Visual Arts Planning: Clay

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Explore our collection of Clay resources for ages 5-11.

Tell us what you are planning to cover or explore this term in your school or institution and we’ll recommend resources or learning approaches which we think might feed your teaching.

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Explore all of our clay resources here.

Clay Pinch Pots and Pendants Inspired By Stone Age Pots by Charlotte Puddephatt

Sensory Sculpture inspired by Barbara Hepworth

Find a half-term project inspired by the work of sculptor Barbara Hepworth.

Clay Nests

Work with hard and soft pencils, graphite, wax resist, watercolour, clay and sticks.

How to Play clay

This resource introduces the basics of working with Scolaquip air-hardening clay.

Quick clay figurative sketches

Explore clay as a “short term” construction and modelling material.

Decorative clay coil pots

This simple clay pot making resource is not the traditional way of making coil pots but it’s lots of fun.

Making plaster reliefs

This resource describes how to create plaster reliefs using clay and foamboard moulds.

clay art medals

Sharon Gale invites students make a circular medal from clay depicting their own profile.

making sushi - recycled style!

Inspired by Japanese culture, children explored the potential of paper and recycled materials.

Textured clay tesselations

Children learn how to make shapes out of clay that can be displayed in a tessellated pattern either as a tiled wall or floor panel.

An Exploration of Pandora's Box

Making a clay pot inspired by Pandora's Box

A series of activities centred on the Ancient Greek myth Pandora's Box.

inspired by japanese ceramics

Explore contemporary Japanese ceramicists to inspire vibrant paintings in a variety of materials.

clay portrait miniatures

Explore Portrait Miniatures: small painted images, usually of monarchs and wealthy or important figures.

clay slab work by andy cairns

This resource explores how to make an armature and use clay slab to build a form.

fruit inspired clay tiles

Take inspiration from drawings of fruit to make decorative clay tiles.

fruit pinch pot

Take inspiration from drawings of fruit to make simple pinch pot mugs.

Chimera drawings into terracotta tiles

Use Sgraffito, or the ‘scratching’ technique when creating leather hard red clay tiles.

exploring clay and water

Offer the chance to explore and PLAY with clay with no prescribed outcome.

Introducing SGRAFFITO

Explore how to make beautiful sgraffito, or ‘scratched drawings’ with artist Eleanor Somerset.

painted clay

Inspired by the Japanese art of dorondongo, paint polished spheres.

exploring portraits

Exploring ways to make portraits using clay

Explore and discover portraiture through various media.

bones, body, structure and form

exploring drawing and sculptural responses to form, forces and anatomy.

Explore drawing and sculptural responses to form, forces and anatomy.

creating a negative space in plaster

Introduce pupils to the process of casting and creating negative shapes in plaster from clay positives.

clay coiling technique to make penguins

Making penguins with a clay coiling technique

Make clay birds using a coiling techniques and with a plaster mould for the birds’ bases.

simple clay moulds

Explore plaster casting by making simple clay ‘waste moulds’.

modelling the head in clay series

A series of five resources delivered by Artist Melissa Pierce Murray showing the techniques and process of modelling the human head in clay.

Design Lab: PHOEBE CUMMINGS AT THE V&A

Cresting a site-specific, group piece, from unfired clay

Students, from the DesignLab at the V&A, London, worked with artist Phoebe Cummings over a three month period to create a site-specific, group piece, from unfired clay which was inspired by the historical 2D designs found on 19th century British tableware in the collection.

making a clay bird from a mould

Students show how they made a collection of ceramic birds, from robins and dotterels to ducks using a plaster mould and coloured slip glazes to create individual and unique pieces.

woodland exploration

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