clay is a 100% natural material, ideal for our children's little hands, but also very pleasant for us adults. Starting with the resurgence of childhood memories as soon as our hands begin to manipulate this material. Easy to sculpt, to smooth, to work with by hand or with small tools found in the kitchen, or in our children's box of modelling clay.

Your block of clay can be stored in a damp cloth while you work. Lock it in a plastic bag until the next modeling session. firing: this is only necessary for clay models with very thin parts, which may crack if the clay is not fired. Firing is not done in a conventional kiln, as it requires very high temperatures: contact local art associations for addresses where you can fire your models.

Themodels presented here, made to decorate a Provençal crêche for Christmas, are simply air-dried. The paint and varnish also prevent chipping.

The wall is made from "bricks" shaped one by one.

For

The massive shape of a wild boar makes it easy to model by hand.

the bridge and the well, the stones are simply marked with a thin blade.

Where tofind clay? Large blocks of clay in a variety of colors and types can be found in art stores. For large quantities (associations, clubs...), the ideal solution is to buy from the source, or almost: from tile factories. For small quantities, to try your hand at it or to make small objects with the kids, small blocks of self-hardening clay are now available just about everywhere. This material (very useful for repairing objects made of clay or salt dough) is less flexible and less pleasant to work with than clay.

Self-hardening clay
Able to use, easy to smooth, a clay that air-dries and remains solid.

Self-hardening clay decoration

This decoration was made with self-hardening clay. The advantage of this type of clay is that it doesn't need to be baked in a high-temperature oven - a 24-hour drying period is all that's needed. It's a natural product (check the packaging) and can even be recycled: after grinding, you add water and you're left with modeling clay. Letters are shaped from colombins, then smoothed. The support is made from a braid of wire into which wires are inserted, the ends of which are coiled like a spring. The support is entirely covered with clay, so it must be stable. The letters are then planted in these "springs". Two letters are painted with gold spray paint. Then, the four letters are painted with a very fine brush in very "Christmasy" tones!

>> Sale of DIY items in the Fournitures Créatives store



santon makers now often offer santons for painting: decorating your own santons is an exciting activity! Paint and gilding effects, all done with a very fine brush: the result (after 2 hours in my case!) is a pretty santon that you'll be delighted to bring out every year!

A magnificent crib, made entirely of clay by a mason from Saint-Chamas.
Admire the tiles, molded one by one...