Create your own festive Christmas tree decoration from air dry clay with our step-by-step video tutorial. Recreate our design made especially by artist Joanna Clay, and experiment with different colours and clay shapes to match your home.
Follow the steps:
To make the decorations you will need:
- Cutting mat or a smooth surface to protect the table
- Bauble shape template
- Sandpaper
- Paint palette or a surface to mix paint
- Acrylic paint
- Modelling tools or a plastic knife
- Rolling pin
- Paint brushes
- A pair of scissors
- A cup of water
- Air dry clay
- Varnish suitable for clay
- Colourful string or ribbon
How to make the decoration:
- Step 1: Using scissors, cut out the bauble shapes from the printed template.
- Step 2: Knead the air dry clay to make it workable.
- Step 3: Roll it out evenly to about 1 cm thickness.
- Step 4: Place the template shape on to the rolled out clay.
- Step 5: Using a modelling tool or plastic knife, cut out the decoration.
- Step 6: Make a hole at the top of the decoration.
- Step 7: Smooth down the edges using the modelling tool and fingers. Use some water to help if necessary.
- Step 8: Leave the clay to dry in a well-ventilated space for 72 hours.
- Step 9: Once the clay is dry, sand down the decoration to smooth the edges.
- Step 10: Squeeze the acrylic paints on to the palette and mix.
- Step 11: Paint the base colour of the decoration.
- Step 12: Once the base colour is dry, add the details. Don’t be afraid to put lots of paint on the brush, and to build the colours up in layers.
- Step 13: Once the paint is dry, coat the decoration with varnish to give it a glossy finish.
- Step 14: After the varnish has dried, tie a piece of colourful string through the hole.
Seasons Greetings from the V&A!
