All about clay panels

A clay panel can be an unusual but appropriate decoration for any space, from a bedroom to a kitchen. It is not difficult to create and is suitable even for joint creativity with children.

A decorative clay panel with your own hands can be created either from ordinary material or from its polymer variety. Anyway before you start sculpting the product on the wall, you should think over the composition and prepare a sketch. It is recommended to draw a life-size image on a sheet of paper, corresponding to the planned dimensions of the work.

As for the subjects, botanical motives are most often chosen for the panel: clay flowers, berries and leaves. Nevertheless, there are no restrictions on this issue, and a sleeping city, a funny animal or, for example, an appetizing still life, can be placed on the panel. The finished sketch is cut into separate elements and used, if necessary, to prepare templates.

While working, it should be remembered that the whole process would be well done in two hours. Otherwise, the clay will have to be protected from drying out by covering it with either polyethylene or wet rags. Spraying with clean water from a conventional spray bottle is also suitable.

The main material for the clay panel, of course, is the clay itself. Moreover, it is immediately worth preparing a slip - liquefied wet clay, which will be used to fix the elements. For modeling, both special stacks and improvised elements can be used. For example, they can be steel spokes, heated on a plate and forged with a hammer. In addition, you should definitely prepare:

• knife;
• ruler;
• rolling pin;
• square;
• board.

Beginning craftsmen will be able to master the creation of clay decor on the example of a wall panel called "The Charm of Summer". The work begins with the fact that a rather large piece of clay is rolled out to the required thickness and cut out in the shape of a circle.

It is important to immediately smooth and smooth the surface with a soft damp sponge. The processing of the edges of the future panel is carried out in the same way. After processing the surface, the product should once again be leveled around the perimeter and freed from excess with a special knife.

The edges of the panel bend slightly outward, as if forming a small plate. The composition itself, which will be placed on the panel, will be a combination of leaves and berries. The leaf blades are separately molded in the form of drops, after which they are slightly flattened. The number of details is determined depending on the wishes of the master. Veins and edge notches are stacked.

To fix the sheets on the panel, you need to cover them on the back side with a small amount of wet clay, and then simply fix them on the surface. It is best to arrange the details in the shape of a wreath, that is, along the edge of a round base.

Next, small berries should be placed on the panel, which are ordinary circles. They are also fixed using wet clay. To give them a more natural look, you can emboss a snowflake pattern in the middle with a felt-tip pen lid.

Finally, a couple of insects are drawn on the surface, and the finished work is baked.

The temperature and baking time, as a rule, are indicated on the packaging from under the material. Working with polymer clay is carried out in a similar way.

• Panel in the form of a still life will be a great decoration for the kitchen area. On the clay surface, there is a composition uniting a fruit bowl and a jug. Only the fruits are painted on the panel, and the dishes are left untouched, which gives the picture tranquility and balance. The use of muted colors and the preservation of the natural shade of the base material to the maximum allows such work to be placed in almost any interior. It should be emphasized that even at the stage of sculpting, two holes were made on the sides of the panel, through which a cord would later be pulled, allowing the decor to be placed on the wall.

• A round clay panel looks quite classic.depicting a large rose in a vase. The flower and the vessel are made as voluminous as possible, which makes the work more realistic. In contrast, the background is kept quite simple. With the help of a special stack, lines are drawn along the contour of the circle, imitating the frame. The holes located at the top and bottom of the work not only serve as a decorative function, but can also be used to thread the cord that fixes the panel to the wall.

How to make a clay panel "Fish", see the next video.