely. It absorbs the water from our food, and as soon as you wash a plate made with air dry clay, the clay becomes weaker and turns into a mushy, creamy look. This is not good for coming into contact with food. 💦

Materials that are used to make air dry clay, which are binders and preservatives, are not certified for ingestion. ⚠️

Plus, paints and sealers you use to finish air dry clay, which are epoxy resin, varnish, or polyurethane, are totally not food safe due to the harsh chemicals inside. They scratch or chip off into your meals and leak chemicals when exposed to heat, oil, and other liquids. 🧪

Easily mess up

Air dry clay is great for crafting and sculpting, but you need to keep in mind it can get messed up easily with a few errors. ⚠️

Once you mess up the project, it is almost impossible to get a nice and smooth finish. You may probably end up with torn edges, no sharp corners, and a cracked surface. 📉

Here are the different ways air dry clay gets messed up. Some are uncontrollable:

• Mess up your workplace with fine dust: Mostly it is impossible to keep your workplace nice and clean while working with air dry clay because fine particles spread everywhere, including your hands as you knead and shape the clay. Have a look at my YouTube videos to see how messy it gets. I have to stand up and wash my hands after each step to avoid it getting messier and wipe up the mat with paper towels and tissues.
• Using less amount of water when kneading the clay: Air dry clay crumbles as it lacks water. Use the ideal amount of water when kneading and smoothing the clay to avoid tiny air dry clay particles from falling off sharp edges and breaking joint pieces of your projects.
• Don’t use too much water: Too much water forces your air dry clay to crack when drying due to uneven shrinkage.
• Don’t make pieces too thin: Thin pieces crack and warp easily because they lack structural integrity.
• Don’t paint or seal until the clay is completely dry: Painting wet air dry clay makes a cloudy, mushy core which is hard to fix. Look for grey patches before you paint the project. Bone dry air dry clay has a pure white color. Usually air dry clay takes around 48-72 hours to dry completely and you should not rush the drying process.
• Score and slip before attaching: You cannot join two air dry clay pieces just by pressing them together. First, you need to score the surface to get a better grip between the surfaces and apply an air dry clay water mixture called slip as the adhesive glue, or you can tap a little bit of water onto the scored surfaces. Then press the surfaces together for a few seconds until they attach well.

Prone to cracking

That air dry clay cracks as it dries is one of the main misconceptions in the industry. Actually, people who say this have never worked with air dry clay in the correct way. Honestly, air dry clay cracks as it dries only when you use an excess amount of water when conditioning, kneading, and smoothing the clay, or when you skip the kneading part. ⚡

You just need to tap a little bit of water when conditioning and kneading the clay which is essential before you start making anything with air dry clay. 

Air dry clay is filled with moisture and air bubbles. By kneading, you can spread out moisture evenly across all the layers of the air dry clay and release the air bubbles out.

If you skipped the kneading process, the moisture spreads out randomly and evaporates at different rates in different places on your clay as it dries. The clay will start to shrink as the water evaporates when drying. But due to the uneven evaporation of water, the clay will start to shrink unevenly. This uneven shrinkage builds up tension between the air dry clay layers, resulting in micro cracks forming on the surfaces. These cracks become larger, deeper, and increase in quantity as the clay dries. 🧩

The same happens when you use too much water, because more water inside means faster and more rapid evaporation. The outer area of air dry clay dries significantly faster than inner layers due to air circulation, and again triggers the uneven shrinkage scenario. This also causes cracks to form on the surface. ☀️

This is what is known as air dry clay cracks as it dries. Actually, it happens only when you skip the kneading part or when you use too much water when kneading or smoothing. 

If you end up with a cracked surface after the clay has fully dried, you can patch it using the “slip” paste which I described earlier. Slip works as a glue. Make sure to let it dry again for 24 hours and then fine sand the patched areas to make the seam unnoticed. 🪵

Prone to crumbling

You may have noticed air dry clay breaks down into tiny pieces, flakes, or dust. 🍂

As I told you earlier, excess water cracks the clay as it dries, but a lack of water can cause the clay to crumble. You need to use an ideal amount.

When kneading and rolling air dry clay, it is exposed more to the air and starts to dry out quickly. If you don’t tap the surface with a little bit of water while kneading and sculpting, tiny air dry clay pieces may start to fall off. 💧

Using air dry clay from a reputable brand, adding a little water when kneading, and avoiding over working the clay can help prevent crumbling. 👍

Clay slabs need to be wet enough to get sharp edges, round corners and a smooth surface. Otherwise, the edges of your project will tear apart due to crumbling and the pieces you attach will fall off as the clay dries.

Prone to warping

Air dry clay shrinks as it dries and your projects need to have ¼ inch or more thickness to bear the pressure that focuses towards the middle area, or the clay will start to warp. 📐

When the clay dries, the outside area dries and shrinks faster due to more air exposure than the inside. When the water is gone, clay binders try to fill the gaps by shrinking and the clay will start to curl upward or downward due to the forces. 💨

By having a good thickness, it won’t lose its structural integrity as the clay shrinks.

Also, make sure to flip the air dry clay piece or place it on a wire rack while drying to let both the upside and downside dry at the same rate. This causes no uneven shrinkage and no warping.

Shrinks as it dries

I’m not gonna keep repeating this. Air dry clay shrinks as it dries due to water evaporation, and it’s not in your control. But you can use only a small amount of water when kneading and smoothing the clay to avoid it from shrinking even more. 🔍

You can reduce the shrinkage by using less water and avoid uneven shrinkage, which leads the clay surface to crack, by letting the project dry slowly for 2-3 days. So plan accordingly. 🗓️

Not water resistant

Air dry clay does not have water resistance or waterproofing abilities. It is a porous material that can absorb moisture as soon as it comes into contact with it. 🌊

When the clay is fully dried, you must finish it with a proper sealer like gloss varnish, polyurethane, UV resin, or epoxy resin to protect the project long term from air moisture. 🛡️

Otherwise, moisture will go inside through tiny pores and weaken the clay.

When water gets inside of your dried air dry clay project, it not only weakens the clay but also loosens joints by breaking it into pieces. Your hours of work are completely gone. 💔

Not suitable for outdoors

Air dry clay can get easily damaged by outside moisture and harsh weather elements. Only make things with air dry clay that you wish to keep inside. 🏠

Let me tell you why you should not place an air dry clay piece outside even after sealing with a waterproofing sealer. ⛈️

Due to harsh weather elements, the outer coating can get damaged over time during extreme rain and winter seasons and moisture will find a way to go inside and damage the clay.

Even before you keep air dry clay project inside, make sure to seal it with a proper sealer. For example, I use gloss varnish, which makes a water resistant coating and gives a glossy ceramic look.

Direct sunlight also accelerates cracks on the air dry clay surface, especially when the clay is still drying. Therefore, it is better to keep it where it has no direct contact with environmental elements. ☀️

Requires working quickly

Air dry clay starts to dry as soon as it comes out of the package. This is why I told you to tap with a little bit of water while kneading and shaping the clay to keep its moisture level. ⏱️

Plus, you need to knead, condition, roll, and shape your air dry clay slab relatively quickly compared to other clay types because once it gets dry, it will start to crumble, and adding water little by little to keep its moisture does more damage, leading to cracks on the surface as the clay dries. 🏃‍♂️

So think fast, act fast, but do it right. Don’t panic. I’m just saying don’t take phone calls or go for an office or family meeting while you are kneading the clay. Do the project without taking breaks in the middle of the process. That’s it. 📞

Not great for miniature pieces

Air dry clay is great for small and mid size projects, but not for miniature projects because it’s so hard to make sharp edges, smooth surfaces, and round corners when your project is too small, and you need water to do that, so there is a high chance you’ll end up with a mushy core. 🔍

Plus, miniature pieces have low structural integrity and are prone to cracking as it dries and parts of your miniature projects may fall off. Detailing miniature air dry clay projects is also so hard compared to polymer clay.

This happened during my rabbit project because its head, hands, and legs were too tiny and I had a hard time joining them up. But eventually, all the pieces fell off when it was drying and the ears snapped due to high brittleness. 🐰

I have found that polymer clay is undoubtedly the winner when it comes to making miniature projects. You can detail polymer clay so well because it does not incorporate water and no evaporation happens as it dries. 🏆

I know you have seen miniature projects made entirely with air dry clay, but I have to say there are better options for that. There is a high chance of everything going wrong.

Hard to make sharp corners

Air dry clay is made with fibers which help to reinforce the clay, but at the same time they are the reason for fuzzy, frayed, or slightly rounded edges rather than sharp edges. ✂️

Air dry clay changes its shape a little bit due to shrinkage as it dries, which does not happen with polymer clay and ceramic clay. 📐

The paper fibers and binders of air dry clay give a slightly spongy, soft texture when wet. When you try to make sharp edges or corners with it, you’ll notice air dry clay does not have that structural rigidity to hold a sharp and perfect geometric line on its own. Instead, the clay around the edges will stick to your cutting knife and tear apart when dragging. To avoid that, stop your knife or blade from dragging horizontally when cutting the clay. Lift it up continuously as you cut and remove stuck clay pieces to get smooth and nice corners and edges. 🔪

Smoothing is a must after cutting to get rid of fuzzy edges.

Flammable

Air dry clay does not ignite when in contact with fire, but it will char and turn into ash. Therefore, it is better not to make ashtrays and candle holders with air dry clay. You obviously can make them, but only for decoration. 🔥

Plus, when making incense holders with air dry clay, make sure to use incense with long sticks so that the fire does not contact the holder.

When making a candle holder, use candles that work with batteries for more safety.

Causes skin dryness

As I told you earlier, air dry clay absorbs moisture not only from air but also from your hands and palms and causes skin dryness. 🖐️

This may irritate and make your skin itchy and sometimes even turn into rashes.

Always make sure to wash your hands well after working with air dry clay and apply a moisturizing lotion to avoid skin from drying out. 🧴

Do that as a habit because causing skin dryness is inevitable when working with air dry clay.

Final thoughts

Now you have a clear idea about all the good and bad things you’re about to face when working with air dry clay. 💭

After completing many successful projects with air dry clay, trust me, all the above drawbacks are negligible compared to its advantages. Many drawbacks can be avoided or fixed by following the right steps. So, don’t be afraid. I was also afraid in the beginning, and now here I am writing a complete guide for you after completing many projects with air dry clay. It is so good. You must give it a try! 🎉

Once you become so good at air dry clay, I suggest you try other ones as well. Then you’ll know the real difference. Everything comes with good and bad. It’s our duty to take the good and face the odds strongly. Cheers! 🤟🏾

I planned to make them as vibrant as possible with realistic features. I think I have succeeded. But you decide. 😊

I’ll tell you easy, simple steps I followed to make this beautiful trinket tray because I’m also a beginner like you who does not like to follow difficult expert tutorials. They are not for us. They do not show mistakes that can be made during the project and the original emotions behind those tiny wins, like making the tray base perfectly rounded.

They are for experts and they rarely make mistakes, and even if they do, they don’t publish them on the internet.

But here, the scenario is completely different. I’ll share with you guys everything I did, every mistake I made, and how I fixed them using simple tricks to achieve this beautiful cherry masterpiece.

Too much talking! Not Good! Let’s start making without wasting time!

Why did I use air dry clay?

I used air dry clay because it is cheap lol. I don’t have enough budget to go for polymer clay and I don’t want to kiln or bake. I like a clay that dries in the air and is able to be shaped with little effort. 

So air dry clay is the best because it can be shaped just by tapping a little bit of water. But be careful because too much water weakens the air dry clay and forms cracks on the surface.

As a beginner, I do make lots of mistakes and do lots of experiments with clay. If I went for an expensive clay type like polymer clay, I’m afraid of making mistakes and I never ever think of doing experiments because every clay piece is valuable.

You might think not making mistakes is a good thing. Yes, that’s right. But as beginners, mistakes are part of us that help us to do better next time. They are our teachers. 

Basically air dry clay is,

• Not expensive.
• Easy to shape.
• Able to fix mistakes (scratches, bumps, unevenness) by smoothing out the clay.
• Dries out in the air.
• No kiln or bake needed.
• Beginner friendly.

Hope that clears up!

Tools and materials you need

• Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte or any reputed brand you can find is okay)
• Acrylic rolling pin
• PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)
• Clay crafting tools
• Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)
• Cup of water or spray bottle
• Jar lid
• Acrylic paints
• Gloss varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Paper towels
• Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

If you couldn’t find any of the above tools or materials except the air dry clay and acrylics, open your kitchen drawers and find an alternative. I’m sure you’ll find useful tools like toothpicks and small knives. You don’t need expensive tools to make this project.

Easy diy cherry trinket tray tutorial video

I have recorded all the steps I have taken to make this cherry trinket tray with air dry clay and uploaded on YouTube. 

Feel free to watch and try it out! 📺

Finished watching the video? Let’s take a peek at the detailed written step by step guide.

Step by step cherry trinket tray tutorial

First of all, go to a well ventilated area or open all the windows in your room because tiny air dyr clay particles can make you cough a lot. Wear a pair of gloves to avoid getting your hands messy or if washing hands frequently bothers you. Safety first!

Step 1: Conditioning and kneading the clay

Conditioning and kneading are the most important step before you start any project with air dry clay.

First of all, take a fresh piece of air dry clay and condition it by tapping a little bit of water onto the surface.

Then start kneading by pulling, pressing and folding the clay with force like you’re making a pizza dough. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes with adding a little bit of water from time to time until the clay becomes soft enough and pliable for shaping.

Air dry clay shrinks as it dries due to the evaporation of water. If you couldn’t knead the clay properly, most of the moisture will be trapped inside and will evaporate much more slowly compared to the moisture outside due to regular air exposure as your air dry clay project dries.

This causes uneven shrinkage.

Due to the uneven shrinkage, clay tends to build tension between the layers and warp. When this tension becomes higher and higher, microcracks will start to form on the surface. These cracks will become deeper and deeper as the clay dries.

But this won’t happen if you were able to knead the clay properly in the first place. It spreads the moisture evenly and shrinkage will happen at almost even rate due to the same moisture evaporation speed across all the layers of the clay. No uneven shrinkage means no cracks will be formed. Simple as that!

Use the ideal amount of water when kneading that just enough to make it soft. Too much water causes cracks and a lack of water causes the clay to crumble.

Step 2: Roll the clay

Now place the kneaded clay piece on your mat and repeatedly press and flip it a few times using your palm to ready the clay slab for rolling.

Next, roll the clay slab to an even ¼ inch thickness. If you plan to hollow out the clay to make the tray base, plan for ½ inch thickness. But for this cherry project, ¼ inch thickness is enough because we are going to attach the tray rim separately.

I use an acrylic rolling pin and a PVC mat for rolling the clay slab because they are non stick. If you plan to use a wooden one, make sure to place parchment paper below and on top of your clay slab before rolling to avoid clay from sticking to your mat or the wooden rolling pin. Porous materials like wood suck out the moisture of air dry clay and make a good grip with the clay, which may cause the clay to tear apart when rolling and lifting.

After rolling, smooth the clay slab by dipping your index finger in a cup of water and gliding it repeatedly on the wet clay slab until it removes the small bumps, micro cracks, splits, scratches and tiny mistakes.

Smoothing the clay slab after each step is a must to get a fine looking piece in the end.

Step 3: Tracing and cutting the tray base

I used a plastic jar lid for tracing the shape of the cherry. Since I planned to make a tray with two cherries, I need to trace two round shapes nearby.

You can use a plastic, metal or any other lid. Just make sure they’re big enough because otherwise you’ll find hardtime when attaching the tray rim.

Place the jar lid you selected in the center of the clay slab and trace around it using the tracing tool or a toothpick. Do the same for the second cherry as well. Trace them nearby.

After tracing is done, take the jar lid out and cut along the traced outline using the X-acto knife.

When cutting, make sure not to drag the knife horizontally with the clay because clay may stick to the knife and drag along, forming cracked and torn edges.

Lift the knife while cutting the edges and remove the attached tiny air dry clay pieces to get nice, clean and sharp edges.

Congratulations friends! You have successfully made the tray base. Now it’s time to make and attach the tray rim.

Step 4: Rolling and attaching the rim

First of all, take a fresh piece of air dry clay, condition and knead it well. Then, roll it like a snake to an even thickness. 

I planned to make a cylinder like shape as the tray rim instead of wall space so I had to maintain the same diameter everywhere using my palms and fingers.

I didn’t roll it too thin because that can cause clay to crack as it dries. 

After making the snake like long rim, its time to attach it to the tray base we made earlier.

Before attaching, you need to make sure both surfaces have enough adhesion. Otherwise air dry clay does not stick together. You can’t do it by just pressing wet air dry clay pores together. They will definitely loosen and break as the clay dries.

So, you need to follow the score and slip method when attaching tray rim to the tray base.

First, I scored around the edge of the cherry tray base using my scoring tool or you can use a toothpick. You just have to scratch the area that comes into contact with the tray rim.

Then I scored along the bottom area of my cylinder snake shape tray rim.

After scoring, you need to tap those scored areas with a little bit of water. Or better if you can apply an air dry clay and water mixture called slip.

Slip is basically a creamy paste that can be made by mixing tiny pieces of air dry clay with an equal amount of water thoroughly in a small can. Then let it sit for a couple of hours to settle and you’re done. You can use this creamy paste as an adhesive to attach air dry clay pieces together. You can even store and use it for future projects as well.

I didn’t have the slip, so I just used the water and it worked just fine.

After scoring and tapping a little bit of water, I attached the tray rim I made around the cherry trinket tray base carefully without changing the round shape of the cherry base.

After covering around the tray base, cut the edges of the tray rim at an angle and attach them.

Step 5: Reinforce with a thin clay coil

As you know, there is a sharp 90 degree angle between the tray base and the rim after they are combined. As the clay dries and shrinks the stress level of this sharp angle will increase and it may lose separating tray rim and the base.

In order to make the joint between the tray base and rim stronger, I made a thin clay coil.

To make that I used a small piece of clay and rolled it as thin as possible. 

Finally, it looked like a thin clay coil. I attached it around the tray base on top of the joint between the base and rim to make the joint a bit rounder, replacing that sharp 90 degree angle. This helps to spread the stress evenly as the clay dries and avoid the tray rim from separating from tray base due to shrinkage.

I highly recommend you add this type of thin clay coil to anywhere you feel that can be stressed out as the clay dries. It helps to improve the structural strength of your project.

After attaching thin clay coil, smooth out the entire cherry trinket tray with a little bit of water to remove the seam and remove tiny bumps and scratches that occurred while bending the tray rim around the base.

Step 6: Attach the stem and leaf

After making the tray, I wanted to make it even more realistic by adding a stem and a small leaf.

So I shaped a small piece of air dry clay to a stem and attached it to the top of the tray rim by score and slip method.

Made a leaf and scored the bottom area of it add placed it on top of the stem.

Now you have successfully completed the sculpting part of the cherry trinket tray. But it is still wet its time to let it dry, paint and seal.

Step 6: Let it dry

Now let the cherry trinket tray dry completely for 48 hours in a cool, well ventilated area out of direct sunlight. After 48 hours check for grey patches on the surface. If there are some, let it dry for another 24 hours.

Flip the piece from time to time for even and efficient drying avoid the tray base from warping.

Do not rush the drying process by placing your project under sunlight, outside, baking or applying an artificial heat source because they cause rapid water evaporation and lead cracks on the surface due to uneven shrinkage.

I highly advise you not to interrupt the drying process because one single mistake can ruin your entire project and your hours of work can be wasted. So, let it dry slow.

Make sure not to paint the project until it completely dries.  Air dry clay turns into a pure white look when it is bone dry.

Step 7: Paint the cherry trinket tray

Once the project is completely dried, you can start painting it. I use acrylics because they are the best paint for air dry clay. Acrylic paints come in vivid colors, no need to use water because water weakens the clay, dries in the air within 2 hours, gives a glossy finish.

Plus, acrylic paints make a water resistant coating over your air dry clay project which is great.

The above benefits cannot be granted from watercolors or any other paint. This is why I always recommend acrylic paints.

I started painting the middle of the tray base with vibrant red.

Then the tray rim was painted with a little bit darker red.

Finally, the stem and the leaf were painted with pale green color.

Make sure to apply thin and even coats of acrylic paint in one direction to avoid forming mushy, tacky and cloudy spots. Apply 2-3 coats to acrylic paint and let each coat dry for 2 hours before applying another.

After the final coat, let it dry for 2 hours before sealing the project.

Step 8: Seal the tray

You can use your cherry trinket tray with gloss varnish, UV resin, polyurethane varnish or epoxy resin if you want a glossy, like finish.

I used gloss varnish and the results were so good. Gloss varnish gives a glossy ceramic like finish and protects your air dry clay project from outside moisture because it makes a water resistent coating around the project.

Apply 2-3 thin and even coats of gloss varnish in one direction and let each coat dry for about 24 hours before applying another.

After the final sealer coat, let it dry and cure for 24 hours.

Congratulation smy friends! We did it. Actually, I did it. Lol. Now it’s time for you to begin! Show your colors.

Final thoughts

I have described all the steps I have taken and techniques I used to make this beautiful cherry trinket tray with air dry clay. Now it’s time for you to make one even better.

Always make sure to use as little water as possible when kneading, smoothing and sculpting your project because too much water weakens and ruins your project by causing cracks.

The comment section is open for you to publish your feedback and things you know by working with air dry clay, which might be useful for someone else in the community.

Be sure to tag @clayandmestudios in your cherry trinket tray project. I sure love to see them when you do. I’ll see you next time with another awesome project! Cheers! 🤟🏾

DIY Cherry Trinket Tray with Air Dry Clay

Warsha

Learn how to make an easy DIY cherry trinket tray using air dry clay! Follow this simple step-by-step guide with beginner tips to avoid cracks and achieve a glossy and beautiful finish.

Print Instructions Pin Instructions

Supplies Needed

  

Air dry clay (DAS, Mont Marte or any reputed brand you can find is okay)

Acrylic rolling pin

PVC mat or silicone mat (or non-stick surface)

Clay crafting tools

Clay cutting tool (X-acto knife or small knife)

Cup of water or spray bottle

Jar lid

Acrylic paints

Gloss varnish

Paintbrushes

Paper towels

Optional: Sponge or silicone sculpting tool (or you can use your finger)

Instructions

 

Step 1: Knead & Condition the Clay 🧼

• Add a tiny bit of water and knead for 3–5 minutes. This releases air bubbles and spreads moisture evenly to prevent cracks as it dries! Don’t over-water.

Step 2: Roll Out the Clay 🪵

• Press flat with your palm, then roll to 1/4 inch thickness with an acrylic rolling pin. Turn and rotate 90° often so it won’t stick! Smooth out minor cracks with a damp finger.

Step 3: Trace & Cut the Cherry Base 🍒

• Place your jar lid twice to trace two overlapping cherry circles with a toothpick. Cut along the lines with an X-acto knife (lift the knife, don’t drag!).

Step 4: Roll & Attach the Rim 🐍

• Roll a clay snake to uniform thickness. Score the rim base and tray edge with a toothpick, add a drop of water (or slip), and wrap it around the tray edge.

Step 5: Reinforce the Joint 💪

• Roll a super thin clay coil and smooth it inside the corner joint between the base and rim. This distributes drying stress and stops the rim from snapping off!

Step 6: Sculpt Stem & Leaf 🍃

• Shape a tiny clay stem and leaf. Score & attach them to the top of your cherries using a splash of water.

Step 7: Slow Dry (48 Hours) 🌬️

• Let it dry in a cool, ventilated room away from sunlight or heat. Flip it occasionally to keep the base flat and warp-free.

Step 8: Paint & Seal 🎨

• Paint the cherry center vibrant red, the rim dark red, and stem/leaf pale green using 2–3 thin coats of acrylics. Once dry, seal with 2–3 thin coats of gloss varnish for a shiny ceramic look!
Too much water = cracks! Only use enough to soften the clay.
Never rush drying under direct sunlight or heat, or uneven shrinkage will crack your piece.
Don't forget to flip and rotate the clay slab while rolling to avoid sticky tears.

Video

Instead of soft, smooth and pliable dough, it just breaks into tiny pieces, flakes or dust in your hands, leaving crumbly chunks all over your table. 

I have been there. First, I thought I was dealing with the cracking of air dry clay. But It wasn’t. This scenario is called the crumbling of air dry clay. Crumbling of air dry clay can happen when you are trying to use leftover air dry clay, as I mentioned earlier or even when you open a brand new package.

But don’t throw out that dried block of air dry clay. I’ve been there and threw some but later found out it was salvageable.

As a beginner air dry clay artist, let me tell you how I avoid my leftover air dry clay and freshly opened air dry clay from crumbling with simple and easy techniques.

Let’s dig in!

First, identify whether your air dry clay is crumbling or cracking

This is the most confusing part. People and even I didn’t know the difference between air dry clay crumbling and cracking because they look the same. But trust me, they are completely different scenarios.

This means you need to use only the right amount of water to survive from both cracking and crumbling of air dry clay.

Actually, cracking is what commonly happens in air dry clay. 

Read: How to Prevent Air Dry Clay Trays from Cracking While Drying

When kneaded and smoothed out with too much water, the clay may crack as it dries due to the high water evaporation rate.

Cracking means splits or fissures on the clay surface and it happens due to faster drying of the outer surface of air dry clay compared to inner layers causing uneven shrinkage. Uneven shrinkage builds up tension between the layers of air dry clay and tears the surface apart. Mostly, the clay stays in one place when cracking, but when crumbling, clay breaks down into tiny pieces, flakes, or dust.

Ok, now let’s see why crumbling happens,

Why is my air dry clay crumbling?

Air dry clay crumbles due to the lack of moisture and failure of the binders inside. Air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture inside, but when it loses its moisture, it breaks into small pieces, flakes, or dust particles.

So we need to find out exactly why it loses moisture. 

Based on my experience and things I gathered, here are the main reasons why your air dry clay is crumbling,

1. Lack of moisture when kneading and sculpting.
2. Poor sealing and storing of the leftover air dry clay.
3. Using a low quality, unreputed air dry clay product.
4. Kneading and shaping the clay too long.
5. Not kneading the clay properly.

Don’t panic, I’ll explain each of the above reasons one by one in simple terms.

Lack of moisture when kneading and sculpting

Using too much water leads air dry clay cracking, and lack of water crumbles the clay. It’s a double-edged sword situation.

As soon as you take a fresh piece of air dry clay from the newly opened package, condition and knead it by tapping a little bit of water on the clay surface. Then knead the clay well until it becomes soft and pliable.

But if you do not use water when kneading or use too little water, which is not enough compared to the clay piece you took, the clay won’t be soft enough when kneading, instead, it will start to break down into tiny pieces, which is called crumbling of the clay.

Same scenario when sculpting the clay. 

If you’re making a tiny hand, flower pellets, or a decoration item with air dry clay, use enough amount of water to keep the clay soft while sculpting and shaping. Lack of moisture starts crumbling in sharp corners, curves, edges and your sculpt will eventually break.

 Poor sealing and storing of the leftover air dry clay

I know how tired you feel after working hours making a clay project. But don’t forget to skip sealing and storing your leftover or unused air dry clay chunks. 

Otherwise, the clay will get exposed to the air and lose a lot of moisture over time and it will start to break into pieces in other words, it will crumble.

After opening the package and taking the clay amount you want, place the leftover or unused clay inside a plastic bag, polythene cling film and airtight it by wrapping it tightly. Then place the sealed package in an airtight plastic or Tupperware-type container.

This way you can keep your air dry clay fresh as new for months or even years because moisture inside has nowhere to go or evaporate to the outside.

Using a low quality, unreputed air dry clay product

Usually I use Mont Marte, DAS, or other reputable air dyr clay brands when making air dry clay projects, including trinket trays and home decor items.

But one time all of those were out of stock and I had to buy an unreputable cheap air dry clay brand from an unknown manufacturer and learned the lesson the hard way when making my pineapple trinket tray project.

The clay started to crumble as soon as I started to condition and knead after even applying a little bit of water.

Clay was started to get messy and ruined my workspace with all the tiny clay pieces, dust and flakes.

First, I thought the problem was my mistake and tried again with a fresh clay piece with a different amount of water but the results were the same. Hours of my work were ruined because even after kneading the clay after several attempts, it started to break into pieces while rolling.

I couldn’t even finish making the project and found out the issue in the binders of the clay.

Sometimes it’s not always moisture that causes the crumbling, it may be a failure of clay binders.

When clay binders do not bind well with each other, the clay will start to break into pieces. You cannot control it because it is a manufacturing error.

I even did a comparison between that unreputed air dry clay brand vs Mont Marte, which is a reputed one based on my personal experience.

After several days, I tried to make the same pineapple trinket tray with Mont Marte air dry clay and it came out so good. I followed the same amount of water and the same techniques and the results were much better. This is why you should read reviews of the air dry clay brand before purchase to save your time, effort and money.

Kneading and shaping the clay too long

Overworking causes your air dry clay to crumble. Let me tell you how. When you’re kneading or shaping air dry clay for too long, your palm and fingers absorb the moisture of the clay due to the natural heat of your hands. Yes, that’s true.

But this is negligible when you work fast. But when you’re overworking, the moisture of the clay will be lost little by little because your hands draw moisture out of the clay.

Actually, the longer you hold and mess with a single clay piece, the more likely it is to lead to crumbly edges.

Just stop the kneading when you feel the clay is soft enough for shaping. Or add a little bit of extra water on the surface if you really want to keep kneading more. 

Not kneading the clay properly

I know this sounds confusing. One time I told you not to knead too long and here I’m telling you to knead the clay well. Actually, both are true. You need to knead the clay until it hits the ideal soft, pliable stage. It’s not hard. Your hands will feel that when kneading.

Kneading helps to spread the moisture evenly across all the layers of air dry clay. So it fixes the areas that lack moisture and prevents them from crumbling.

How to stop air dry clay from crumbling while sculpting

Follow the steps below to keep your air dry clay moist and prevent it from crumbling while making your craft.

Follow the right way of conditioning and kneading the clay

After taking a fresh air dry clay piece or a leftover air dry clay piece or an unused one, condition it first by tapping a little bit of water on the surface.

Then start kneading the clay by pulling, pushing, and pressing with force for several minutes like you’re making a pizza dough.

Kneading helps to spread the moisture evenly, release the air bubbles that are trapped inside, warm up the clay binders and increase elasticity before shaping, which helps prevent the clay from crumbling.

Keep kneading, adding a little bit of water until the clay becomes soft and pliable enough for shaping or sculpting.

Don’t let the clay become dry when kneading, which can cause crumbling. Moist it continuously with a little bit of water while kneading, but don’t overdo it. You must stop it and move on to the next step as it becomes soft enough.

Make sure not to add too much water when kneading, which may lead to cracks when drying due to uneven shrinkage.

Use the score and slip method when attaching

You cannot attach two air dry clay pieces just by pressing them together because they crumble as the clay dries.

First, you need to score the attaching surfaces using the scoring tool or a toothpick and them apply a clay and water mixture called “slip”.

Slip is made by mixing an equal amount of tiny clay pieces with water and letting it set for a few hours. It’s a creamy paste that acts like a cement for air dry clay pieces. 

Or you can tap a little bit of water on the scored surfaces before attaching two air dry clay pieces. This is what I do because I don’t have “slip,” and it just works fine. But don’t apply too much water because it weakens the clay.

Keeping your hands and the clay moist

Always keep a cup of water nearby when kneading, shaping and sculpting the clay. Wet your palms, fingers and the clay while working with it to avoid it from losing moisture and breaking into pieces.

But as I told you earlier, excess water may lead the clay to crack when drying. So, always use a little that just enough water to make the clay soft and maintain its elasticity.

How to fix air dry clay that is already crumbly

This is the best way I fix crumbly air dry clay before using it,

1. Sprinkle a little bit of water onto the crumbly air dry clay pieces.
2. Put it into an airtight bag.
3. Seal the bag.
4. Place it in an airtight plastic container.
5. Let the clay rehydrate overnight.

Is your clay past its shelf life?

Air dry clay does not last forever even if you use the best storing techniques. Its binders can get weaker and the moisture level becomes lower over a year or two, depending on the climate and packaging.

If you live in a very humid area, the moisture in air dry clay lasts longer because water evaporate higher from air dry clay when the moisture in the air is drastically lower. This means the shelf life of air dry clay in a dry climate is much less than wet climates.

Reputable air dry clay companies use packages that are resealable after you open the package. So after using the necessary clay amount you can wrap the leftover clay with that package and seal by putting it inside a plastic bag and sealing it airtight.

If the clay is bone dry, rock hard and crumbles into tiny pieces or dust when holding even after you try to rehydrate it, it is best to throw it away. Its shelf life is over and cannot be used again.

I had to throw an entire batch of air dry clay because that brand was cheap and it crumbled so much.

Proper storage tips to keep clay fresh

Here’s how you should store leftover, unused air dry clay to prevent it from crumbling,

• Place the clay inside a clean plastic bag and seal it by pressing and blowing air out.
• Wrap the clay using a cling film and seal it by pressing and blowing air out.
• Place the leftover or unused air dry clay in an airtight plastic container or Tupperware-type container and close the lid properly.
• Place the sealed air dry clay package in a cool and dark area. (I place it in a kitchen drawer).

By following the above tips, you can avoid future crumbling of air dry clay.

Final thoughts

Now you know whats the difference between the crumbling and cracking of air dry clay. Generally, in a finished piece, cracking happens first and crumbling happens as a result. Clay cracks as a result of fast drying and it crumbles and comes as pieces when you try to handle it.

As I told cracking mostly happens due to the usage of excess water, while crumbling occurs due to a lack of moisture.

Follow the given tips and techniques to overcome the crumbling of air dry clay to keep the moisture in your air dry clay piece to make a beautiful masterpiece. Cheers! 🤟🏾

You changed the working mat to a silicone or PVC mat, which is great to work with air dry clay, but it still sticks. But have you thought of replacing your rolling pin? That might be the issue. 

Have you used the wooden cooking rolling pin you use to make dough to roll air dry clay? Hmm, that might be the issue.

I have tried wooden, plastic, and acrylic rolling pins to stop the clay from sticking to them and finally found the perfect one. Now the headache is gone and my clay does not stick to it and does not mess up my working area.

Let me tell you how I did that and what I chose as a beginner clay artist like you.

Why is your air dry clay so sticky?

Air dry clay is a highly porous material with lots of moisture and binders, which keep the clay pliable and help to harden it properly as the clay dries. When rolling, the moisture squeezes out and attaches to any porous surface, which is why your air dry clay is so sticky. Basically, you need to use a rolling pin that is not porous.

Why wooden rolling pins are bad

You can clearly see this happening when working with a wooden rolling pin. Wood is a highly porous material just like air dry clay. It basically acts like a sponge that sucks out water quickly.

So, when you roll a conditioned and kneaded air dry clay slab with a wooden rolling pin, it quickly sucks out all the moisture inside of the clay, leaving only the clay binders.

Due to the water absorption and leaving binders behind, they create a vacuum like seal between the clay and the rolling pin surface.

When you keep rolling and lifting the pin, the vacuum seal causes clay to stretch, crack and even tear apart. That’s what we call clay sticking to the rolling pin. Clay is basically making a bond with the rolling pin surface due to loss of its moisture.

So you need to find a rolling pin that does not suck out the moisture of air dry clay.

How to stop air dry clay from sticking to your rolling pin

During my first few air dry clay projects, I used a kitchen wooden rolling pin and experienced this issue. So I stopped using it and started following methods to stop clay from sticking.

Ditch the wooden rolling pin and switch to an acrylic rolling pin

As I told you earlier wooden rolling pin sucks out moisture from air dry clay and stick with it. Therefore, we need to try out rolling pins that are non porous and do not absorb moisture, which are,

• Acrylic rolling pin
• Stainless steel rolling pin
• PVC rolling pin

I use an acrylic rolling pin. It does not sucks out moisture from air dry clay and does not stick to the clay and gives a super smooth finish.

Acrylic rolling pins are easier to use and comes with detachable rubber or silicone rings to get an even thickness of the clay slab.

Most importantly, they are easier to clean. You just have to wash it and wipe it out.

Wrap the rolling pin with parchment paper

If you don’t have the budget to move to a different rolling pin or you really like to work with the wooden rolling pin, I have a solution for you.

Just don’t let the wooden surface come into contact with the air dry clay surface. You can do this by wrapping your wooden rolling pin with parchment paper before you start to roll out the clay slab.

Parchment paper works as a barrier and does not get wet due to the moisture of the wet clay and does not stick to the clay like regular paper.

It works as a barrier between the wood and clay. 

You simply have to wrap the wooden rolling pin before you start rolling or place parchment paper over the wet clay slab and start rolling over it with the wooden rolling pin. Simple as that!

Use a dusting of cornstarch

Corstach can be used as a barrier between the clay surface and the rolling pin, avoiding clay from sticking to the rolling pin.

If you use a wooden rolling pin or any other pin that stick to the clay, lightly dust the surface with cornstarch. 

But dont use too much cornstarch because they accelerate the drying speed of wet clay and leads to cracks on the clay slab.

Don’t use powder or talcum powder as a barrier because they contain harsh chemicals that can damage the air dry clay slab. One time I used powder and leaned that hard way.

The plastic wrap barrier method

I already mentioned about this method. You can wrap the rolling pin with a plastic film, parchment paper or paper wax and start rolling. Or you can place plastic film, parchment paper or wax paper over the wet clay surface and roll. However, don’t let air dry clay come into contact with the rolling pin surface, which can lead to sticking.

Condition your clay first

Conditioning and kneading the clay is must before you roll out the clay. Condition and knead the clay with a little bit of water and use pull, press and puch method to make the clay soft enough.

Kneading helps to spread the moisture evenly across all the layers of air dyr clay and it makes the rolling process easier, clay more smooth, pliable and stops the clay from sticking to the rolling pin.

Don’t forget your work surface

Even though you replaced your wooden rolling pin with a non porous, non sticky acrylic or stainless steel rolling pin, you may still experience the stickiness of the clay by seeing the clay sticking to your working table.

If your table is made of wood, sad to say Just like what happened with wooden rolling pin, it will suck out moisture from the clay and stick with it, making a vacuum like seal.

So, you need to change the working mat to stop clay from sticking to your surface. Silicone and PVC mat (what I use) are the best working layers for air dry clay to avoid it from sticking to the surface.

Simply lay the PVC or silicone mat over your wooden working table and start rolling the clay over it.

Final thoughts

Now you know exactly why your air dry clay sticks to the rolling pin and how to avoid that either by fixing it or by replacing the pin.

If you use a wooden one, use the parchment paper method and apply cornstarch before rolling. If you use a PVC or stainless one, you have nothing to worry about and just be careful not to let the clay stick to your mat. Happy making! Cheers! 🤟🏾